People of Casual Tech Meetup

I am Shirley, a regional digital lead in a Medical Tech company. I met Timothy in an Experience Design course, where I was his learning facilitator. I joined the first meetup and a few times since then. It usually happens in a bar next to Victoria harbour. I can buy drinks and talk to new friends along the high tables. Tim will sometimes order snacks for the group to enjoy. The conversation started with jobs, and how we know Tim, followed by MBTI, work-life balance, digital nomads, career growth etc. I was surprised by the smooth transitions from serious to casual and deep topics. When it was time to leave, I didn't need to stay when comparing other meetups in a more formal setting. My experience with this Tech meetup is always refreshing and inspiring. I am an introvert who doesn't enjoy networking as much as extroverts, but I see the value and want to build quality connections instead of quantity. Every time I join, there's someone new and some connections built in the previous meetups. That makes me feel psychologically safe to make new friends. I enjoy small group chatting, and the freedom to switch between groups or stay in the same for a deeper conversation. Tim will also connect people by introducing what the two have in common to break the ice. This gesture is infectious and influences the participants to do the same. I look forward to joining future meetups.

My name is Jason and was invited to the event by Tim, who was my classmate at a UX bootcamp. During this event, I was able to connect with like minded individuals who work in tech or had experience working in tech-related roles. I could share my experiences in design and learn more about marketing, product and some technical skills like programming. I feel that it is a good place to wind down and have a bite, a drink and relax. The vibe was not as formal as other networking events and despite being a tech meetup, conversations branched out into other topics such as job hunting, hobbies and even sustainability. Also, everyone was very comfortable in accomodating to each other's preferred language, speaking in both English and Cantonese.

I learned about this event from Timothy's LinkedIn. As it grew and more people I knew went, I was more motivated to attend. My experience was quite good, I think there were a variety of people with different backgrounds, but all connecting back to something relevant to me. In addition, it helped that they were all able to speak English as I don't know Canto.

I had a great time! Super insightful as always, thanks so much for Tim and Shirley for hosting it and taking great effort making the bingo, designing the questions, preparing gifts for the participants! Hugely appreciate the care and effort!

So good that everyone was honest with themselves and gave authentic views to others. The sense of community was constructed! Love it!!! I hope there will be more similar events. If yes, I definitely join!!!! Thank you Timothy and Shirley once again for organising such an amazing event!🤟🏻🙌🏻🎉

Thanks Tim and Shirley!! It was so engaging and trustful, which made it easy to share our perspectives in depth. You guys really nailed the rundown and flow of the event. It was perfect for generating ideas and getting everyone involved. I loved how it encouraged us to contribute more and more.