I wanted to jot down some quick notes regarding my PyCon 2018 experience. This was my first PyCon, and I had a lot of fun! I’m definitely signing up to attend next year.

Here are some takeaways, in no particular order:

  • Prioritize in-person interactions first, then Speaker sessions.

Specifically, the Vendor Booths, and Open Spaces are not recorded and are limited time interactions. Conversely, the presentations are all recorded and will be made available online after the conference closes.

A Panorama of the Expo Hall with the Vendor Booths:

E.g. Here are the boards for Open Spaces that were available at PyCon this year:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Further, I think I found most valuable the conversations with others around the breakfast and lunch table. Hearing about everyone elses background, what they’re using Python for, and what brings them to PyCon almost always spurred interesting conversations.

  • If you attend PyCon with friends, intentionally split up to attend different sessions and compare notes later.

While I knew that my local IndyPy group was going to be attending PyCon, I subconsciously “did my own thing”, and went to sessions and booths that interested me personally. This provided the benefit of being able to meet-up with the folks that I knew intermittently throughout the conference to compare notes and hear other perspectives. This was also one easy question I asked others at the breakfast and lunch tables.

Other Random Pictures and Events:

Juggling in the Hallway: (more on this from Ned Batchelder’s Pycon Summary)

Here’s probably the least likely thing to appear in the Rock and Roll hall of fame: (besides me)

For what it’s worth, I had high expectations for the Tacos at La Plaza Supermarket, and they did not disappoint. If you’re in Cleveland, you owe it to yourself to make it down to this “hole in the wall” place to grab some excellent Tacos.

I also want to send a quick shout out to Le Dance Cleveland for welcoming me for their West Coast Swing and Party on Friday Night. They were both great fun, and the floor there was awesome to dance on!

I agree with Ned Batchelder’s closing comment, writing about PyCon is really unsatisfying compared to actually being at the event. I’m too new to the event to consider everyone there as family, but everyone I interacted with was incredibly warm, welcoming and easy to talk to.

Finally, here a panorama of the Great Lakes Science Center in Downtown Cleveland. This museum was all hands-on exhibits and was a lot of fun to tour around. I’d highly recommend for anyone with kids looking for a day’s worth of entertainment: