Cloud Nirvana Columbus: Practice, Patterns & Discipline

Join us on May 20, 2026, at The Conference Center at OCLC in Dublin, OH, for Cloud Nirvana Columbus: Practice, Patterns & Discipline — a conference designed to help teams turn cloud and AI knowledge into consistent, scalable execution.

As organizations continue to accelerate their adoption of cloud and AI, the real challenge is no longer just understanding the technology — it’s applying it effectively, repeatedly, and across teams. Lasting success comes from more than ideas. It requires strong practices, proven patterns, and the discipline to execute them with consistency.

This event is about moving from intention to execution.

Throughout the day, we’ll explore real-world practices, architectural patterns, and disciplined approaches that help teams deliver with reliability and confidence. Sessions will cover platform engineering, governance, security, DevOps, and operating models — all focused on enabling repeatability, alignment, and long-term scalability across your organization.

Whether you're a cloud architect, platform engineer, security leader, IT executive, or early-career professional looking to level up, Cloud Nirvana Columbus: Practice, Patterns & Discipline will provide actionable insights, practical frameworks, and meaningful connections to help you build and sustain excellence.

Come learn, connect, and leave with a clearer path to execution — because success in the cloud isn’t just about what you know, it’s about how consistently you apply it.

Let’s turn knowledge into practice — and practice into excellence.

Since we have limited seating, this conference is reserved for practitioners. Sales and Business Development Registrants will be rejected. Thanks for your understanding.

A special thank you to our 2026 sponsors for making this event possible:

Big Kitty Labs, Glean, Expedient, Sigma Computing, alkira, ATC, Aztra, CBTS, Presidio, Rubrik, RWX, Veeva

See you there!

Cloud Nirvana Team

Code of Conduct for Cloud Nirvana

Purpose

At Cloud Nirvana , we are committed to fostering an inclusive, safe, and collaborative environment where all participants feel welcome and respected. This Code of Conduct outlines our expectations for all attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff to ensure a positive experience for everyone.

Expected Behavior

1. Respect Others: Treat all participants with kindness, respect, and consideration. Avoid inappropriate, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and language.
2. Collaboration and Openness: Engage constructively with others. Share knowledge, ideas, and feedback in a respectful and professional manner.
3. Adhere to Venue Policies: Follow all rules and regulations set by the event venue and organizers.
4. Protect Privacy: Obtain explicit consent before photographing, recording, or publicly sharing information about other attendees.

Unacceptable Behavior

1. Harassment: Harassment of any kind, including but not limited to verbal abuse, intimidation, or inappropriate physical contact.
2. Discrimination: Any form of discrimination based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or religion.
3. Disruption: Disruptive behavior that interferes with sessions, networking, or other event activities.
4. Unlawful Conduct: Engaging in illegal activities during the event.

Sharing of Contact Information

As part of our commitment to providing a valuable experience, Cloud Nirvana collaborates with sponsors to deliver relevant resources and opportunities to attendees. By registering for this event, you agree to share your contact information (e.g., name, company, email) with sponsors for follow-up communications unless you notify event organizers prior to the event. Additionally, by purchasing a ticket, you agree to receive marketing information from Cloud Nirvana.

If you prefer not to have your contact information shared, please email [email protected].

Attendance Policy

Cloud Nirvana events are reserved exclusively for technology practitioners and leaders. We strive to create a space for industry professionals to exchange knowledge and collaborate. Cloud Nirvana reserves the right to refund ticket purchases for non-practitioners at its sole discretion.

Reporting Violations

If you experience or witness any violations of this Code of Conduct, please report them immediately to the event organizers. You can:

• Approach any staff member wearing an official badge.
• Email us at [email protected].

All reports will be handled confidentially and with sensitivity.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Participants who are found to violate this Code of Conduct may face consequences including but not limited to:

• Verbal or written warnings.
• Expulsion from the event without refund.
• Referral to appropriate authorities.

The organizers reserve the right to take appropriate action to maintain a safe and welcoming environment.

Acknowledgment

By registering for and attending Cloud Nirvana, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to abide by this Code of Conduct.

Thank you for helping us create an inclusive and respectful event experience for everyone!

Info: Sean Erikson deployed 11 AI agents to handle email, CRM, speaker pipeline, finance, and community operations. Some of it was brilliant. Some of it cost $60/day. Some of it sent the wrong email to the wrong person. This is the honest story of going from "this is amazing" to "this is production" and the patterns that made the difference.

Info: Most teams trying to scale AI hit the same wall: results that work brilliantly in demos but drift, hallucinate, or break under real-world conditions. The instinct is to fix the prompt. The real answer is almost never the prompt. This session introduces a practical framework for context management — the practice of deliberately shaping what the model knows, when it knows it, and how it is structured — as the primary lever for predictable, repeatable AI outcomes.

Info: The hardest part of AI isn't building it. It's sharing what you've learned. Sean Erikson and Chris Slee test that live on stage, swapping production patterns between their AI systems and implementing them in real time.

The bridge: Open Patterns, an open-source catalog of practitioner-sourced AI engineering patterns. Think Gang of Four for agentic AI, written by the people who build and break these systems in production. Each pattern captures what worked, what broke, and how to implement it, in a format both humans and AI agents can consume.

Chris brings a pattern. Sean's 11-agent AIOS ingests it. They show what's possible when practitioners collaborate through their agents. Not a demo. A proof of concept for agent-to-agent collaboration in building real production systems.

Info: Grab a drink, swap stories, and meet the people building real systems in your backyard. This is where the best conversations happen.

Info: An immersive session on proven architectural patterns for integrating automated guardrails, managing model risk, and balancing rapid innovation with compliance. Shifting governance from "Department of No" to a foundational engine for speed and scale.

Info: A live recording of the Silicon Heartland Sessions podcast, right here at the event. Sean Erikson sits down with the day's speakers, Rehgan Bleile (AlignAI), Mike Doel (Test Double), and Chris Slee (LainaHealth), for an unscripted conversation about what they're seeing in the field. No talking points. No corporate filter. Just practitioners comparing notes on what's working, what's failing, and what they'd do differently. The audience participates directly with questions and discussion, so bring something you want answered. This episode drops on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you listen.

Info: Ben Blanquera wraps the day with energy, key takeaways, and a call to action. Then stick around. The conversations that start during happy hour are the ones that turn into collaborations, partnerships, and the kind of relationships that make this community what it is. Drinks are on us.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Conference Center at OCLC, 6600 Kilgour Place, Dublin, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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