Youâve decided to invest energy, money, and time away from your home so that you can go to your first PyCon. Now you want to make sure you spend your time wisely by attending events relevant to you and possibly by forming online friendships with other PyCon attendees. But youâre (naturally) not an expert conference-goer. How do you do this? How do you make the most of your first PyCon?
Iâm an introvert by nature, but I have increased my ability to socialize with others over the years through practice, gamification of social situations, and learning my limits.
Over the years, Iâve interviewed many PyCon attendees and Iâve spoken to many first-time PyCon-goers about making the most of PyCon US. Itâs difficult to describe what PyCon is like to first-time attendees and itâs even more difficult to identify how any one person should spend their time at PyCon. Iâve written this article to compile advice from others and to address common fears for first-time PyCon attendees. Not all of these suggestions will be right for you, so feel free to take this advice selectively.
Before you read any further, I must link you to the Newcomer Orientation (run by Kojo Idrissa and me this year). If this is your first PyCon US, Iâd recommend showing up early to the newcomer orientation to get your footing before the big event starts.
Note this article does not discuss the sprints. Also see my article all about the PyCon sprints and why you should consider attending them.
Have a specific question or just want to jump to a specific topic? Here you goâŚ
Spending your time: which talks should I go to? đ¤
The talks at PyCon are typically uploaded to YouTube within weeks after the talk ends. So you can always watch missed talks when you go home. That means you donât need to worry about attending every talk.
So how should I decide which talks to go to? Iâve chatted with folks who purposely go exclusively to talks on topics theyâre not normally interested in. I also know people who love going to the keynotes and the lightning talks but hang out in the hallway (Iâll talk about the hallway track later) or attend open spaces the rest of the time. Iâm personally one of those people who attends very few talks and spends a lot of time in open spaces and in the hallway.
You cannot and will not do everything there is to do at PyCon.
I suggest embracing this idea by chatting with others about things youâve missed out on. People often enjoy reflecting on a talk they just watched the same way you might want to reflect on a movie. If you meet someone who just came out of a talk you missed, ask them what it was like and what they learned from it. They might say âeh, it wasnât for meâ or they might ramble about how exciting it was.
Consider these things before walking into a talk:
- Would it be nice to show up to this talk a few minutes early and focus my attention on it?
- Do I want to possibly ask the speaker a question during Q&A? (tips for Q&A here and here)
- Am I having a conversation that Iâd really like to continue instead of attending this talk?
- Should I take a personal break during this time instead?
Remember that PyCon is less about the talks than the discussions that happen around them. Talks are a wonderful tool to start discussions, but theyâre not the only way to spark conversation.
Open spaces: attend them and consider hosting your own! đ
Open spaces are community-run mini meetup events and they arenât decided before PyCon starts. The way it works is that the organizer of an open space will sign up with the online form (itâll open during the conference) to announce theyâre holding an event at a particular time in a particular room. Then others check the online open spaces page throughout the day and attend ones theyâre interested in.
During every talk at PyCon there are at least 4 other talks happening. There are also 9 open spaces rooms though. So youâre missing out on over 90% of PyCon at any time!
When choosing between an open space and a talk, I usually choose the open space.
There are a few reasons I often pick open spaces over talks:
- Often the open spaces are more niche and topical than the talks: there are some subjects that exist in open spaces every year but which Iâve never seen a talk on
- Open spaces are all about interaction and discussion whereas talks are a monologue that often evolves into subsequent dialogues
- Open spaces arenât recorded whereas the talks are, meaning you canât really catch up on them later
If youâre looking for kinship and conversation, the open spaces are a great place to look.
If youâre hoping to start a discussion, Iâd also recommend creating your own open space during PyCon.
Feeling like an imposter or an outsider đŞď¸
A common fear when attending PyCon is that people will judge you because you arenât as skilled as they are.
Maybe youâre new to Python and youâre worried your peers wonât accept you because you think you might be years-off from matching their skills. Maybe youâre ânot a developerâ and youâre afraid youâll feel like an imposter at PyCon.
