Your first Bay Area AI event: choose, register and leave with something useful
AI Week SF and SF Tech Week: you do not need to fill every day
Want some company?Start an outing with this article’s coverA thematic archival photo about digital learning and technology, taken in 2017. It does not show a Bay Area AI conference, library class or the advertised event.
Turn late-September and October AI events into a useful afternoon or evening. Choose by interest, location, ticket and approval requirements, with a preparation checklist and conversation template.
You do not have to start with an expensive full-day conference. Decide whether you want to meet a community, understand a technical problem or build a small project, then choose one event that fits.
Separate the two event weeks from individual sessions
- AI Week SF runs Sep 27–Oct 3 across Bay Area venues. The AI Conference is one conference within the week, not the entire program.
- SF Tech Week runs Oct 5–11 with independent hosts. The main calendar is a directory, and each event requires its own registration. LA Tech Week on Oct 12–18 is outside the Bay Area.
- Multi-day conferences follow daily schedules, not continuous overnight opening. Free events may still require approval or physical identification.
Choose by what you want to take away
- Start building: the Oct 5 n8n evening lets you practice a small workflow. Bring a laptop and prepare your account.
- Explore career changes: the Sep 30 PyLadies discussion suits data, analytics and product interests. Bring a practical work question.
- Already building AI systems: Runtime and LLMday overlap on Oct 1, so pick one. Consider shared memory on Oct 5 or Agent Day on Oct 9 by topic.
- Interested in AI's community impact: Oakland's Oct 2 Civic Tech Design Sprint combines civic needs, design and prototypes across disciplines.
Start with messages on the platform and share personal details carefully. Original illustration about community safety.
Confirm four things when registering
Check items off to organize your thoughts. Your selections reset when you leave this page.
Give your travel plan room
Editorial suggestion: choose one main event per outing. Menlo Park's 135 Constitution Dr is not a walkable transfer from downtown San Francisco, and Oakland requires a separate cross-bay travel plan. Within SF, group venues by Mission Rock, Dogpatch, Union Square or downtown. Check the return trip before adding an evening event. Map pins identify venues, not entrances or travel directions.
Start your first conversation with one concrete question
A 30-second introduction
Sample template: replace the text in brackets, review it, then send.
I am working on / learning ____. I came to understand ____. Your point about ____ interested me. After using it in practice, what should I watch out for?
Editorial suggestion: leave with one technique to try, one project to read about and one person happy to stay in touch. Ask before contacting people or sharing photos. Attendance does not guarantee interviews, funding or jobs.
Choose events by date and purpose, then register with the organizer.
Official resources and service links
Check the original sources for your circumstances. Admission prices, hours, rules, and services may change.
- AI Week SF: official week and calendar(opens in a new tab)
Confirm the Sep 27–Oct 3 week, then open each organizer's event page.
- a16z Tech Week: official San Francisco calendar(opens in a new tab)
San Francisco runs Oct 5–11; Los Angeles is a different week. Apply to events individually.
- The AI Conference: tickets and daily agenda(opens in a new tab)
Distinguish Sep 29 Day ZERØ from the Sep 30–Oct 1 main conference.
- LLMday: current San Francisco venue and program(opens in a new tab)
The current venue is 55 Stockton St; the old Redwood City link redirects to the new registration page.
- n8n: build-night preparation(opens in a new tab)
Check laptop, n8n account and optional Claude Code requirements.
- SurrealDB × Mastra: admission requirements(opens in a new tab)
Check host approval, physical photo ID and courtyard entrance.
Event facts checked September 23, 2026. These weeks contain independently hosted events with their own venues, tickets and approval rules. Selection, travel and conversation advice below is BAYLINK editorial guidance, not live availability or an admission promise.
