News

In the post-COVID era, virtual events and conferences are becoming commonplace. But there was one virtual Python conference that sought to bring together the global Python community before COVID-19 changed the world.

The upcoming 5th annual Python Web Conference was the main topic of a recent episode of Python Community News. Calvin Hendryx-Parker, Six Feet Up CTO and AWS Community Hero, explained that the conference was designed in 2019 to make learning about new technologies accessible to those who may not be able to travel to an in-person conference.

"It felt like there as a gap in the community for certain groups of people to come to an event like PyCon and hear talks about these technologies,” Calvin says. "… To have people who wouldn't normally be able to travel come speak at a major Python conference is major for the whole community."

Calvin said the 2023 Python Web Conference, scheduled for March 13-17, will feature a greater focus on impactful projects and technologies than past conferences as Six Feet Up continues toward completing its goal of 10 IMPACTFUL projects by 2025. In that vein, Calvin said a greater number of talks on climate change and impactful projects will feature at this year’s conference. Read “Harnessing Tech to Build a Better World for All” to learn more about the types of projects and partnerships Six Feet Up is pursuing.

In addition, Calvin discussed:

• the unique challenges that go into hosting virtual and in-person events,
• the technology developed to host the Python Web Conference and the philosophy behind it,
• types of events and activities that Python Web Conference attendees can expect; and
• IndyPy’s 15-year anniversary as a meetup for Pythonistas.

In addition to the 2023 Python Web Conference, Calvin and the hosts discussed several other upcoming Python conferences:

• PyTexas, April 1-2
• PyCon US, April 19-27
• DjangoCon US, Oct. 15-20

Watch the episode:

Python Community News is a podcast, livestream, and newsletter focusing on news in the Python Community. The podcast is hosted weekly by Jon Banafato, experienced conference organizer, and Jay Miller, community organizer and advocate, as they look at the top stories affecting Pythonistas around the world.