100th Meetup wrap-up

What a night! Our 100th Meetup, was a heartfelt celebration of a 12-year journey. From that first evening on July 2013 to this milestone, we have shared meetups full of curiosity, learning, and community spirit. This Meetup was extra special because it gave us a moment to look back, celebrate what we have built together, and look ahead to what comes next ⚡Thank you to every speaker, every attendee, every volunteer, and every sponsor who made these 100 evenings possible. Your time, ideas, and enthusiasm are the foundation of Munich DataGeeks.

A special thank you to everyone who joined the conversations, reconnected with old friends, and welcomed new members into our community 💪Thanks to our amazingly entertaining talks by Leonarda Babic, Karim Jedda, Dr. Christoph Mittendorf, Andreas Hübner, and Sebastian Schwarz, and thanks to Peter Heise, PhD and Allianz for sponsoring this event.

Finally, we want to say a huge thank you for the incredible activity and engagement over the last few weeks. The messages, posts, comments, and energy from the community made this milestone truly memorable 😎

Talk recordings and summaries

Please find the talk specific posts following these links:

1. "From Bias to Bots" by Karim Jedda
2. "Expanding our Horizon with Agents and Open World Models" by Dr. Christoph Mittendorf
3. "A Competitive Time Trial AI for Need for Speed Most Wanted Using Deep RL" by Sebastian Schwarz
4. "How the Catflap Got Boring (Or Did It?) – Over 10 Years of Purr-sistence" by Andreas Hübner

The talk by Leonarda Babic was not posted as requested by the speaker / sponsor.

Intro Talk by Stefanie and Torsten

Transcript Summary

Community Welcome and Introduction

The 100th meetup began with traditional introductory slides and networking time, emphasizing that connecting with fellow attendees is a core part of the Munich Data Geeks experience. The organizers highlighted that the community is not just the visible organizers in data geek shirts but encompasses all participants who contribute to making the events successful.

Government Recognition and Support

Lara Dornheim, Munich's Chief Digital Officer (CDO), delivered a video message congratulating the community on reaching the 100th meetup milestone. She acknowledged the crucial role that engaged citizens and civil society play in advancing digitalization efforts in Munich. Dornheim emphasized that open data serves as a foundation for accessible information, innovation, citizen empowerment, and building trust in digital transformation. She extended an invitation for the community to hold future meetups at the IT Rathaus, Munich's government IT facility, signaling institutional support for grassroots tech initiatives. Her message underscored that successful digital transformation requires not just large corporations but also engaged citizens passionate about creating positive change through data.

Community Platform and Outreach

The organizers promoted the Munich Data Geeks LinkedIn page as a central hub for sharing upcoming meetups, local developments in Munich's tech scene, and broader data science community news. The platform helps maintain engagement between monthly meetups and keeps the community informed about relevant opportunities and developments.

Sponsorship Model

The community operates through corporate sponsorships that cover essential costs including food, beverages, and venue rental. Allianz sponsored the 100th meetup, joining a long list of companies that have supported the community over the years. The organizers emphasized openness to new sponsors and encouraged companies to reach out if interested in supporting future events.

Content Evolution and Focus

The meetup content has evolved significantly over its 12-year history while maintaining a consistent focus on data-related topics. The community began with classical data analysis methods, went through an intensive Hadoop phase that has since faded from prominence, embraced deep learning techniques, and currently explores AI agents and emerging technologies. This evolution reflects broader industry trends while maintaining the core mission of connecting professionals across different sectors. The standard format features two talks, typically one from industry and one from research, though special events like the 100th meetup include additional presentations.

Networking Philosophy

The organizers stressed that networking is equally important as the technical talks. Ample time is allocated before and during events for attendees to connect, exchange ideas, and build professional relationships. This dual focus on content and community building distinguishes Munich Data Geeks from lecture-style events.

Community-Driven Content

All content comes from community members rather than external sources. The organizers actively encourage attendees to present their work, whether from major projects or side endeavors. The emphasis is on sharing interesting work and passion rather than requiring highly polished or enterprise-scale presentations. This approach has enabled a steady stream of diverse topics and maintains the grassroots character of the community.

Website Relaunch

The community unveiled a redesigned website featuring a modern look and improved accessibility. The new site consolidates previously scattered resources including meetup information, sponsorship details, speaker applications, and contact information. A merchandise shop was integrated into the website, offering hoodies, t-shirts, and other items at cost through a print-on-demand service with no markup, reflecting the nonprofit nature of the organization.

YouTube Channel

All talks are recorded and made available on the Munich Data Geeks YouTube channel. The organizers noted that these resources, previously difficult to locate, are now easily accessible through the redesigned website.

Historical Origins

The Munich Data Geeks story began with a humorous presentation suggesting ancient origins, featuring fictional stone age talks including "Stone Query Language: SELECT * FROM tribe WHERE spear_size > 3", "Fire or No Fire: A Binary Classification Problem", and "Big Rock Data: How to Efficiently Store More Than 10 Symbols on a Cave Wall Using Madoop". This playful introduction preceded the actual founding story.

Founding History

Miguel and Florian Hart founded Munich Data Geeks in July 2013 while working at TrustYou. The first meetup took place at the TrustYou office and established the format, agenda structure, and iconic glasses logo that remain largely unchanged. Steffen Wenz from TrustYou played a key role in sponsoring the initial meetups. The community maintained the original slide deck template throughout its history, with only minor updates over the years.

Leadership Transition

Around 2014-2015, Florian Hart received a job offer from Yelp and moved to the United States. Miguel sought someone to help with organization, and the current speaker joined after attending several meetups and expressing interest. When Miguel subsequently moved to Berlin, the speaker initially planned to find another replacement but recognized the vulnerability of relying on just two organizers.

Establishing the Verein

The transition to a formal nonprofit association (Verein) arose from concerns about sustainability. The speaker shared an amusing story about organizing the founding meeting: after sending invitations to the 400-500 member community and reserving restaurant space for 20 people, he discovered the email hadn't actually been sent. He arrived to find no attendees and had to explain to the restaurant that the prepared food wouldn't be needed, receiving a request not to return. However, one person, Chris Esling from Alexander Thamm, had been contacted separately and did attend, leading to a productive three-hour conversation about data and community organization. A subsequent properly-sent invitation resulted in the successful May 2015 founding of the Munich Data Geeks Verein with 15 members.

Data Day Events

The community organized three full-day Data Day conferences in 2016, 2017, and 2019 (the latter technically held in 2018 but moved from October to March, hence the 2019 designation). These expanded events took place at major company venues: the first at Celeraone, the second at Microsoft, and the third at BMW. A fourth Data Day was fully planned for 2020 with all sponsors and details finalized, but had to be cancelled one to two weeks before the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers are working toward reviving this format, with the 100th meetup serving as a test of capacity and volunteer support for organizing larger events.

COVID-19 Period and Recovery

During the COVID-19 pandemic, meetup organization was primarily handled by Janek and Chris Esling while the speaker focused on family responsibilities after moving to Eichstätt or Ingolstadt and having three children. When Chris became a father and had less availability, the speaker resumed a more active organizing role around 2022. The community was uncertain whether momentum could be recovered post-pandemic. The first post-lockdown meetup required attendees to sit 1.5 meters apart wearing masks, creating a challenging atmosphere. However, when restrictions fully lifted in October of that year, attendance and engagement immediately returned to pre-pandemic levels, continuing seamlessly as if there had been no interruption.

Current Organizational Structure

Since the post-COVID recovery, meetup organization has become truly collaborative, with at least four to five people involved in each event. Responsibilities are distributed among team members handling sponsor relations, speaker coordination, recording, and other logistics. Fabian and Thomas contribute to meetup organization, with Thomas Bagger specifically credited with substantial work enabling the 100th meetup celebration. This distributed model ensures sustainability and reduces dependence on any single individual.

Community Statistics

The community has reached significant milestones: 100 meetups over 12 years, with registration typically filling within one hour of opening. The meetup.com page has accumulated 1,789 ratings averaging 4.6 stars out of 5. The community comprises 9,862 members, making it one of Europe's largest data science and AI communities. The organizers aimed to reach 10,000 members by the 100th meetup but expect to achieve this milestone at the November event instead. The LinkedIn channel has 3,368 followers where the team shares meetup information and relevant data science content from Munich and beyond.

Sponsorship Records

TrustYou leads in hosting frequency, having provided venue space for nine meetups. VW Data Lab hosted five times, with Allianz positioned to potentially take the lead given their recent hosting frequency. Peter (likely referring to a venue or division at Allianz) was mentioned in context of the Data Lab being close in numbers. Hubert Burda, Chris Esling's previous employer, also appears on the frequent host list, as does Aon where Chris currently works. Numerous other companies have hosted one, two, or three times, demonstrating broad industry support.

Speaker Engagement

Sixteen speakers have returned to give second talks at various meetups and Data Day events, showing sustained community involvement and evolving expertise. One individual has delivered five talks over the years, jokingly described as having an addiction to spotlight and attention, highlighting the welcoming atmosphere for repeat contributors.

Evening Program

The 100th meetup featured special elements including commemorative bags and sunglasses for attendees. The event was entirely funded by Allianz, covering food, beverages, and venue rental costs. Following the historical overview, the program proceeded to the first technical talk by Leonarda and Peter from Allianz.