CatchIT is Pécs's first international IT & business-focused meetup series.
When the idea for the CatchIT International Meetup was born, we were trying to fill a very specific gap: the connection between university students and the local professional community. For years, Pécs has been home to many talented Hungarian and international students studying IT, business, or engineering, but most of them do not get real professional experience during their university years. They have few chances to meet local companies, experts, or developers.
At Webstar, we saw that this wasn't just missing for the students. This is a gap in the professional ecosystem of the city as well.
At the same time, we noticed something else inside the company: many of our colleagues wanted to practice English more often not in a classroom setting, but through natural, professional conversations. Classroom courses are useful, but real growth comes from being forced to communicate, think, and argue in English - the way you would in an international project.
That is where the idea started: what if we connected these two threads? We set out to organize an event series where language practice, professional development, and community building could all coexist. That's how the CatchIT Meetup concept was born.
The CatchIT format
Every meetup consists of two parts:
- an Expert Talk, where a Webstar colleague or an invited expert gives a presentation on a professional topic,
- and a Talent Spotlight, where students present their own projects and ideas.
This way, students get not only inspiring professional content but also real feedback - regardless if they seek technical or business-oriented inspiration. Experts get a fresh perspective, new ideas, and a chance to practice English.
The events are deliberately informal. We wanted to organize a community experience where conversations and collaborations happen naturally, unlike in a conference setting.
Community building
CatchIT is not just about Webstar. Our goal is to add something to Pécs's professional and international community life. We want to create a space where Hungarian and international students, teachers, and professionals can connect naturally, openly, and honestly. The shared language is English, but the shared goal is learning, growth, and inspiring others.
What we saw is that students from different faculties often work in isolation within the university. IT students have no insight into the competencies of business students, and the business students do not know how to bring their ideas to life technologically. CatchIT can help bridge these gaps:
developers and business thinkers, creative and analytical minds can meet, find each other, and build solutions together.
Long-term goals
In the long run, we believe this community can become self-sustaining: a professional ecosystem where members support and inspire each other, and even launch joint projects. Webstar acts as a facilitator: we provide the space, the knowledge, and the experience, but the community itself is built through participation, dialogue, and openness.
For us, CatchIT is therefore not just a meetup, but a mindset.
It is about how we can learn from one another, help each other grow, and find joy in work, learning, and creating together - despite the challenges of a changing world.
Closing thoughts
The CatchIT International Meetup is, for us, both a community space and a source of inspiration. It helps bring knowledge, cultures, and people closer together, right in the heart of Pécs, at the h6todik community space. Even if a single student or professional walks away with a new connection, a new idea, or new momentum, this initiative was already worth starting.
Because ultimately, that is what this meetup is about:
connecting, learning, and growing together. In a city where the talent is there, we just need to connect the dots.
Sounds good?
Join us at the next CatchIT meetup! Organized by:
Bálint and Peti
