Day 1 Orientation is a special DjangoCon session on Sunday afternoon to help attendees get off to a great start. If this describes you, then Day 1 Orientation is a great way to get your DjangoCon started:
- New attendees: Tech conferences can be overwhelming, especially if it's your first one. We want to help people attending their first DjangoCon or their first tech conference have the best experience possible.
- Traditionally underrepresented groups: If you don't think you'll see a lot of people like you at DjangoCon, we want to assure you that you are more than welcome at DjangoCon. We also want you to be as comfortable as possible.
Join us on Sunday at 5:15 pm in Classroom (F-55) for DjangoCon US Orientation!
Beginner's Guide
Must-See Talks & Tutorials
All of them! No, really.
But if you need more guidance than that, make note of the audience level at the top of talks you're interested in.
- Novice: Talks that are aimed at beginners.
- Intermediate/Experienced: Talks that will touch on more complex topics than Novice talks, but are still accessible to attendees with a strong understanding of programming or Django fundamentals. Depending on the talk, a beginner may feel a little lost. (But that's okay!)
- Not Applicable: Talks that aren't super technical, so an audience level wasn't really appropriate for them.
Just because a talk is marked as "intermediate" or "experienced" doesn't mean that, as a beginner, you won't get anything out of it! If a talk interests you, you should go, even if you're concerned about it being a little over your head. You might be surprised at how much you'll get out of that talk. And you can always ask questions, bookmark the docs, and come back to the topic at a later time when the material has had a chance to "gel."
Conference Etiquette and Tips
Basics
From Daniel Roy Greenfeld, used with permission
- Bring something to take notes. A paper notebook, laptop, or tablet. Anything!
- If you are looking for work, bring business cards. Seriously.
- At every meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) make a point of sitting with or going out with different people. Introduce yourself. Make new friends and learn new things!
- If you can't make it to a talk, don't stress out. They are recorded and will be available later on. We'll tweet out the links as we get them posted!
- Act professionally (see next section)
Code of Conduct
DjangoCon, like all Django-sponsored events, has an enforced Code of Conduct. While most people dress casually for tech conferences, this is still a professional event and we look forward to a fun, safe conference for everyone.
Photo Policy
In order to make DjangoCon US 2016 a great experience for everyone, do not photograph, video, or audio record anyone at DjangoCon without their express permission, sought in advance. If someone does not want to be photographed, video or audio recorded, please respect their wishes.
Crowd shots are permitted, but when only the faces of a few people are visible, permission should be sought from all of those individuals.
Attending Talks
- Put away your devices so you can focus on the talk. It's fine to take notes, but all the talks will be on YouTube soon after the conference, so don't feel pressured to get everything down. It's also kinder to the speaker.
- Ask questions (if the speaker takes questions), but make sure your question is a question. "I don't have a question, I just..." is not a question.
- Be polite. This means silencing your phone, saving conversations for the "hallway track," and thanking the speaker for their time.
Many thanks to Daniel Roy Greenfeld, whose own post, "A Beginner's Guide to Pycon," inspired this one.