--- title: "ELC membership: join free or take a circle seat" description: "Join the Engineering Leaders Community free, or take an ELC Circle seat at €1,198 a year incl. VAT: a peer group every two weeks and a seat at every meetup." url: "https://www.engineeringleaders.io/members/" lang: "en" image: "https://www.engineeringleaders.io/gallery/members/og-members.webp" --- For engineering leaders # ELC membership: join free, or take a seat in a _circle_ . Free membership costs €0 and gets you into the Engineering Leaders Community, 3,500+ engineering managers and leaders across Central Europe with meetups in Prague today, Bratislava and Kraków from January 2027: meetups, the Leaders’ Brief, Slack and the talks. An ELC Circle costs €1,198 a year including VAT (€990 excl. VAT): a small peer group that meets every two weeks, and a seat at every meetup in your city. [Join free](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/join/)[See the ELC Circle](#circle) 3,500+ members in Prague, Brno, Bratislava and Kraków ![A small group of engineering leaders around one table at ELC Conference, listening to one of them talk.](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/_astro/members-hero.D7Ay5LMd_1p30V3.avif) ## What you can join ![A full room at an ELC meetup at Ataccama in Prague, the audience listening to a panel.](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/_astro/strip-02.7qUUwhHC_28OaBG.avif) Free member €0 No invoice, no contract - Meetups in Prague, Brno, Bratislava and Kraków. We approve every guest by hand, and a seat depends on space. - The Leaders’ Brief every month, sent to 3,000+ subscribers. - The ELC Slack. - Talks from every meetup on YouTube. - [The knowledge base and the AI Toolkit.](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/toolkit/) [Join free](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/join/) ![A facilitator talking with a small group of engineering leaders around a table at an ELC session.](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/_astro/circle-session.DU9Ene63_1KB0qa.avif) ELC Circle €1,198 a year incl. 21% VAT · €990 excl. VAT - A seat for a year in one of five circles: AI Masters, Product Builders, First-Time Boost, Experienced Leaders or Communication and Public Speaking. - A peer group of 6 to 8 leaders that meets every two weeks, facilitated by experienced ELC members. - Your first session is within 2 weeks of joining. - A seat at every ELC meetup in your city: Prague today, Bratislava and Kraków from January 2027. - Everything free members get. - One price whoever pays. Your employer can pay with its VAT ID at checkout and gets an invoice. - If you buy as an individual, the 14-day right of withdrawal under EU consumer law applies. [Get your circle seat](https://buy.stripe.com/9B64gy4ItblKe5e36W87K09) You pick your circle at checkout. Or email [marian@engineeringleaders.io](mailto:marian@engineeringleaders.io). Marian replies within 1 working day. ## Free member or ELC Circle | | Free member | ELC Circle | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | €0 | €1,198 a year incl. VAT | | Meetups in your city | Every guest approved by hand, subject to space | A seat at every meetup | | Leaders’ Brief, Slack, talks, knowledge base, AI Toolkit | Yes | Yes | | Peer group every two weeks | No | One of five circles, for a year | | Who pays | Nobody | You or your employer, same price | ## Questions leaders _ask_ How much does ELC membership cost? Free membership costs nothing. An ELC Circle seat costs €1,198 a year including VAT (€990 excl. VAT), the same price whether you or your employer pays. It covers a year in one peer circle that meets every two weeks and a seat at every ELC meetup in your city (Prague today, Bratislava and Kraków from January 2027). How many leaders sit in one circle? 6 to 8 leaders sit in one circle, facilitated by experienced ELC members. When does my circle start? Your first session is within 2 weeks of joining. You pick your circle at checkout, and the group meets every two weeks for a year. Can my employer pay for my circle seat? Yes. Add the company VAT ID at checkout and the invoice goes to the company. The invoice shows €990 a year plus VAT, which a VAT-registered company can reclaim. Buying seats for a whole team? Companies use [Team Circle](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/partner/membership/starter/), from three seats. Do free members get a guaranteed meetup seat? No. We approve every guest by hand, and a seat depends on the space in the venue. Approved registrations reached 90% of venue capacity or more at 11 of 13 recent public meetups. ELC Circle members have a seat at every meetup in their city (Prague today, Bratislava and Kraków from January 2027). Which circle should I pick? AI Masters is for leaders putting AI into their org for real. Product Builders is for those who sit closest to product. First-Time Boost is for your first leadership role. Experienced Leaders is for directors and above who run managers. Communication and Public Speaking is for anyone who wants to be understood on stage and in the all-hands. Detail on the [circles page](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/partner/circles/). Can I get my money back if I change my mind? If you buy as an individual, the 14-day right of withdrawal under EU consumer law applies. Buying for a team or a company? Companies start at €0 too, and Team Seats cost €249 a seat. [ELC for companies](https://www.engineeringleaders.io/for-companies/#start-small). 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