On 7 October 2014 14:40, Arvi Krishnaswamy <arvi@alumni.iastate.edu> wrote:
How about a smaller space with capacity for 600-700 people max? A more focused Pycon that isn't trying to be everything for everyone with 1500 people :) I vote for staying at Nimhans but improving the quality of the event for its core audience. Let beginner level sessions and training happen via python express throughout the year. Quite honestly, I'm not sure I will attend if we have 1500 next year :)
From the discussion that has been going on regarding this idea, I think this is the perfect excuse for a well planned, focused MiniConf. While Python Express and Local meetups can cater to the beginner crowd (only to an extent. As it has already been said, local meetup groups have their own growth plans), and the MiniConf can cater to the advanced crowd, PyCon India should be the place where everyone meets.
I believe a MiniConf would make sense for this since we have already seen that the advanced sessions being proposed are less in comparison. As Krace pointed out, advanced talks != talk quality. PyCon India's talk qualities can, and should improve. That does not mean alienating any part of the community, let them be beginners or veterans.
In any case, we've gone by the "everything for everyone" approach for 5 years now. I'm saying, let's try the other route and see if it works better. If yes, we'll stick to it, if no, we'll come back to the current approach. No gain without experiment.
Absolutely. But instead of experimenting on a huge project that has shown consistent improvement over the years, let's take it slow, and try it on a smaller scale to gauge the demand and acceptance. Cheers, -- Haris Ibrahim K. V. http://sosaysharis.wordpress.com @harisibrahimkv