Announcing Our Orientation Event

We’re less than a month out from DjangoCon US 2017. For the second year in a row, we’re pleased to have an Orientation event on the first day. But we promise it’s not like those boring orientations you had to attend in school.

What is Orientation?

Orientation is something we do to help attendees get off to a great start. In the course of organizing DjangoCon US, we’ve solicited and received a lot of feedback. A recurring theme: people attending their first con or attending DjangoCon US alone can feel lost, overwhelmed, or left out. An informal survey of potential new conference attendees also revealed the desire for some sort of “guidance” when attending a conference. There are two primary groups we’re focusing on:

• New or solo attendees: Tech conferences can be overwhelming, especially if it’s your first one or you’re here on your own. We want to help people attending their first DjangoCon US or their first tech conference have the best experience possible.
• Traditionally underrepresented groups: If you don’t think you’ll see or meet a lot of people like you at DjangoCon US, don’t worry. We want to assure you that you are more than welcome, and we want you to be as comfortable as possible.

What to Expect

We’ll start with “The shy person’s guide to tech conferences”, a talk by Ed Rivas. That will be followed by a brief but informative presentation by Kojo Idrissa, our Orientation Chair.

When and Where?

The Orientation will be Monday, August 14 at 9 am in Ballrooms B and C. That will give you plenty of time to register and eat breakfast. As an added bonus, the Opening and Keynote start at 10 am in the same place so you’ll be well-fed, oriented and ready to start your conference adventure!

As your first bit of orientation, the name of our host city is pronounced “Spoh Can”. As in, “Spokane we look forward to seeing you at the DjangoCon US 2017 Orientation?” If you don’t think it’s for you, be sure to tell a friend.