Events and Activities

Events & Activities

We're just under two months out from the conference, and we hope everyone is getting excited!

In this update, we're happy to share with you the different events and activities that will be available as a part of the conference, remind you about volunteering, and to ask you to grab your tickets. We're also excited to tell you that we'll be having Open Spaces at the conference this year, so you can formalize the hallway track and have conversations with the other attendees during the conference.

Remember to check out our Welcome Wagon guide and the Venue page for help with planning your trip and making the most out of the conference.

Events and activities

PyCascades is more than a conference. Every year we make sure to have a variety of activities that our attendees can enjoy, whether you want to learn something, meet new people, or share knowledge.

• Welcome reception. The meet-and-greet reception will be held on Friday from 5:30pm-7:30pm. You can pick up your badge so you don't have to wait in line in the morning. This is a great chance to meet your fellow attendees before the conference starts.
• Open Spaces. We'll be running the Open Spaces each conference day. Want to chat with like-minded folks about a specific thing? This is the place. We'll have a sign-up board so you know what's happening, and supplies to help you brainstorm.
• Lightning Talks. We'll have lightning talks each day of the conference. These are 5 minute presentations and a lot of fun. They can be about anything you want, this is your chance to share something you are passionate about with the audience. Slides are not required.
• Sprints. The Sprints will be held on Monday from 9:30am-5pm, and you can drop in at any time during the day. If you have a project you want to propose to others, you can pitch your topic during the welcome announcement that morning. Please email us if you want to submit a project for the Sprints!

The Schedule page will have the most complete information about all our events as we approach the conference. This is where we will also update any changes/cancellations if they should occur.

Call for volunteers

Thank you so much to all those who applied to volunteer so far. We're looking for more volunteers to help us make the conference run smoothly, so please sign up if you're interested!

There is plenty to do during the conference and volunteers are essential to the success of all our events! To register as a volunteer for the conference, please read and fill out the volunteer sign up form. Applicants will receive additional information after the deadline regarding shifts, detailed duties, and other updates to the volunteer duties and schedules.

New to Portland or to PyCascades?

Every year we are thrilled to welcome new Pythonistas into our community. This is your friendly reminder that we have resources on our website and on Slack to help you prepare for your first trip to Portland, first time at our conference, or both!

• Visiting Portland. Information on transport, where to stay, where to eat, etc. You can also pop into our Slack to ask questions!
• Welcome Wagon. If this is your first time attending the conference – or even if it's not – our Welcome Wagon is here to help you navigate the conference, the community, and answer questions.

See you all soon!

We are in the process of compiling the final talk schedule, so expect the next update to have all the details on that front. Otherwise, we hope you're as excited as we are, and we look forward to seeing you in Portland very soon!

More news soon

We're putting together the final talk schedule, finalizing the social event and hike details, and getting more excited, so stay tuned!