StoryEvent Recap

Why do people keep hanging around after our events end?

We eventually figured out the lingering was the point, so we started making room for it on purpose.

by AIPDX August 11, 20263 min read

Last night, over 150 people packed into Migration for an AI Portland happy hour. There was no panel. No presentation. No agenda, really. Just a room full of people who wanted to meet each other and talk about what they're building, thinking about, excited about, or trying to figure out.

We learned pretty early on that some of the best conversations at AI Portland happen after the programming ends.

We'd wrap an event and people just... wouldn't leave.

The panel would be over, the microphones packed up, and there would still be groups scattered around the room deep in conversation. Someone had finally found another person working through the same problem or designer was talking to an engineer they'd never met. Someone who showed up alone was suddenly exchanging contact information with three new people.

Eventually we realized the lingering wasn't something happening after the event, it could be the event itself. We started with a Happy Hour, and began offering morning coffees and Work From days, giving people opportunities to connect beyond a bar. Sometimes our friends invite us to their cool spaces, like last month when we had coffee at Instrument’s, amazing new offices.

And, as it turns out, we really needed it.

When Megan and I started AI Portland, we wanted it to happen in Portland, in person. Coming out of the pandemic, we'd all gotten extremely good at interacting through screens. Showing up in a room full of people we didn't know… not so much.

Those first events sometimes had that slightly awkward energy we've all experienced. Where people are sticking close to someone they already knew or conversations that didn't quite get past, "So, what do you do?"

But today, in 2026 something has definitely shifted. It was clear last night that we have dusted off the pandemic crud and it felt a lot more vibrant. Megan and I like to think we helped with that, helping people feel more human, together.

That's the part we're most proud of. Not how many people RSVP'd, (although the list was kind of ridiculous, 300+ RSVPs). Not how many events we've hosted or how big the community has gotten. It's watching people find each other and connect.

Yes, there's a selfish reason.

At most AI Portland events, Megan and I aren't really at the event. We're watching the clock. Checking the mic. Finding the speaker. Talking to the venue. Making sure we thanked everyone we're supposed to thank.

Happy hours are different. We get to be in the room too. We get to meet the person who came for the first time, and hear what people are building. We get to find out what is exciting people (or terrifying them)! And most importantly, introduce two people who absolutely need to know each other.

It's a big part of why we started AI Portland in the first place. We want to have these conversations too.

Showing up matters.

There's a reason we call these social hours instead of networking events. "Networking" makes the whole thing sound transactional. Like you're supposed to arrive with an objective and leave with three LinkedIn connections and a lead. That's not what we're trying to create.

Come because you're curious.

Come because you're working on something weird.

Come because you have questions.

Come because everyone you normally talk to is sick of hearing you talk about AI.

Come because you don't know anyone.

You don't need an agenda. Just show up. We'll take it from there.

Thank you to our sponsor for the evening, Idealist Consulting. It was super fun hanging with y’all.