

Annoucing "The Art Of The Con" And Retiring From Tech Conferences - oracuk
http://zedshaw.com/announcing_the_art_of_the_con_and_retiring_from_tech_conferences.txt

======
iuguy
Maybe it's different for security conferences (although I doubt it) but we
have a simple rule at 44Con[1]: Don't be a dick. It's a very simple rule and
it applies to everyone. If you're a dick, you're asked to stop being a dick.
If you continue being a dick, you're warned you'll be asked to leave and if
you carry on you will be, possibly assisted by the venue security if you don't
take it seriously.

Adrian and I really don't need the hassle, running 44Con is a whole year's
effort to organise and plan for a 2 day event. If we hear of speakers being
dick we'd probably cut them a little leeway for minor dickness but if what Zed
asserts is correct we'd treat them the same as anyone else in that sort of
situation.

And I say this as someone that has no doubt been a dick and done stupid things
at conferences. We don't need cards or tons of specific house rules, we just
need the basics enforced better to make the event better for everyone.

[1] - <http://www.44con.com/>

~~~
EliRivers
Everyone has a different interpretation of what it is "to be a dick"; whilst a
nice sentiment, it's like a politician using the phrase "hard-working family"
or "common good", and other such glittering generalities[1]. Everyone hears
the same words but interprets them according to their own personal values.

As such, can you give concrete examples (actual, not hypothetical) of
"dickish" behaviour that has been dealt with in this way?

[1]. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glittering_generality>

~~~
iuguy
Without naming names or dropping people in it, things we've dealt with under
the dickishness category:

* Comments of an inappropriate sexual nature about people at the conference - warning

* Getting stupidly hammered and talking about things that you most certainly shouldn't to people you really shouldn't talk about it with - PNG'd

* Getting stupidly hammered, getting rowdy and threatening to hit people - PNG'd

* Bringing a huge entourage without telling us - Speaker PNG'd

* Sending a recruiter in to put cards on every seat when they have no association with the conference - PNG'd the whole company except people we know are coming as them, not representing the company

* Offering to run a party, then stringing us along and lying to us about what you're going to do, then pulling out at the last minute and getting caught lying about the reasons why - PNG'd

* Bumping into someone, then acting dickishly towards the person they bumped into when the person being bumped into says excuse me - Warning

Bear in mind that the definition of being a dick is down to the organisers and
crew and may change at any point in time. If you don't like it, it might not
be the conference for you.

The big problem I have is that people tend not to tell us stuff at the time so
often we only find out months after the event. I am (and all of the crew are)
more than happy to sort anything out that needs our intervention, so if you've
come to a 44Con and see someone being a dick, please tell the crew and ask
them to sort it out.

Just realised, for those that don't know, PNG meant Persona Non Grata - i.e.
banned from attending in future or having any association with the event.

------
chris_wot
Who is Steve Holden, and what did he do?

Also, what is BubbleConf, and why haven't the disinvited Zed Shaw? Curious.

~~~
JimmyL
From the djangocon.eu bio page:

 _Steve Holden is known throughout the Python and Django worlds as a
stimulating speaker with a broad knowledge of computing generally and Python
in particular. Steve has been on the board of the Python Software Foundation
since 2004, and served four years as the Foundation's chairman. His latest
venture, The Open Bastion, produces technical events and conferences including
DjangoCon US, ApacheCon US, Cloudstack Collaboration Conference and ApacheCon
NA._

In short, a prominent/instututional Python guy who organized the last few
djangocon.us conferences, and who's recently branched out into event
management specializing in tech conferences.

As for what went down at djangocon.eu, no idea...

------
static_typed
So, nowadays if a tech community puts together an event, they had better call
it a gathering, a tech meet, maybe coffee code & cookies, basically anything
but conference.

Because once you have a conference you have to deal with feminist dogmatic
gynosaurs, ducks, bloggers, community backlash, mainstream print filling their
idle pages with judgement on your efforts, and basically a regret for even
thinking of doing something good in the first place.