Not feeling like youâll be smart enough or skilled enough to understand the talks and conversations youâll be in is a big and intimidating thought. If youâre afraid of folks misjudging your expertise, it may help to plan out a few techniques for presenting yourself in a way that makes you feel comfortable.
You might rehearse a few different very brief elevator pitches. Here are some examples:
- Iâm a JavaScript developer here to meet folks in the Python world
- Iâm a new programmer and Iâm here because Iâve been told the Python community was pretty welcoming to newcomers
- I donât consider myself a developer, but I do write Python code at work to automate things and Iâm here to learn more
- I donât write code for work, but I have some side projects that Iâm using Python for. So Iâm here to learn and meet friendly people.
Remember that you do not need to justify your presence at PyCon. If you believe you belong at PyCon, then you do.
If youâre interested in the conversation youâre in, others may mirror that interest. If youâre enthusiastic about learning new things, others you meet may mirror that enthusiasm. Iâve witnessed quite a few conversations at PyCon that included phrases like âoh you donât know about X? Cool, essentially itâsâŚâ Youâll hopefully find that many of the more long-time PyCon attendees go out of their way to welcome beginners. This is not a universal phenomenon and even folks with good intentions can alienate those around them.
Tips for starting conversation đŹ
Make sure to treat each person you meet as new. Not everyone you meet will be at the conference for the same reasons as you are. Some people write code but donât know Python, some people only use a little bit of Python and donât consider themselves developers, some people donât work in tech, and some people donât write code for work at all and may be considering whether they should make a career transition into tech. Just as you donât need to justify your presence at PyCon to anyone, no one needs to justify their presence to you.
I mentioned above that you might want to make an elevator pitch or two for yourself. You might also want to consider how youâll respond to some of the questions that will come up frequently, like âwhat do you do?â or âwhere do you work?â. You will be asked some of the same questions over and over when meeting new people. Knowing how youâll respond to common questions will help put your mind at ease when meeting new people.
I also recommend occasionally considering what questions you ask, why youâre asking them, and the phrasing you use. Also notice how others ask questions and consider what questions and phrases seem to put others at ease and lead to interesting conversations. Conversations often go pretty well if you ask questions that make others feel comfortable and appreciated.
Tips for breakfast and lunch time đ˝ď¸
How do lunch and breakfast work? Can I just sit with anyone or should I choose an empty table? Are people going to be nice to me? Do I need to introduce myself when I sit down?
Meal dynamics are interesting because thereâs not really a rule book for these social dynamics. Below is what Iâve observed over the years.
At lunch and breakfast, you can sit anywhere. Often people will ask âis this seat takenâ when sitting down just in case a group of acquaintances are waiting on another person to join them. Sometimes when a new person joins your table, a particularly friendly person at the table (if one exists) will introduce themselves to make that newcomer feel welcome. Often this entails a name, a smile, and a wave or a nod. Beyond these typical social norms, everything else can differ based on the folks sitting at your table (that includes you!).
Sometimes a couple people at a table will be very interested to know what brings everyone to the conference and what each person âdoesâ. Meals are a good time to test out your elevator pitch when introducing yourself to see how the conversation goes and to verify that it makes you feel comfortable.
Sometimes people will be more interested in either sitting quietly or talking to a particular person or two with whom theyâve found something interesting to discuss. Personally I often find myself asking others where theyâre traveling from, whether itâs their first year attending, what theyâve thought of the conference so far, and what inspired them to come to PyCon. I tend to leave questions about employment and jobs for later because folks will often bring up their work (if they want to) on their own.
The hallway track đŁ
Something you might consider doing while at PyCon is taking breaks in the hallway. Sit at a table in the open and if someone asks whether they can sit at your table say something inviting/friendly like âsure! Iâm YOUR_NAME. Nice to meet you new friend!â (or just smile and gesture in a friendly way if youâre not feeling adventurous in the moment). Chatting with folks in the hallway in an unstructured way is often referred to as the hallway track.
