* Updated for 2025    

There is no shortage of Sydney Meetups available to help an ambitious tech expert with their professional development. However, with so many now in operation, we understand it can be tough to filter through to the good stuff. Allow us to save you time and pain going through the arduous process.  

Here are our picks for the 10 best Sydney Meetups to educate, inspire and challenge tech professionals in no particular order.   

A laid-back and welcoming event, Sydney Tech Meetup brings together developers, engineers, data scientists, and curious minds for casual monthly catch-ups. This one is all about showing up, grabbing your preferred drink, and chatting about anything from software and AI to side projects and industry shifts. If you’re looking to meet other local professionals without a formal agenda, this is one worth checking out.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Held monthly on Thursday evenings at Mountain Goat Newtown, with food and drink specials available.  

• Topics covered : Informal conversations covering tech trends, industry news, hobby projects, and whatever the group feels like chatting about.  

• Networking opportunities : A purely social format makes it easy to meet people, exchange ideas, and connect with others across different parts of Sydney’s tech scene.    

One of the few Meetups focused outside the Sydney CBD, Western Sydney Tech Innovators is building a strong community in Parramatta and beyond. This group brings together technologists, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are exploring the possibilities of AI, immersive tech, automation, and digital innovation. The vibe is collaborative and future-focused, welcoming anyone who wants to shape tech in Western Sydney.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Events come up every week or two, often centred around themed discussions and their monthly AI sessions.  

• Topics covered : Generative AI, ethical automation, virtual and augmented reality, AI agents, and the broader impact of emerging tech.  

• Networking opportunities : Events are designed to encourage conversation and participation, offering a platform for new ideas and regional collaboration.

A regular fixture for platform engineers, developers, and site reliability professionals, DevOps Sydney is one of the city’s most established and well-attended Meetups, boasting 8,800+ members. With a focus on modern software delivery and operations, it draws a crowd interested in automation, CI/CD and infrastructure as code, including professionals, hackers, managers, and engineers.   

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Held most months with talks from engineers, tech leads, and industry veterans sharing real-world insights.  

• Topics covered : Continuous integration and deployment, infrastructure as code, observability, incident response, and tooling.  

• Networking opportunities : Attendees are encouraged to connect before and after presentations, making it a valuable space for shared learning and discussion.  

• Inclusive community : The group maintains a clear Code of Conduct to ensure a welcoming and respectful environment for all.  

A hands-on community for AI practitioners and developers, the Sydney AI Developers Group focuses on practical skills and real-world applications. Organised by Kevin L and team, this Meetup welcomes software engineers, ML engineers, data engineers, and DevOps professionals interested in building and deploying AI systems.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Held once a month or more, featuring tech talks, workshops and code labs led by AI/ML practitioners and industry leaders.  

• Topics covered : Generative AI, LLMs, AI agents, machine learning, deep learning, MLOps, and data engineering, all with a focus on hands-on implementation.  

• Networking opportunities : These events attract a technical crowd looking to share ideas, sharpen skills and learn from each other’s projects and approaches.  

Another long-standing Meetup, Sydney AI + Data (formerly Data Science Sydney), has been running for 11 years and has built a strong following among data scientists, engineers, researchers, and statisticians. If you’re interested in extracting value from data using advanced statistical, computational and analytical tools, this Meetup delivers. Regular sessions explore a wide range of methods, from machine learning to Bayesian stats and beyond.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Held roughly once a month, these sessions feature expert speakers presenting their perspectives and practical experience in AI and data science.  

• Topics covered : Advanced machine learning, feature extraction, outlier detection, Bayesian statistics, deep learning, LLMs, AI analytics, graphbased ML methods, and generative AI fundamentals.  

• Networking opportunities : Events include time before and after talks to meet fellow attendees, fostering a diverse and inclusive community.  

Designed for tech professionals looking to grow or get started in the Australian IT market, the IT Career in Australia Meetup offers practical guidance and community support. It’s especially popular with job seekers, recent graduates, and migrants adjusting to local hiring practices.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular online discussions : Held weekly every Wednesday at 5:30   pm AEST, with livestreams available, topics range from resume strategies and interview preparation to understanding local hiring practices.  

• TechWalking events : Unique to this Meetup, these are informal walking-and-chat sessions, great for meeting peers while getting some fresh air.  

• Topics covered : Career progression, job-hunting tactics, navigating Australian tech culture, and enhancing your professional brand.  

• Networking opportunities : These events foster connection through live Q&As, group discussions, and relaxed conversation.  

Focused on the challenges of designing at scale, Enterprise UX Sydney brings together professionals working on complex systems, large teams, and organisational-wide user experience. It’s a Meetup for those shaping digital experiences in government, finance, healthcare and other enterprise environments.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Typically held monthly, with talks from experienced UX professionals working across enterprise projects.  

• Topics covered : UX research methods, enterprise design systems, usability testing, interaction design, information architecture, and working within organisational constraints.  

• Networking opportunities : Sessions create space for relaxed conversations before and after talks, making it easy to connect with fellow UX professionals.  

• Tangible takeaways : Presentations are known for offering practical insights and examples that attendees can apply in their day-to-day work.  

If you work in CX, UX, content design, or product strategy, the Sydney Creative Customer Experience (CCX) Meetup is a regular fixture worth attending. Known for its thoughtful speaker lineups and engaging topics, CCX brings together creative professionals to explore how design can shape customer relationships.   

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Held monthly, usually hosted at well-known venues with industry sponsors.  

• Topics covered : Service design, content strategy, product design, customer journeys, accessibility, and design ops.  

• Networking opportunities : Events are well-attended by a mix of designers, researchers and strategists, with time to mingle before and after the talks.  

Running for a decade, the Sydney Design Thinking Meetup is a popular monthly must-attend event on a software designer’s calendar. A community-led group, this Meetup brings together professionals and enthusiasts interested in applying design thinking to real-world challenges. The group typically includes UX and service designers, product managers, innovation leads, researchers, and business strategists.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person and virtual events: These sessions often feature guest speakers, panel discussions, workshops, and hands-on activities.  

• Topics covered: Human-centred design, co-creation, prototyping, customer journey mapping, behavioural design, and systems thinking.  

• Networking opportunities: A relaxed and open environment for meeting like-minded people working across design, business, and tech.  

Part of the global Google Developer Groups network, GDG Cloud Sydney is a Meetup for developers working with cloud technologies and Google’s ecosystem. It attracts engineers, students and enthusiasts who want to stay sharp on tools like Firebase, Google Cloud, Flutter and more. The content tends to be technical and hands-on, with speakers often diving into real-world implementations and code. This one is for those looking to deepen their cloud knowledge and meet others working in the space.  

Here’s what you can expect from the Meetup:  

• Regular in-person events : Monthly events, often hosted at coworking spaces or tech partner venues.  

• Topics covered : Google Cloud, Firebase, Flutter, machine learning, DevOps, mobile development, and developer tooling.  

• Networking opportunities : Sessions include time for Q&A and a “Come Hire” segment for sharing job leads or career moves, making it useful for those hiring or job seeking.  

If you’re looking for more than a Meetup to develop your career, Launch Recruitment Sydney can help you to take the next step. Call us today on 1300 452 986 or connect with us via our  contact page .