The PyCon US Blog

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 t...

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!

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. ======================= 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 ...

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 P...

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. 2019 PyLadies Auction 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 th...

Dozens of presenters and sponsors prepared content for the launch of PyCon 2020 Online! We are pleased to present talks and tutorials by Russell Keith Magee, Marlene Mhangami, Eric Ma, and so many more under the  PyCon 2020 YouTube channel ! There will be new presentations and content added to the  PyCon Online  page weekly. PyCon 2020 Online would not be possible without our sponsors. This year we are highlighting sponsors via the  Virtual Expo Hall . If you are looking for a job or information about their tools and products, be sure to check it out! Read the  launch email  for more content information. Content will be released in batches, weekly. Check back next week to catch more recording and "exhibits" in PyCon's Virtual Expo Hall! If you would like to receive the latest PyCon 2020 Online emails,  subscribe to our newsletter ! They will be sent out weekly for the next 4 weeks or so. Don't forget to share your PyCon 2020 Online experiences on...

We’re thrilled to have the support of Facebook as a PSF and PyCon Principal Sponsor for 2020! Facebook would like to share with PyCon 2020 Online attendees how they are innovating ways for people to connect. Additionally, Facebook is investing in augmented and virtual reality and have released several category-defining technologies and experiences. Facebook looks forward to sharing more stories of innovation directly from the people who drive that innovation. The following was originally posted on Facebook careers. When you think about Facebook, what comes to mind first? Do you remember seeing a memory in your News Feed that made you smile? Or finding inspiration for a craft or hobby on Instagram? Or even experiencing an immersive virtual world for the first time with an Oculus headset? From the first lines of code Mark Zuckerberg wrote in 2004 to the launch of News Feed in 2006 to breaking down the barriers of distance with this year’s launch of Oculus Quest, innovation h...

Each year since 2011, PyCon has reserved a special place for early-stage startups to show off what they're working on to the Python community. As its name might suggest, Startup Row is a row of booths for startups at PyCon. Due to the ongoing global public health crisis, Startup Row, like the rest of PyCon 2020, has gone virtual. Before we get started, a quick note: Even in the best of times, starting and running a startup is very challenging. Founders and early employees take on significant risk and expansive workloads to build something new and get it off the ground. Obviously, these are not the best of times. Now more than ever, early-stage startups need support. If any of these companies seem neat to you, try their products. Get in touch with the teams. Give feedback. Work for them. Become a customer or refer them to people who might find their work interesting. We're in this together. This Year's Startup Row Companies We had a very competitive application p...

The PSF’s priority is the health and safety of the community and the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has made it unsafe to hold PyCon US this year. Recently, the United States and the State of Pennsylvania have asked that large gatherings be postponed or cancelled until further notice. With that in mind, the PSF has worked to reduce financial exposure and develop a plan to provide content remotely. What happens next? PyCon US is an opportunity for the Python Community to come together every year to learn, network, and discuss great ideas in person. We’re all devastated that we’ll lose in-person interactions this year, but the health and safety of our attendees comes first.   Even though the in-person event isn’t happening in 2020, our staff and volunteers are already planning to deliver several PyCon US components remotely throughout April.   Here’s our immediate plan: Attendees Registration : We will send an email by Friday, March 27th offering you a full refun...

With a month until PyCon US 2020’s scheduled start, the Python Software Foundation Board and Staff are working through our options for PyCon US 2020, and will keep you updated as decisions are made. In the meantime, remember that PyCon US will refund any tickets with no questions asked. You do not need to commit to travel to PyCon US at this point in time if you do not want to. The Foundation is currently exploring options to re-schedule or cancel the conference. Any final decision to cancel or reschedule PyCon US will be made early enough to give you time to cancel or defer your travel plans. We continue to monitor advice from the Federal, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh Governments, and our planning is taking this advice into account.

PyCon continues to closely monitor the Coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) situation. As of March 6, PyCon 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is scheduled to take place. As of this morning, there have been two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. These cases are in Wayne and Delaware Counties, in eastern Pennsylvania. They are not near Pittsburgh, which is in western Pennsylvania, some 300 miles (480km) away. At the time of writing, travel or event restrictions have not been put into place anywhere in Pennsylvania. Our staff continues to work with sponsors, vendors, and speakers. We are proactively planning safety precautions that will be implemented onsite. We are also working to ensure that people who cannot travel to PyCon will still be able to meaningfully participate: this includes work to convert one talk, tutorial, and sponsor track to handle remote presentations (either live or recorded) as a backup plan. It is worth reiterating PyCon’s cancellatio...

Read our most recent update on COVID-19:  https://pycon.blogspot.com/search/label/COVID-19 The coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is a new virus that causes respiratory illness in people and can spread from person-to-person. Since PyCon US 2020 is scheduled in April, we want to give our community an update on our status and more information about our policy for attendees pertaining to COVID-19. As of March 2, PyCon 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA is scheduled to happen. The staff and board directors are actively watching the situation closely, as it continues to change rapidly. We plan to reassess the situation weekly and more frequently as we get closer to the event. This includes checking in with our Pittsburgh team for updates including from vendors and local authorities. Currently, there have not been any COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania and conferences continue to happen at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. On February 28th, the Pennsylvania Department of Health state...

Since its start in 2018, the PyCon US Hatchery Program has become a fundamental part of how PyCon as a conference adapts to best serve the Python community as it grows and changes with time. In keeping with that focus on innovation, the Hatchery Program itself has continued to evolve. Initially we wanted to gauge community interest for this type of program, and in 2018 we launched our first trial program to learn more about what kind of events the community might propose. At the end of that inaugural program, we accepted the PyCon Charlas as our first Hatchery event and it has grown into a permanent track offered at PyCon US. PyCon US 2019 presented three new hatchery programs, Mentored Sprints, the Maintainers Summit, and the Art of Python. Those events were quite different from one another, but they all foreshadowed trends we are seeing now. For PyCon US 2020 there were a dozen proposals, which set us to thinking about how we could accommodate as many events as possible. In ad...

Exciting News! PyCon US 2020 Tutorial Registration is open! Tutorial schedule is now available at us.pycon.org/2020/schedule/tutorials . To register, you can add the tutorials to your existing registration or add them to a new registration by using the link on your dashboard . Tutorials do sell out quickly, if you are planning to attend be sure to register early.   Sponsor Workshops  Registration and schedule for the Sponsor Workshops will launch in the next few days.  The Sponsor Workshops are held on Thursday, April 16, 2020 and we are glad to be offering an additional 4 workshops for PyCon US 2020.   Conference Talk Schedule The Conference Talk Schedule is in the final phase and will be posted online within the next week.  Watch the PyCon 2020 site for the schedule to post.

International travel to the United States has become a greater risk for many in our community. In light of current conditions, PyCon would like to highlight the support we provide for international travelers. If you are travelling internationally to PyCon, take note of the following information. Financial Aid applicants should take note of additional information specific to that process in the second section. For All International Travellers to PyCon In order to better assist our international community, we have the following refund policy for PyCon attendees:  If despite holding a visa you are denied entry upon arrival to the United States, then after you pursue and receive whatever refund your airline might be able to offer, PyCon wants to send you enough money to cover the rest of the cost of your airfare.  You will need to document that you indeed arrived in the United States and were denied entry. If despite holding a visa you are denied entry upon arrival to t...