London Community Week 2026 Day 1: Workshop + AI Hackathon

NOTE: If you want a 3-day full pass for London Community Week, buy here.
London Community Week 2026
Day 1: Workshops + AI Hackathon
Day 1 of London Community Week 2026 is built for community professionals who want practical learning, sharper thinking, and hands-on experimentation.
We are opening the week with a featured workshop from Rosie Sherry, followed by the Lovable AI Hackathon: Community Tools Edition led by Francisco Opazo.
This is not a passive conference day.
It is a working day.
A day for people who want to build stronger community skills, learn from proven frameworks, and then explore what the future of community tooling can look like when AI and community strategy meet in the same room.
What to Expect
Session 1:
The AI Minimum Viable Community: How to Start a Community with an AI First Mindset with Rosie Sherry
Starting a community can feel like staring at a blank page and the pressure to launch something fully formed before you're ready is real. This workshop takes the Minimum Viable Community (MVC) framework and asks: what happens when you bring an AI-first mindset to it?
What if you didn't have the pressure of gathering people to talk? What if you didn't have to create a Slack or a forum space? What would community start to look like with an AI first mindset? AI can not only help you research your space. It can also change your mind on how to build. You don't have to feel the pressure to start a community. You can explore, experiment, prepare and create with speed, efficiency and value.
In this hands-on workshop, you'll be introduced to the MVC philosophy, small, intentional, experimental, and then layer in practical AI techniques that help you do the thinking, the researching, and the building faster and with more confidence. Whether you're at the "should I even do this?" stage or already gathering your first members, you'll leave with a clearer picture of what your community could be, and the tools to take the next smallest right step.
Please have Claude set up to help you experiment during the workshop.
Learning Takeaways:
By the end of this workshop you'll be able to:
Understand what a Minimum Viable Community actually is
Use AI to do your community research
Build your first community assets with AI support
Reframe the pressure to "launch" and replace it with a data mindset
Session 2:
Lovable AI Hackathon: Community Tools Edition with Francisco Opazo
In the afternoon, Day 1 shifts from strategy into creation.
The Lovable AI Hackathon: Community Tools Edition is a practical hackathon for community builders, marketers, operators, and curious non-technical creators who want to explore how AI can help build tools, workflows, and experiences for communities.
This is a chance to think beyond discussion and move into experimentation.
Participants will have time to explore ideas, build lightweight prototypes, work with others in the room, and present what they create.
We are especially interested in ideas that support community programmes, member experiences, event engagement, onboarding, networking, advocacy, moderation, content experiences, or other tools that help communities work better.
You do not need to be an engineer to take part.
This session is designed to be accessible, collaborative, and practical.
There will also be time for project presentations, and 3 projects will be selected as winners.
Prizes Include:
Lovable credits
Swag
An iPad for the #1 project
Full Day Agenda
9:30 AM
Opening doors
10:00 AM
Workshop begins
The AI Minimum Viable Community: How to Start a Community with an AI First Mindset with Rosie Sherry
1:15 PM
Lunch break (Lunch is covered)
2:00 PM
Hackathon begins
Lovable AI Hackathon: Community Tools Edition with Francisco Opazo
4:30 PM
Presentation time
5:15 PM
Winners announcement
5:30 PM
Wrap-up and goodbyes
Meet the Speakers
Rosie Sherry
CEO, Ministry of Testing Community, and Founder at Rosieland
Rosie Sherry is a community builder, founder, and creator with 25 years of lived experience in tech and community. She founded Ministry of Testing and leads the MoTaverse, a platform for quality and tech professionals. She also previously led community at Indie Hackers and Orbit.

Best known for honest, to-the-point thinking, Rosie has spent the past six years writing and creating at Rosieland, exploring what it means to approach community differently. Her work is grounded in common sense, creativity, and an indie mindset.
Francisco Opazo
Lovable Ambassador & Founder, Led by Community
Francisco Opazo is a community strategist and marketing leader with over 14 years of experience helping fast-growing startups grow through community-led strategies, demand generation, and strategic partnerships.
He is the Founder of Led by Community C.I.C., a UK-registered Community Interest Company that supports community professionals around the world through education, peer connection, and career development, with a thriving private network, cohort-based courses, and a year-round event series.
Francisco is the driving force behind Community Week, a global celebration of the community profession, featuring conferences in London, Toronto, Lisbon, and New York. These events bring together thousands of professionals each year to share ideas, strengthen their practice, and shape the future of community building.
His career includes leadership roles at high-growth platforms such as Circle.so, BuddyBoss, and Bettermode, where he helped scale revenue and engagement through community-first growth strategies.
Francisco also leads initiatives like Speaker Dream, an AI-powered platform for speaker and agenda management, and regularly hosts mentorship programmes, AMAs, and workshops for community professionals worldwide.
Based in London, Francisco is deeply committed to building people-first ecosystems where community leaders can connect, grow, and thrive.