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Join the Community for Data & BI Professionals

The Data Community Event January 2026

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Event Sponsors

Bringing data, people, and AI together for real-world results

Join the data community at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on 26th January 2026 for a full day of insights, connections, and inspiration.

Hosted by the Data Vault User Group, this in-person event marks the next chapter for our community. We want to include a wider audience with even more topics and discussions, launching under the new title the DataCommunity.

Free registration. Limited spaces available.

Grow your network

Grow your network

Hear from industry experts

Hear from industry experts

Leave with fresh insights, new connections, and free resources to keep learning

Leave with fresh insights, new connections, and free resources to keep learning

Meet the vendors behind today’s top data platforms

Meet the vendors behind today’s top data platforms

Why attend?

Connect | Learn | Grow

The Data Community Event is where professionals across data engineering, BI, and analytics come together to share ideas that drive real business impact.

Reserve your free ticket

Powered by data | Guided by humans | Accelerated by AI

The theme for this event explores how data, people, and AI work together to create meaningful results. We’ll move beyond theory, focusing on real-world projects, success stories, and practical approaches that help you deliver value in your organisation.

10:00

Arrival
Register

10:30

Welcome Talk
Neil Strange

10:45

Keynote 1
Alex Higgs

11:30

Keynote 2
Stephen Nwoye

12:15

Break
Lunch, networking, and meet the sponsors

13:30

Keynote 3
Adam Sobey

14:15

Keynote 4
Francesco Puppini

15:00

Panel discussion

From Data Foundations to AI Impact: Building Trust, Scale & Value

15:45

Networking

16:30

Close

Agenda

What to expect on the day

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Stephen Nwoye, PhD, MBCS

Stephen Nwoye, PhD, MBCS

Co-Founder - The AI Workshop, Senior Data Engineer for the NHS, Researcher, Data Engineering Coach

Adam Sobey

Mission Director for Sustainability at The Alan Turing Institute

Francesco Puppini

Francesco Puppini

Professor, Keynote Speaker, Data Modeling Innovator, R&D Engineer and Author of ‘The Unified Star Schema’

Neil Strange

CEO of Business Thinking and Chair of the DataCommunity

Alex Higgs

Product Owner/Manager

Data-Centric Engineering at scale: How do we automate workflows for large-scale emissions reductions?

AI is transforming many sectors. In transport and infrastructure, data helps us understand assets, reduce emissions and plan maintenance more effectively.

To get the full benefits, organisations need bespoke models for each asset, like cars, trains, ships, or buildings. Some assets require models for individual

components. This could mean thousands or millions of models to build and maintain.

In this talk, Adam Sobey will outline some approaches where data modelling has been successful and outline an approach being developed to automate ML data pipelines with the aim to provide emissions reductions in transport and infrastructure.

Adam's Bio

Adam Sobey is Mission Director for Sustainability at The Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s National AI and Data Science Institute, Chair of Data-Centric Engineering in the Maritime Engineering Group at The University of Southampton and a project scientific advisor at Simula Research Laboratory, Norway. He also acts as a Non-Executive Director at Theyr Ltd, a Voyage Optimisation Software provider to the marine industry, and AQ Live, providing data/AI assurance. His research focuses on the development of Reinforcement Learning, Evolutionary Computation and Machine Learning in the context of engineering applications, predominantly for emissions reductions.

Giving Your Organization a Competitive Edge in the AI Era

Many AI assistants have limits that stop organisations from doing advanced analysis.

This session will cover three main points: why typical AI assistants restrict analysis, how a self-service

model can provide more capability while keeping data safe, and practical steps organisations can take today to gain an advantage.

Stephen Nwoye will share practical ideas to help organisations get more value from AI safely and efficiently.

Stephen's Bio

Stephen Nwoye is a Senior Data Engineer in the NHS and co-founder of The AI Workshop, with over 6 years of industry experience across data engineering, AI, and cloud technologies. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and works actively as a researcher and data engineering coach, supporting teams in building modern, scalable data platforms. A professional member of the British Computer Society, Stephen focuses on practical AI adoption, responsible data practice, and empowering organisations and young people to use data and AI more effectively.

Nobody Gets Here Alone

In this opening keynote, Alex reflects on a career in the data industry shaped by unexpected turns, difficult choices, and moments that tested his sense of self.

Drawing from experiences across academia and industry, this talk invites the audience to reconsider what progress and success really look like in data-focused work.

Alex's Bio

Alex Higgs is a seasoned Data Vault specialist and Product Manager at AutomateDV, with a strong background in data engineering and BI strategy. He has led numerous Data Vault implementations across industries, helping organisations scale their data solutions while maintaining agility and clarity. Known for his practical approach and deep technical insight, Alex regularly speaks at conferences and podcasts, sharing his expertise on bridging the gap between data architecture and business impact.

Welcome

Neil Strange, Chair of the Data Community welcomes you to the event, and discusses the evolution of a growing data community.

Neil's Bio

Neil Strange is the Chairman of the Data Vault User Group and a seasoned data modelling expert. With decades of experience and training under industry pioneers, Neil has a deep understanding of the intricacies of data modelling. He is passionate about helping organizations improve their data practices and adapt to agile methodologies.

The best Data Model for AI

Text-To-SQL is great. However, today, it does not work. We often use the term "hallucinations", which sounds fancy, but here is the harsh truth: AI does not know how to write SQL. On top of this, AI doesn't know how to read our minds.

So, how can we fix this?. Well, the first step is to build the best data model for AI...

Francesco's Bio

Francesco Puppini is the inventor of the Unified Star Schema, a methodology aimed at resolving the "last mile challenge" of delivering accurate information to business users. Francesco co-authored the book Unified Star Schema with Bill Inmon and has applied his expertise to numerous projects across Europe, focusing on eliminating data duplication errors through innovative definitions and methodologies.

Gtech Community Stadium

The Venue

Address:
Gtech Community Stadium
Lionel Road South

Brentford
TW8 9BW

The nearest train stations are:

Kew Bridge 0.1 miles
Gunnersbury 0.6 miles
Kew Gardens 1.0 miles

Post-Event Benefits

All attendees will receive:

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Session Resources

Slide decks and resources from each session

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Community Access

Lifetime access to our community members’ area

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Ongoing Events

Invitations to future meetups and webinars

This isn’t just a one-day event, it’s your entry into a growing network of data professionals who share ideas, opportunities, and results.

The insights shared by industry leaders were not only thought-provoking but also practical, offering real-world applications that can drive immediate impact.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the event free?

Who should attend?

Will the sessions be recorded?

How do I get there?

Is lunch included?

Image by Conny Schneider

Be part of the future of data

Join us on 26th January 2026 for a day dedicated to ideas, connection, and growth

Seats are free, but they won’t last..

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