Sat, 25 May 2024 12:46:21 -0000

My List of things that I took (and wish I took)to PyCon US for the Black Python Devs Booth

This is meant to be a compliment to the original post around what you need to run a small community booth.

Things we had

banner

Stickers

iPad

shirts for team

tripod (didn't use)

camera (didn't use)

Things I'd do better on next year

Shirts for sell

This was an intentional as we didn't have too much in terms of funds to buy shirts at a large amount. That being said we could have sold shirts as a donation. The only way this makes sense is to purchase them in bulk to make a good amount on the item.

There was an idea to dropship but this cuts into margin so it's good to have plenty on hand. There is also the immediate gratification versus folks forgetting once they get away from the booth. This could be a secondary measure if we sell out.

Popup banner as well

Other Community Booths had wonderful popups. I think we could have added some information for folks to consider donating for.

We were getting asked the same thing time and time again. It would have been nice to have that information on a popup. Or maybe even have a sign to get peoples attention.

A singular popup isn't that expensive (cheaper than the banner IRRC).

Small speaker

We were planning on doing a pass the aux for folks who donate but we didn't really have a way of having music play.

Support stickers

I bought 200 Black Python Devs stickers. Most of them went.

Some folks were hesitant to rock a Black Python Devs sticker while not being a Black Python Dev.

One solution is to create support stickers with QR codes that go to the website. This allows folks to support us in spaces that we aren't in.

Things we needed and didn't have

Chord and scissors

We needed chord to hang up our banner. We were able to make it work with zip ties that we got from the PyLadies booth.

Gaffers Tape

Chords get throw all over the place and it's good to have some tape to prevent trip hazards.

Power Strip and Extension Cord

We had to use our neighbors extension chord. It was confusing since it looked like we had one but having a backup would have been great.