My visit to EuroPython 2014
I had a fun time at EuroPython 2014 in Berlin last week. It was a very well organized conference and I enjoyed meeting old friends again as well as meeting new people. Before I went I was a bit worried with the amount of attendees it'd feel too massive; I had that experience at a PyCon in the US a few years ago. But I was pleasantly surprised it didn't -- it felt like a smaller conference, and I liked it.
Another positive thing that stood out was a larger diversity; there seemed to be more people from central and eastern Europe there than before, and most of all, there were more women. It was underscored by a 13 year old girl giving a lightning talk -- that was just not going to happen at EuroPython 5 years ago.
This is a very positive trend and I hope it continues. I know it takes a lot of work on the part of the organizers to get this far.
I gave a talk at EuroPython myself this year, and I think it went well: