PyCon Staff
Please sign up for staff roles! If you notice a missing role, please add it (and your name, too!).
You should also subscribe to the pycon-organizers mailing list.
Role names are links to role descriptions, which follow below.
Role Descriptions
Please fill in the blanks.
A/V Session Recording Coordinator
Audio/Visual Coordinator
Badge Coordinator
Communications Coordinator
- manage inquiries on the pycon at python dot org mailing list.
- forward questions to the proper staff members.
- ensure questions and problems are followed up on and a proper timely response is made.
Feedback/Survey Coordinator
Financial Aid Coordinator
Food Coordinator
The food coordinator deals with the hotel's food service and/or an intermediary like CTE to decide on the menu service for the conference. For PyCon 2008 much of this work was done by David Goodger, at least in part because he was already working with CTE. Even if the food coordinator doesn't live near the conference site it would be helpful to have a local helper to try and iron out last-minute wrinkles.
Graphics Coordinator
Keynote Coordinator
Keynote Speakers
Lightning Talks Coordinator
Local Coordinators
Meeting Planning Services
We have contracted with Conference Technology Enhancements Inc. (CTE) to negotiate & coordinate with the hotel, and to handle much of the "uninteresting" conference logistics.
Network Coordinator
- Network architecture for the conference.
- Equipment selection, testing, purchase, configuration, and deployment.
- Responsible for getting wireless access points deployed.
- Router/NAT proxy.
- Monitoring of APs for availability during conference, tracking down failed APs.
- Monitoring of network.
- Getting and connecting to upstream bandwidth.
- Debugging of peoples problems during the event.
- Documentation (via the Wiki) of client configuration and status during the event.
Open Space Coordinator
- Keeping the bulletin board readable during the conference.
- In the morning, posting a list next to each open space room of what's going on that day.
- Maybe booking some open space slots before the conference via e-mail.
- Possibly making an announcement before each keynote of some of the day's open space events. (Or the chair can do it in his keynote introductions.)
Power Coordinator
Program Committee
The primary role of program committee members is to review the talk proposals. Each proposal is assigned to a minimum or 3 reviewers, but more reviews are always welcome (and desired). Reviewing includes asking authors for clarification when needed, (initially) private discussions with other reviewers and then providing a brief written review and vote +/- 1 or 0 for each talk assigned.
Finally, committee members are asked to champion proposals that they've voted +1 during the final decision process which has been a lengthy meeting via IRC.
This process is both demanding of the volunteers and yet critical for the most visible content at PyCon. Active members of the PyCon organizers AND the Python community at large are strongly encouraged to get involved. The more reviewers, the better!
Program Committee Chair
Publicity Coordinator
PyCon 2008 Chair
Coordinates everybody else. Acts as main point of contact for the meeting planners & venue. Recruits and delegates. Chief cook & bottle-washer.
Registration Manager
Before the conference:
- Knows the registration system well, and fixes any issues that arise.
- Answers e-mail from registrants ("my credit card didn't work." "I want to cancel my registration/add a tutorial/change my tutorials/have a question")
- Coordinates with the PSF Treasurer (currently Kurt Kaiser) on charges, refunds, etc.
- Creates registrations for special cases (press, keynote speakers, funded attendees, etc.)
- Ensures that the registration desk has the necessary supplies.
At the conference:
- Deals with on-site registrations, special needs, and exceptions.
Registration Desk Manager
Manages the registration process, coordinates the registration desk staffers, calms the hordes of attendees, and provides information.
Registration Desk Staffers
Staffers man the registration desk during the busiest times, distributing badges to attendees and answering questions.
Software Coordinator
- Oversee software packages used for management of the conference.
- Manage the integration and development of custom solutions.
Sponsorship Coordinator
Sprint Coordinator
Python Lab Coordinator
A "Python Lab" where problems are announced to the group, people work on them for an hour, and then a couple of the best or interesting solutions are presented as a brief code walkthru. Something like an interactive "Python Cookbook" session, to show how the same problem might be solved differently by people at different skill levels.
- Recruit and organize the proctors and problem writers
- Plan the problems w/ doctests to be given. Make sure to have interesting sample solutions which have their own trade off issues to be discussed.
- MC the event, welcoming people, giving instructions, help to form balanced groups and directing proctors. Keep discussions going and on track.
- Details on last years event.
- Problems and Solutions from last year. Have more from Wesley Chun, will post soon.
Board Games Event Coordinator
A Board Games event will be held in the evenings as social event. This event is more of an open space than other structured events such as the Labs.
- Generate board games event wiki and PyCon documentation
- Guide event attendance
- Post pertinent information at the event.
Tote bag and Giveaway Coordinator
Tutorial Coordinator
Pre-PyCon:
- Get the word out (Call for Proposals). Post to the Python lists (general, dev, tutor, announce, SIGs, etc.) as well as specialty lists (Django, TurboGears, wxPython, PyQt, etc.) letting people know that proposals are being accepted. When you post, make sure you include:
- The tutorial date (mention it is separate from the general conference)
- Tutors are paid (verify the amount before you post it!)
- The submission deadline.
- The handout deadline.
- Include a link to the submission page.
- Decide which tutorials to present (get help as required from PyCon chair, program committee members, etc.).
- Send accept & decline notices by email.
- Notify instructors that IRS forms are required.
- Follow-up with instructors on handouts.
- Collect handout PDFs and duplicate them in sufficient numbers.
On Tutorial Day (or ideally, the evening before):
- Label rooms
- Check A/V equipment: present, works
- Distribute laser pointers to each instructor.
- Obtain audio release form from each instructor.
- Distribute class handouts.
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