Tyler Hammond photographed from behind in bright, sunlit tropical greenery, wearing an oversized white T-shirt printed with the Japanese characters 波を立てる (meaning “make waves”) and a black graphic of waves, flying cranes, and a large circle in the style of Japanese woodblock art; a wooden footbridge is visible through the leaves ahead.

Introduction

If you’re attending (or even launching) an AI conference in the UK, people usually assume it’ll be in London. This is why I’m building the event I would want to attend, in Newcastle upon Tyne instead.

In the UK, most AI, design, and tech events default to London. That makes sense in some ways. London is often the first place people think of when they think about the UK, and many events aim for international attention and reach.

The problem is that conferences in London can become incredibly expensive to attend. Between tickets, travel, accommodation, and the general cost of the city, they can quickly become inaccessible, especially for people newer to the industry.

Which feels really strange to me, because conferences exist to help people learn.

And arguably, the people who benefit most from that learning are those early in their careers, trying to meet others, develop skills, and understand where the industry is heading.

To me, that makes a key audience feel excluded.

Why Newcastle

Newcastle upon Tyne, on the other hand, has one of the fastest-growing tech ecosystems in the UK. According to Ramsac, Newcastle was ranked the UK’s second-best city for tech lovers after London. The region is home to globally recognised companies including Sage, Ubisoft, Accenture, and Atom Bank, alongside an incredibly strong creative and startup community.

That felt like an opportunity.

I’ve had countless conversations with friends, designers, and people working in tech across the North East who regularly travel to London for conferences and events. And while London absolutely has its place, it can feel strange that so much of the UK’s AI and design conversation happens there by default, despite the incredible talent, communities, and companies that exist right here in the North East.

So instead of waiting for the event I wanted to attend, I decided to try building it.

A smaller, more human event

I also believe smaller events can actually create better experiences.

Not because they’re “smaller,” but because they’re more human.

You’re more likely to have genuine conversations, spend time with speakers, discuss ideas in depth, meet people organically, and leave feeling connected to a community rather than overwhelmed by a crowd.

That’s the kind of experience I want to create with AiX Conference, which will take place on Wednesday 21st April 2027 at The Catalyst.

AiX venue graphic: low-angle photograph of The Catalyst’s diamond lattice facade on a blue grid background, with lime badges for AiX, 21 April 2027, The Catalyst Newcastle, and super early bird tickets at £49.

Will I ever feel ready?

I’ve had the idea of creating an event for a while now, but over the last few weeks I’ve committed to actually doing it, even though I don’t fully feel ready.

But then I started asking myself:

Will I ever feel ready?

AI is changing the way we work at such a rapid pace that waiting for the “perfect time” feels impossible. Even planning talks too early feels risky, because the industry is evolving faster than most conferences can keep up with.

Is building an event going to be challenging? Absolutely.

Will everything go perfectly? Probably not.

But I care deeply about the North East creative and tech community, and I want to help create more opportunities for people here to connect, learn, and share ideas around AI and design.

So I’m giving it a go.

You can find out more about AiX Conference at aixconf.co.uk, and hopefully I’ll see you there in 2027.

AiX 2027 conference banner: “A conference for designers and product teams designing with AI,” Wednesday 21 April 2027 at The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne, with a blue-tinted photo of the venue and super early bird tickets at £49.