TechTalk Connect 2026
About this Event
Last year we ran TechTalk Connect and it sold out in under a week. So this year, we doubled the room.
On 15th September, 300+ tech professionals will take over one of the City of London's best rooms for a single evening - and one question:
Getting hired was the 2025 conversation. Getting promoted, getting visible, and getting paid more is the harder game - especially in a year where AI does more of the actual execution than ever.
That's the night. Not "how to survive AI." How to build the edge that AI can't touch: your reputation, your relationships, and the moves that actually get you seen, promoted and paid.
WHO IS THIS EVENT FOR?
✅ Tech professionals - marketing, sales, engineering, product, GTM - who want to grow, not just stay employed
✅ Anyone navigating career moves in a market that's changing fast
✅ People who get more out of a room than a webinar
✅ Founders and leaders who want to be around sharp people
WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND
This isn't just another networking event. Connect 2026 is designed to give you a real, tangible edge in a fast-changing market.
Understand what's actually happening to hiring, promotion and pay. Cut through the noise and hear it from the people living it - including where humans still win.
Build the edge AI can't touch. Reputation, positioning, relationships, and the visibility that gets you picked for the role, the project and the raise.
Meet people who can change your trajectory. Not business-card swapping - people who can hire you, refer you, promote you, or build with you. The part you'll never get from a replay.
Leave with a plan, not a pep talk. Concrete moves for your next role, your next promotion, or your next pay conversation.
WHAT TO EXPECT
🎤 Expert-led talks and panels - leaders and operators on getting hired, promoted and paid in the age of AI.
🎙️ A co-keynote from TechTalk founders Roxanne & Joana.
✨ Interactive activations - hands-on experiences and demos from our partners, running throughout the night.
🤝 Real networking - 300+ tech professionals, recruiters, founders and leaders in one room.
🥂 Food & drinks - because the best conversations happen over good food.
SPEAKERS
★ Claudia Avila, Senior Recruiter at Amazon
★ Yasar Ahmad, ex-VP of People at HelloFresh, followed by 1.5M for career advice
★ Roxanne & Joana, opening the day with The New Career Infrastructure
★ + more names still to come
ABOUT TECHTALK
TechTalk helps tech professionals get hired, get promoted and get paid what they're worth - through community, expert coaching, and proven, actionable strategies. Whether you're breaking into tech or aiming for your next level, we support both coding and non-coding careers.
We've grown into a community of 7,000+ members, 400K+ across social, and 45K+ newsletter readers - and we've helped 200+ professionals across five countries land roles at companies like HubSpot, American Express, Adobe, Salesforce, Pleo and Google. We're here to help you stand out, grow, and navigate a competitive market with confidence.
Agenda
🕑: 03:30 PM - 06:15 PM
Networking
Info: Doors, registration, welcome drinks - activation zone open
🕑: 06:15 PM - 06:25 PM
Welcome to Connect
Info: Take your seat. We'll run through the night, the prizes and how the activation zone works - then get straight into it.
🕑: 06:25 PM - 06:45 PM
Keynote 1: The New Career Infrastructure
Host: Joana & Roxanne, Co-founder of TechTalk
Info: For years, your career value was what you could execute. AI is changing that. TechTalk founders Joana and Roxanne open the night with the shift defining every career in the room: as execution becomes cheap, judgment, belonging and visibility become the ground you build on. The frame for everything that follows.
🕑: 06:45 PM - 07:20 PM
Panel 1: Generalist vs Specialist: What Actually Wins Now
Host: Rachel Macnaghten, Jumpstart
Info: Go deep or go broad? As AI absorbs more of the specialist's work, the old advice is up for grabs. A panel that picks a side - and argues it - on whether the future belongs to the deep expert or the connector who can do a bit of everything. Come with an opinion; you may leave with a different one.
🕑: 07:20 PM - 07:40 PM
Networking Break
🕑: 07:40 PM - 08:00 PM
Keynote 2: Beyond Your 9-5: How to Build a Portfolio Career
Host: Aditi Mishra, Head of Media Sifted
Info: More people want a career that isn't one job, one employer, one path - but few know how to start without leaping into the unknown. A practical, honest look at building a portfolio career: earning, creating and growing alongside the day job, not by burning it down.
🕑: 08:00 PM - 08:35 PM
Panel 2: Hired, Promoted, Paid: Winning in the AI Era
Host: Claudia Avila, Recruiter at Amazon
Info: The night's core promise, made concrete. How do you actually get hired, get promoted and get paid more when AI is reshaping what companies want? Founders and operators on the front line of hiring share what's really moving the needle and what's just noise.
🕑: 08:45 PM - 09:30 PM
Networking, Drinks & Food
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 38.62 to GBP 71.13
