The PyCon Blog

The PyCon Code of Conduct sets standards for how our community interacts with others during the conference. For 2018 the Code of Conduct underwent an extensive overhaul, our procedures for reporting and responding to incidents were improved, and our on-site methods were improved. You can read more about the updates for 2018 here. Cumulatively these changes were meant to improve the safety, welcoming nature, and overall inclusivity of PyCon. Based on initial responses, feedback, and incidents reported this year we feel that we made progress on those goals. A Code of Conduct without appropriate reporting and response procedures is difficult to enforce transparently, and furthermore a lack of transparency in the outcomes of Code of Conduct incidents leaves the community without knowledge of how or if the organizers worked to resolve incidents. With that in mind, we have prepared the following to help the community understand what kind of incidents we received reports about and how the PyCon…

These meetup-like events are a great way to learn something new or connect with others who share similar interests. Due to their self-organized nature and the breadth of topics, there is bound to be an Open Space event that can enrich your conference experience. In the past, Open Spaces have included a wide range of topics such as natural language processing, web frameworks, yoga, and playing board games. Any topic that two or more attendees are interested in could be a good candidate for an Open Space.

Open Spaces are held during the three main conference days in meeting rooms reserved for these events. Any attendee can create an Open Space event and reserve a room by adding a card to the Open Spaces boards found near the registration desk. Checking these boards regularly during the conference, subscribing to the hashtag #PyConOpenSpace, and following @openspacesbot on Twitter are ways to keep informed about upcoming Open Spaces.

Promoting your Open Space 
If you decide to host your …

With PyCon 2018 approaching, I’m excited to share some work that the PyCon staff, volunteers, and Python Software Foundation have undertaken in preparation! The Python community and thus the PyCon community is always evolving and growing. In light of this it is crucial that we periodically reconsider and adjust the way that we interact within these communities. In 2012 PyCon adopted a Code of Conduct to foster a more welcoming environment at the conference and provide policies and procedures for addressing violations. Each year since, changes have been adopted to work towards our goal of an enjoyable and fulfilling conference for all attendees. For 2018, we took a larger step and worked with a third party expert fromOtter Techto reevaluate and improve our Code of Conduct, reporting procedures, and staff response procedures. Sage fromOtter Techcame with a resounding recommendation fromNorth Bay Pythonorganizers. In this post, I’d like to summarize the changes we’re bringing this year. If y…

Foreword from the Chair: The PyCon staff, volunteers, tutorial presenters, speakers, poster presenters, and community members have been hard at work preparing for PyCon 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. Along the way, we’ve gotten a chance to have some solid discussions about what makes PyCon good as well as where it can improve.

In February one of those discussions was around the dates when PyCon 2018 will be occurring, specifically the conflict with Mother’s Day 2018. The outcome of that discussion was a commitment by the PyCon staff to better communicate what decisions and compromises were made along the way and how they were considered.

PyCon is run by the Python Software Foundation, which is a grant giving non-profit. Many misunderstand or are unaware of this relationship, but the Python Software Foundation relies on maintaining a strict budget for the operation of PyCon in order to continue its grants programs and other financial responsibilities.

The PyCon staff and Python Software Foundat…