The idea was simple: gather together clients and have a companionable evening of food and drink whilst hearing different perspectives on the complexity of bringing hardware, software and the internet together. And to learn a few magic tricks! As co-founder Tim Malbon (who sauvely compered the evening) said, "Magic is technology and technology is magic."

In our canal side office (bedecked with halloween gear and the night curling up around us) we heard talks from:

Lauren Bowker from The Unseen
A visually stunning talk that showcased The Unseen’s amazing wearable creations that blend matter into materials. At times stunningly clever, all were stunningly beautiful.

Mat Hunter from Central Research Laboratory
An insightful talk from an organisation with a real sense of purpose: a home for innovative hardware start-ups. Mat talked about the need for support and collaboration, from industry to private ventures and government.

Tom Evans from BleepBleeps
Drawing upon a box of halloween hardware horrors, Tom shared experiences from across the industry of the perseverance, good humour, talent and no small amount of luck needed to be successful in the IOT.

Patrick Bergel from Animal Systems
Best known for Chirp - which can effortlessly connect billions of devices around the world - Patrick shared his perspective on the internet of sound and his inspiration from nature.

Suitably emboldened with knowledge (and spooky cocktails) we then heard from our embedded magicians - from London start-up Abracademy - who taught us a couple of tricks. Their mission is amazing: that if you learn magic you can make anything magical. It was great to see everyone in the room learning something new and being touched by a little bit of wizardry.

Thanks to all those who came, the magicians and speakers who entertained and inspired our guests, and to everyone at Made by Many who helped make the night such an enjoyable event.