Keynote Speakers at EuroPython 2008

At last, we are now able to confirm the EuroPython 2008 keynote speakers. It should come as no surprise to many that Guido van Rossum – Python’s “benevolent dictator for life” – will be making a keynote appearance, as is now customary at the EuroPython conference. Our other keynote speaker is perhaps more familiar to other audiences: Hans Rosling is professor of International Health at Karolinska Institutet and co-founder of Gapminder Foundation, and is known for his “humorous, yet deadly serious” award-winning lectures on economic, social and environmental issues.

Extension of the Talk Submissions Period for EuroPython 2008

The original deadline for submitting talk proposals for EuroPython 2008 passed on Thursday, and so far we’ve had quite a few submissions. We would, however, like to see a few more! So, we have now decided to give all potential submitters some more time to put together proposals and send them in for consideration. As always, the EuroPython organisers realise that the deadlines we’ve set aren’t always compatible with everyone’s personal schedule.

What this means is that anyone who had considered making a talk proposal but then found themselves short of time before last Thursday can now aim for the new deadline of Monday 2nd June – there’s even a weekend before the deadline for anyone needing “quiet time” to sketch out their proposal! Remember that we’re only looking for proposals at this point, not the entire talk or materials, although we obviously expect those things to be ready for the conference.

Take a look at the Call for Participation for all the details:

http://www.europython.org/CallForParticipation

Or go straight to the page for talk submissions:

http://www.europython.org/Talk_Submissions

We look forward to seeing your proposals!

Registration for EuroPython 2008 is Now Open!

At last, registration for EuroPython 2008 is now open! Take a look at the registration page on the EuroPython Web site for full details:

http://www.europython.org/community/Registration

The usual generous discount on fees is offered for registrations made up until 31st May. Don’t forget to check the calendar for other important deadlines:

http://www.europython.org/community/Calendar

We look forward to seeing you in Vilnius!

EuroPython 2008: Call for Participation Reminder

We’re eleven days into May and there are only eleven days left until the deadline for submitting talk proposals (and suggesting activities) for EuroPython 2008! If you have something to show off that might interest the Python community, now is the time to start putting together a proposal for a talk. Remember that you don’t need to have the talk ready now – just a reasonable idea of what you’ll be presenting.

Take a look at the Call for Participation on the EuroPython Web site for details:

http://www.europython.org/community/CallForParticipation

And remember that the EuroPython organisers and community are always ready to answer any questions about talks and other matters on the mailing lists:

http://www.europython.org/community/Mailing_Lists

We look forward to seeing your proposals!

EuroPython 2008: Call for Participation

The EuroPython 2008 Call for Participation has finally been posted on the conference Web site:

http://www.europython.org/community/CallForParticipation

Do you have something you wish to present at EuroPython? Now is the time to put together an idea for a talk (or other activity) and to send your proposal to the organisers. And even if you aren’t considering a conventional talk or presentation, there are plenty of ways for you to contribute to a better EuroPython experience – see the Call for Participation for more details!

Since we have been somewhat delayed, the deadlines have changed somewhat. See the calendar for an overview of important conference-related dates:

http://www.europython.org/community/Calendar

We look forward to seeing your proposals!

End of Logo Voting: Results Announced!

We now have the results from voting on the new EuroPython logo and can announce a clear winner: Zachary Voase’s “banner” logo acquired a score of 314 points, beating his “badge” logo into second place with 214 points; Marc-André Lemburg’s third logo took third place with 209 points.

We would like to thank all logo designers for their efforts and, of course, everyone who took time to vote. The new logo will be installed on the EuroPython site in the near future.

Reminder: Vote for a New EuroPython Logo

Earlier this year, the EuroPython organisers decided it was time to update the conference logo: the current logo has been in use since EuroPython began back in 2002. We asked for and received many great submissions for a new logo, and we’ve made these available on the EuroPython Web site.

Now we need your help in deciding which logo shall be part of the EuroPython conference’s updated image. Visit the EuroPython Web site to browse the submissions and to cast your votes on the ones you like the most:

http://www.europython.org/community/Planning/ProposedLogo

We intend to announce the winning logo on Friday 4th April at the latest, so hurry on over to the EuroPython site and cast your votes now!

(And stay tuned for more updates on EuroPython 2008!)

Vote for a New EuroPython Logo!

We’ve had many great submissions for the EuroPython logo competition, and it is now time to make a decision: the current logo has been in use since EuroPython began back in 2002; which logo should replace it?

Visit the EuroPython Web site to browse the entrants and to cast your votes:

http://www.europython.org/community/Planning/ProposedLogo

We’ll announce the winning logo after a suitable amount of time has elapsed, but don’t risk being too late: visit the site and vote now!

Any Interest in Tutorials?

As many of you may be aware, preparations for EuroPython 2008 – the European Python community conference – are under way. For the second year running, the event will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, with the main programme taking place on Monday 7th, Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th July.

Those of us involved with the conference are looking for ways in which we can make the event more interesting for beginners and experts alike.

One way in which we could do this, particularly for people who are learning Python, is to allocate time for tutorials. This approach appears to be popular at conferences like PyCon and PyCon UK, but isn’t something we normally do at EuroPython, though there are often talks are aimed at beginners in the schedule.

What we’d like to know is:

• Is this something that you would like to see?
• Would you be interested in giving a tutorial?
• Which subject would you be interested in hearing/talking about?

If you answered “yes” to either of the first two questions, please feel free to add suggestions for tutorials, either as a participant or as a speaker, to this page on the EuroPython Wiki:

http://www.europython.org/community/Talk_Suggestions

If you’re interested in participating in EuroPython this year in any way, please come and join us on the europython mailing list

http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/europython

or visit this page on the EuroPython Web site:

http://www.europython.org/community/Participants

Hope to see some of you there!

Talk Submissions Postponement

Unfortunately, we’re not yet ready to accept talk proposals/submissions for EuroPython 2008, despite what the official calendar has been showing. If you’re still thinking about possible talk ideas, or you have some strong opinions about what you want to hear at this year’s conference, you might like to influence the main conference themes. Feel free to drop by the talk/theme/activity suggestions page on the conference site:

http://www.europython.org/community/Talk_Suggestions

We hope to open for submissions soon!