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Recap of PyCon 2020 Converting to Online

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In early March the final steps of planning, scheduling, ordering, counts, rooming lists, shipping, and signage had just begun for PyCon 2020. Our team was working diligently to pull all the final pieces together when we began to fully realize the impact that could be expected of COVID-19. The new words in planning quickly became stop, wait, change…..what? We went from finalizing the event to evaluating contracts to determining cancellation options and potential losses.

When the final decision to cancel was announced, PyCon 2020 was only weeks away. We now had a short time to figure out what could be done to provide PyCon in a new and different way, online. The planning took on a 3 step process, here is what we did:
Assessment The first step was to decide what content we could provide and to invite the community to subscribe to PyCon 2020 Online. A timeline was developed based on volunteer input, and communications began with speakers, presenters and sponsors on what the plan woul…
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A message from Google to the Python community

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Google is proud to support PyCon and the Python community Even though we're spread out amongst our respective countries, cities and homes, the Python community is stronger than ever, and Google is proud to be a part of it. Google's support of the PSF is an investment in the continued existence of Python and it's ecosystem for the long-term.

We wish we could all be together in Pittsburgh—but for now, we hope you enjoy the content we've created for an online PyCon in the virtual expo hall, including talks, tutorials, and workshops, and we hope to see you next year!


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Sailing Past PyCon 2020 - Thoughts on Code and Community

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Capital One has been an invaluable and generous supporter of the PSF and PyCon since 2015 and a Principal Sponsor for the last two years. They've stepped forward and made a big investment in PyCon and its community.

We chatted recently with Steven Lott, Lead Software Engineer, about what it was like for a big company like Capital One to migrate to Python 3. Here is what he had to say.

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I’ve spent some time racing sailboats, and the need to react to weather, current, and other boats is how you keep yourself moving down the course at top speed. Open source software is a similar challenge. The state of a tech-based industry shifts as quickly as the wind on a rainy day. The Python community is filled with people transforming good ideas to projects on the Python Package Index. Each time our engineers and data scientists adopt the best ideas, we’re now racing along on a new tack toward our mark.


Capital One has been open source first for several years now, and our…
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Microsoft’s Python team loves PyCon, including this year’s online version!

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Microsoft returned as our top PyCon 2020 sponsor (for the 3rd year) and stepped forward to make another big investment in PyCon and its community. Microsoft not only uses Python for their own development but also offers Python as a crucial tool to empower everyone to achieve more.

I recently caught up with Dan Taylor and team to talk about how Microsoft is using Python and was excited to hear what they had to say.
PSF:What is the most valuable thing about sponsoring PyCon to your team?Dan: PyCon is something we look forward to every single year. Our Python team at Microsoft loves to show our support for the Python community—and we love to give teams across Microsoft the chance to learn more about the Python community and bring that deep understanding back to the work we do, building tools and services for Python users.

PyCon is the largest Python conference in the world and the Python community is especially vibrant, diverse, and inclusive. We love that we can help make PyCon happen a…
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PyLadies Auction 2020 Cancelled

Posted by Jackie Kazil
With the in person cancellation of PyCon US 2020, the PyLadies Auction as we know, could not possibly have happened. Upon further investigation, we are deeply sad to announce we have decided to forgo the PyLadies Auction in its entirety for 2020.

This decision has been a difficult one. We began the PyLadies Auction at  PyCon US 2013 in Santa Clara and have held it annually since. To not be able to celebrate PyLadies in our annual tradition together is a deep loss.


Why isn’t the PyLadies Auction going virtual?We considered running a virtual auction. However the mechanisms required to run a virtual auction have proven to be limited and not up to the quality that we expect for the PyLadies Auction. Additionally, we did not want to ask donors, or volunteers to violate social distancing practices by visiting a post office or other location for item shipments. In short, we want people to continue to flatten the curve by staying home and tending to themselves and their loved ones.  

Donors and…
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