In addition to joining or starting a table in the hallway, consider identifying groups that have a PacMan opening to join and make sure the groups youâre in are PacMan-friendly.
While chatting with new friends, giving one person your full attention in a 5 minute conversation is often more rewarding and memorable than having five 1 minute conversations with different people. But do keep in mind that if youâre no longer interested in a conversation or activity, you donât need to keep it going. There are lots of things going on at any one time at PyCon and lots of people there. Itâs not unusual to say ânice talking to youâ and leave one conversation to walk off to another conversation or to something else entirely.
Donât just follow the rules: be compassionate đ
Youâre at a professional event. You should absolutely try to have fun and derive as much value as you can from PyCon, but you always want to make sure you feel welcome, comfortable, and safe. Importantly, you should also be mindful to make sure those around you feel the same way. Please be cognizant of the preferences of those around you and be respectful of their needs.
PyCon has a code of conduct. Read it. I suggest going beyond the law of the CoC: embrace the spirit of the CoC as well.
When meeting people in general, make sure to be nice. Donât talk down to people, donât insult people, and donât treat anyone like they donât belong or arenât worthy. The Python community prides itself on being nice and we expect you to be nice as well. Be kind, be compassionate, be considerate.
On that note, you may run into folks who act unkind or make you feel unwelcome at some point. Itâs okay to cut and run at any point during any conversation or event. If you donât feel welcome, I recommend removing yourself from the space youâre in and contacting one of the staff members listed on the code of conduct page. Even if you just want to say âhey something happened that could maybe be avoided in the future,â it would be wonderful if you could muster the courage to contact a staff member. PyCon tries to improve every year and feedback is the way that happens.
Interacting online during PyCon đŚ
After PyCon is over, some people occasionally follow-up with folks they met over email. Sometimes people will add each other on LinkedIn or Facebook also. Twitter used to be the primary platform everyone was on⌠until they started imploding around 2024. Unfortunately since the Twitter exodus, weâre not all on one platform anymore.
2026 note:
During PyCon 2026, I suspect the most popular social network for real-time posts on the #PyConUS hashtag will be Mastodon followed by Bluesky.
Thereâs no one network that we all use anymore. đ˘
If youâre not completely opposed to it, I recommend getting Mastodon and/or Bluesky accounts to make it easier to passively keep up with folks from PyCon after the conference ends. You donât have to use these networks all the time to get value from it, you could just use it as a modern day rolodex of sorts. Online social networks are not the only way people stay in touch, but itâs an extremely easy passive way to stay in touch.
If you do get a Mastodon or Bluesky account, I recommend adding a saved search for âPyConUS OR PyCon OR PyCon2026 OR PyConUS2026â to follow a bit of the random PyCon-related social media chatter during the conference.
I know I will be adding the #PyConUS hashtag to my Mastodon feed while at the conference this year!
Sometimes people on social networks will ask if anyone would like to join them for dinner and you might decide to reply and say youâd like to join. Sometimes youâll recognize the face or name of someone you met over breakfast or someone you recognize from another part of the internet. If youâre feeling comfortable with it, you could send a message to that person to ask if theyâd like to meet up and chat during one of the breaks.
However, keep in mind when you meet people that people are just people. If you think someone is famous or important or smart, donât treat them like theyâre a celebrity or like theyâre superior to you. Itâs wonderful to show appreciation for what someone does. But keep in mind that most people feel awkward when they feel like theyâre being put on a pedestal. Treat folks you meet as your equals.
Networking isnât a dirty word: it means making friends đĽ
I hear two opposing concerns sometimes expressed about PyCon:
- Isnât everyone here to get a job or hire people?
- Is it acceptable to go to PyCon looking for a job?
PyCon is a networking event. That doesnât necessarily mean everyone is there to get a job, but it also definitely doesnât mean itâs unacceptable to job-seek at PyCon.
There is no shame in going to PyCon with the goal of getting a new job. Many of the sponsors in the Expo hall are looking to hire new developers and events like the job fair are specifically designed to bring together folks seeking work and folks seeking workers. But if you are not at PyCon to get a job or to hire someone else, thatâs absolutely okay also!
