[EuroPython] Extra "Personal" ticket charge to Early Bird conditions on Monday

[John Pinner]

Hello,

On 7 February 2014 21:28, Jacobo de Vera <devel at jacobodevera.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 7, 2014 at 2:49 PM, Andreas Jung <lists at zopyx.com> wrote:

<snips>
>
> I don't really understand the point in doing early bird tickets based
> on a closed number of tickets.

Because conference organisers have to work to a budget. Early Bird
tickets are sold at a price which is (usually) below the marginal cost
of an additional delegate. Most conference organisers have an Early
Bird rate to attract their community, who in return for the reduced
price are providing the startup funding for the conference, and
supporting the organisers by trusting them to put on a good event
when, for example, the schedule is still undetermined.

> How a bout a fixed date before which
> you can get the early bird tickets and after which you cannot?

Because you would have no control over your budget.

The procedure adopted by the EP2014 organisers is exactly what we used
for EP2008, EP2009 and EP2010, and probably other EuroPythons, and
still use for PyCon UK. It works.

> We are
> the early birds, here, paying attention to this list and still getting
> frustrated because, judging by how fast the first batch was sold out,
> we are going to have to enter a strong competition of hitting F5
> faster than anyone so we can get the early bird ticket.

It seems to me that the organisers have judged it just right, supply
meeting truly early birds' demand. For those who were too slow on the
uptake, they are making 50 more EB tickets, at the risk of damaging
their budget control.
>
> This organisation method seems very unprofessional, and it seems to be
> based on figuring things out as we go along.

Now, I think that you are being insulting by using the word
'unprofessional'. If you had said 'non-professional' I would have said
"Hurrah! You understand! You get it!" because the organisers are *not*
professional, but volunteers, doing this for love of the community,
"amateurs" in the true sense (lovers of what they do). Please show
them some love and respect in return or you risk them losing their
love.

> Well, this is not the
> first year the conference is held, why not use the expertise from
> precious years? why this desire to do everything new and different? is
> it trying to prove a point?

I do agree that there is too little carry over between conferences,
but hey we're all geeks and NIH does apply. The EPS tried to do
something about this in 2008, unfortunately subsequent conference
organisers have not followed the principles established then. Maybe we
can try and fix this in July in Berlin (EPS Board, please note).

> I signed up because I was in Pycon Ireland, thought it was great and
> wanted to scale up, and I was very excited until I started to read all
> about the organisation problems in this list.

There is a degree of trolling, and you have not helped ;-)

> Now I'm not sure I want
> to go.

Make sure you do, it will be good, and you will get the best EP beer
since Charleroi :-)

> I am always late for all conferences and for this one I
> thought, okay, I'm going to be on top of this one, so much that I will
> even get the early bird rate. Now turns out I have to have a virtual
> competition on a week day at noon! to get that. Nah.
>
> Please, get your act together, this is nonsense.

No! It isn't. Please calm down.

Peace.

John
--
(past EuroPython organiser and PyCon UK organiser, extreme Python
aficionado, PSF Fellow).