[Conferences-discuss] Crackle, crackle, "hello"...

[Aahz Maruch]

[Brief note about my qualifications: I rarely attend "professional"
conferences (my experience is limited to OSCON2000/2001 and IPC9), but I
regularly attend volunteer-run events as large as 7000 people (aka SF
cons), and I have run one small one myself.]

Steve Holden wrote:
> 
> 1. Attendance could be higher at future conferences run along the same
> lines as Python 10. These things are small beer to Foretec compared with
> the cash-cow IETF bashes, and I don't really feel they are in touch with
> the market for Python. This may be heresy, I don't know enough to know
> who these comments might offend. Don't really care much, either: Foretec
> certainly didn't make me feel, as a first-time attender, that I was
> anything special, or that they were glad to see me, or even that they
> would like me to come back next time. I think Foretec think Python is a
> yawn. The way they approach it, I think they're right.

That's been the impression I got of IPC10; my impression of IPC9 was
better.  I have had the impression that IPC9 did not do as well as
Foretec wanted/expected, which probably fed into IPC10.

Part of the problem is that I'm not wild about traveling in winter (and
I bet other people aren't, either), but we also don't want to get too
close in time to OSCON.  Fall might be good.  If we pick fall as the new
time, I suggest skipping a year.  Now is too late for trying to find a
hotel for this year.

> 2. Whether or not Python 11 is much like Python 10, there is certainly
> room for some sort of no-frills (Python 11.5?) conference to attract and
> cater for Pythonistas who don't have the benefit of commercial backing
> of one kind or another. This would also better enable the PSF to judge
> groundswell growth in Python usage, and put them nearer the "beer and
> skittles" end of the market, such as it is.
> 
> 3. My own feeling is that the PSF or some other visibly non-profit
> organization could do at least as good a job as Foretec, but I shudder
> when I remember the time it takes to organize an even half-way
> professional conference.

Who says it has to be a "professional" conference?  The main problem
lies with facilities; once you've got that, it takes relatively little
organization as long as people are willing to put in the effort.  The
trick is to keep work separate -- the person organzing the programming
need have little contact with the hotel liaison.  I do strongly
recommend that a team of two or three people jointly be hotel liaison.

One thing that would make this easier in many ways would be to put the
conference at least partly on a weekend (Thurs/Fri through Sunday).  You
can drastically reduce your costs that way because most
business/professional conferences are during the week (it's how SF cons
manage), and people can take less time off work.  I think we can also do
better by picking a mid-range business class hotel (something like the
Doubletree in San Jose), rather than the swankier ones that Foretec has
been picking.

I strongly recommend that we pick a location with a decent airport
nearby.  OSCON being next to San Diego airport is good; IPC9 in Long
Beach was not so good; OSCON when it was in Monterey was bad.

If we go with the volunteer-run option, I suggest that the PSF start
taking "pre-support" money now, something like $50 per person, with the
guarantee that all pre-supporters will get $100 off the early-bird reg
fee.  I looked at IPC10, and the total fee was $1150 for all five days
for early-bird.  I think we could get that down to about $500-$700, or
even lower if we're willing to dispense with amenities such as free
danish in the morning.  
-- 
                      --- Aahz (@pobox.com)

Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6       <*>       http://www.rahul.net/aahz/
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We must not let the evil of a few trample the freedoms of the many.