The focus of PyCon is on meeting people and sharing experiences and that can come in a lot of different forms. Sometimes the people you meet will end up being your coworkers one day, sometimes theyâre folks youâd like to keep in touch with, and sometimes theyâre just friendly unnamed Pythonistas you once had a good conversation with.
PyCon is a networking event and networking isnât a dirty word. Networking means meeting new people. Iâve met a lot of people at PyCon who I care deeply about. Some of them I havenât seen in years and only keep in touch with sporadically through social media, some I see once or twice each year, and some I chat with on a weekly basis online.
Whatever your goals are at PyCon, try to savor the experiences you have while there.
Be prepared to keep in touch đ
How am I supposed to remember all these amazing people I met! Should I bring business cards and if so how many? How should I follow up with people after the conference?
If you have a good conversation with someone, Iâd recommend exchanging information with them. Iâve seen people write email addresses on napkins. Iâve also frequently seen people exchange business cards or name cards. Sometimes people simply write down Mastodon/Bluesky/LinkedIn handles or even ask to take a picture of a face and a badge. I used to get peopleâs Twitter handles and add them to a PyCon list I maintain for myself. I donât yet have an equivalent of this practice for Mastodon or Bluesky. I also exchange contact information in other ways, sometimes through physical business cards.
The tricky part is remembering to stay in touch when you go home and remembering which people you had which conversations with. Itâs not unusual for people to take notes on business cards about what they talked about with you and why. I think this is a great strategy for remembering who youâre most interested in sending a kind note to after you go home and I wish I remembered to do this more often.
Evening events: dinners and board games đ
What do people do for dinner? How do they organize? How late do they stay? Is there dinner at the conference center, if you donât want to go out? How do I find people to go to dinner with if I donât know anyone? Also I know that there are some informal get-togethers at the conference. How do I propose them? How do I know whatâs there?
One trick that Iâve used and Iâve seen others use: make a game of inviting people you donât really know well to dinner. If youâre nervous about being with lots of new people, find a couple familiar people and ask each to invite just 1 person. If youâd like to do dinner in a very small group, post on one of the more active social networks and say:
Iâm looking for a small dinner group and Iâm looking for exactly 1 or 2 or 3 (your choice) other people to do dinner with. Any takers?
2024-2026 note: unfortunately due to the fracturing of Twitterâs previous user base into other social networks, posting on social media to ask if folks have plans doesnât work as well as it used to.
Sometimes people make a reservation at a restaurant and hope they can find people to join them. Iâm not that gutsy and I usually prefer to gather people until I have a headcount and then call a nearby restaurant to ask if a reservation is needed. During your first conference Iâd recommend walking up to a group of folks and asking âdoes anyone have dinner plans?â Often the response will be âweâre trying to figure that out now, want to join us?â
As far as events in the evening besides dinner go, thereâs a variety of options usually. Some people go out drinking. It is a very bad idea to drink heavily during a conference. Youâre with people you donât know in a new community: donât increase the chance that you might alienate someone by doing something you regret. Iâm very biased here, but Iâd recommend drinking very moderately if you drink at all during PyCon.
One thing you may see at PyCon is board games and card games. Folks sometimes play board games in hotel lobbies, in board game bars, and even in the open spaces! PyConâs open spaces usually involve some evening time for after hour events and board games are frequently one of those events. Thereâs usually at least one board game open spaces event. You could even put your own board game open space event on the board!
I canât mention board games without mentioning my favorite conference ice breaker: the cabo card game. Iâve played Cabo at most tech conferences Iâve been to. I love Cabo because it only requires a 52 card deck. Using the phrase âwant to learn a 20 minute card game that I guarantee youâve never heard ofâ seems to allow people to let their guard down and meet new people (not everyone says yes, but many people do). If youâd like to try playing Cabo yourself, you can read my blog post on the rules to the Cabo card game.
