Oliver Thomas, founder of ArchiTech Network, opens the first Architectural Influence Day by reflecting on the journey that led to the ATN Summit and the growth of ATN from a niche online platform into a wider community spanning content, education, and live events. He shares the story behind ATN’s evolution through podcasts, office tours, online courses, workshops, and gatherings like PechaKucha in the Pub, showing how a side project built around architecture and technology grew into a platform connecting innovators across the industry.

The talk also explores Oliver’s key lessons from building ATN, from the value of starting small and growing a focused audience to the relationship between content creation, entrepreneurship, and community-building. He argues that architecture is entering a new era shaped not only by AI, BIM, and emerging technologies, but also by creators, educators, and entrepreneurial voices who are reshaping how knowledge is shared. Ultimately, the talk is both a welcome to the event and a call to embrace influence, collaboration, and new ways of building careers and platforms within architecture.

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