Hi Pythonistas, Thanks for taking part in the meeting about EuroPython 2015.
Germans are known to stress on the negative side. (This is what makes good cars and created EuroPython 2014. ;)) Therefore, I might have come over a bit negative. But my main concern is to raise the awareness for problems to make EuroPython 2015 happen. I see three main issues: 1. Venue 2. Work groups 3. Time In my opinion finding a venue and setting up work groups should to be de-coupled. Don't create unnecessary dependencies. Venue ----- We need an overview of available venues for 500, 1000, and 1500 persons. This should include prices for the venues itself and catering. Put this in a Google Docs spreadsheet or similar and make it available to all people who interested in this topic. Conditions such as when and how much needs to be paid upfront are important as they can be show stoppers. For example, having to pay 50 % of the venue price early on when only a few tickets are sold may make an otherwise reasonably priced venue invisible. Work groups ----------- Here are a few hints from my experience with EuroPython 2014 in Berlin: * Groups need to be as autonomous as possible in terms of group-internal decisions * Each group needs to have a designated lead * Group leads need to meet on a regular basis (weekly hangout meetings worked for us) * Communication is key, don't rely on email only, **talk** to each other * All groups need to use a common tool for all of their work, JIRA worked for us * You need a coordination group that oversees the work of all other groups to identify possible problems early * Be prepared to change the concept if things do not work out * A top-down command-like structure won't work, get people to want to do it, don't make them to do it Time ---- In my experience the later the harder things get. Therefore, pragmatism is in order. Get the word out to the community that people are needed for groups. Give them them the opportunity to actually sign-up somewhere. A wiki page might work. Get the promised Call for Proposals out. Going with the work group concepts, this call should be only for the local work group. Therefore, the call and the corresponding proposals should be much smaller than in the past. Also, let all Pythonistas who are interested in a EuroPython 2015 continuously know about the current state of affairs. Cheers, Mike _______________________________________________ EuroPython-Improve mailing list EuroPython-Improve@python.org https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/europython-improve
