[EuroPython] Is EuroPython happening this year?

[Michael Hudson]

Paul Boddie <paul at boddie.org.uk> writes:

> On Saturday 13 May 2006 18:00, Michael Hudson wrote:
>> Paul Boddie <paul at boddie.org.uk> writes:
>> >
>> > I think that while it's tempting to point the finger, things like
>> > EuroPython along with all its "assets" (Web site, materials from
>> > previous occasions, procedures, and so on) should be considered as
>> > ongoing, year-round activities.
>>
>> In this vein it would be nice to not throw out the website this year,
>> for a change.  I'm reasonably happy with indico, though I'm not sure
>> we want to host it at CERN again.  More look and feel integration with
>> ep.org would be nice.
>
> I guess so. That said, I haven't looked at Indico very much, although I did 
> download the code.

I even tried to install it, but didn't succeed (didn't try very hard,
mind).  The thing that bothers me about indico is that while it's open
source in the legal sense (it's GPL) it doesn't really seem to be open
source in the sense of having a community around it (but maybe I just
haven't found it yet).

>> Also, I feel pretty confident that I'm am not going to be in the mood
>> to have anything to do with EuroPython organization for a good couple
>> of months after this year's event.  Are you volunteering? :)
>
> It's surely a matter of keeping things up-to-date and making sure
> things don't decay. If I still have the same amount of "free time"
> after the conference, I'll gladly keep myself involved. The issue
> with volunteering is often making people feel able to volunteer and
> to contribute.

Yes, but it's also having people who say "can I do something useful"
actually *do* something.  I'm not accusing anyone of active deception
here, but it's a fact that almost everyone I know in the Python
community is way over-subscribed for time (including me, of course).

Also, I seem to have become de facto volunteer coordinator for the
conference, which isn't something I've done before and I'm probably
not doing it optimally.  I'm trying to learn!

>> > Imagine if the IOC left their Web site up with patchy information
>> > about the last Olympic games. Concepts like "current organisers" are
>> > misleading: there should always be more to the organisation of the
>> > event than just the people managing the stuff on the ground. And to
>> > bring up the IOC metaphor again, you don't generally have the
>> > previous hosts 'phoning up the next hosts saying, "We've got the
>> > torch here - when are you coming to collect it?"
>>
>> That's hardly an accurate analogy to what has happened this year...
>
> I exaggerate to make a point, 

Well, I think it's more than just exaggeration, but never mind.

> of course, and I having read and heard all about conference
> organisation, I don't underestimate the hassles involved. But my
> point was that it can be easier to sustain an existing process than
> to shut it down, only to have to start it up again later.

Amen.  However, a part of this is not to completely burn out the
organizers by the time the event comes around.  Maybe I'm being
pessimistic, but I'm kind of expecting I'm going to need to sleep for
at least a week after the conference.

>> > Where we've fallen shortest may be in the promotion and the continuous
>> > reminding of people that the conference is happening: things one would
>> > normally brush aside as "hype" in popular culture.
>>
>> Well, this isn't rocket science, and also isn't entirely the fault of
>> 'the organizers'.  I've tried myself, a bit.
>
> One problem is that "traversing" the various milestones - talk
> submission opening, registration opening, early-bird registration
> closing, talk schedule announced, registration closing, and so on -
> gives good excuses to promote the conference. We've not really been
> able to stick to the schedule, as far as I can tell. 

Indeed :(

> Indeed, we don't seem to have clear schedule/deadline information
> published prominently - something I'm about to rectify on the ep.org
> site.

Great!

Cheers,
mwh

-- 
  TRSDOS: Friendly old lizard. Or, at least, content to sit there
  eating flies.            -- Jim's pedigree of operating systems, asr