The thing I love about nearly all forms of games is that your technical interests or expertise donât usually matter when youâre playing a game. You can bond with people without having any deep conversation at all. Iâve met people the day after playing a long game and felt like I already knew them even though I didnât even know their name yet.
Volunteering đ
If youâre the type of person who derives comfort from understanding and being part of the inner workings of a community event, I recommend volunteering to help out while at PyCon (note: thatâs the 2025 link: Iâll update with 2026 link once itâs live).
You might think itâs premature to volunteer during your first PyCon and for some roles, it likely is. You probably shouldnât volunteer to be a session chair during your first PyCon for example because thatâs a big role. But you could absolutely volunteer to help out at the registration desk or act as a greeter for folks coming into tutorials. These might sound like scary tasks, but from my experience the folks who coordinate volunteers are happy to answer questions and prepare you for your role so that you feel comfortable doing the job youâve signed up for. All three of those tasks are ways to practice being a cheerful and empathetic face, which will help other first-time attendees to feel comfortable too.
After volunteering, people may occasionally meet you in the hall and wonder why theyâre already familiar with your friendly face. Itâs because you handed them their badge or checked their name off a list! Also volunteering can give you a glimpse behind the scenes of PyCon and make things feel a little less scary and official.
If you are planning to volunteer though, make sure you block that time off on your calendar and that you show up. Donât miss your volunteering time slots and leave the staff scrambling to find someone to fill in at the last minute.
If volunteering to be a small part of the event inner-workings isnât your thing, donât worry. There are lots of great ways to spend your time while at PyCon!
Give a lightning talk âĄ
If youâre feeling particularly bold one day, you could sign up on the lightning talk board to give a 5 minute lightning talk on a topic of your choosing. This is another excuse for people to talk to you.
I gave my first conference lightning talk at DjangoCon 2015, during which I compared modern JavaScript to Python. A few people Iâd never met started a conversation with me at a bar afterward by saying âI liked your lightning talk.â Lightning talks can act as an ice breaker. If you give a talk to a giant room of people, youâve given everyone in that room at least one reason to talk to you.
If you do give a lightning talk, make sure itâs less than 5 minutes. You do not want to run over time in a lightning talk, as you will be cut off at 5 minutes. The shorter and more compact, the better.
Take care of yourself đ
Thereâs so many people. What do I do if I get overwhelmed?
While at PyCon, youâll want to make sure you pace yourself and that you find a way to slow down and recharge when needed. If youâre an introvert, your laptopâs batteries will likely last longer than yours before needing a recharge at PyCon. At least once a day, Iâd recommend finding a quiet place to sit, breathe deeply, think about your day, and meditate.
Donât expect yourself to be able to wake up, head to the conference venue, do things at every moment during the day, and then go out with folks for dinner and more conversation in the evening. If you know your limits, respect them. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone, but donât stretch your boundaries too far. Make sure to check in with yourself and take breaks to assess whether you need a mid-day nap or a bit of quiet alone time between lunch and dinner. You cannot be âonâ at every moment.
Tips from others đ
I canât write a guide on attending PyCon without referencing a couple other wonderful guides that have been written on this topic.
Sumana Harihareswaraâs Your First PyCon, But Not Your First Convention is for experienced conference-attendees looking for PyCon-specific advice.
Al Sweigart talks about his strategies for gamifying social interactions at PyCon in his How to Do PyCon post.
Glyphâs How to PyCon talks about open spaces, meeting new people, and taking care of your body.
Jeff Triplettâs PyCon US, have it your way talks about the expo hall and JOMO.
I also highly recommend asking questions to staff members, friendly-looking volunteers, and people with silly hats (some people use hats to indicate that theyâre approachable). Different PyCon attendees will have different recommendations for how to make the most of PyCon without getting overwhelmed.
Also, if you see me in the hallway at PyCon (I have a face that looks like me and will likely have a âTrey Hunnerâ name badge on), say hi and let me know you read this article! đ
I hope you have a lovely PyCon!
P.S. If you want a short URL for this article, you can use https://trey.io/pycon-tips