PyCon APAC

PyCon APAC
Name	PyCon APAC
Genre	Technology conference
Frequency	Annual
First	2013
Organiser	PyCon APAC Organizing Committee
Topic	Python programming language

PyCon APAC PyCon APAC is a regional conference for the Python programming community in the Asia-Pacific region that gathers developers, educators, researchers, and industry professionals. The event brings together participants from diverse organizations such as Python Software Foundation, Canonical (company), Red Hat, Google, and Microsoft and intersects with projects like Django (web framework), Flask (web framework), NumPy, Pandas (software) and TensorFlow. Attendees often include contributors from initiatives such as OpenStack, Kubernetes, Ansible, Rust (programming language), and Linux Foundation projects.

Overview

PyCon APAC functions as a regional node in a network that includes PyCon US, EuroPython, PyCon UK, PyCon AU, and SciPy (conference), providing program tracks that mirror themes in CPython, PEP (Python Enhancement Proposal), PyPI, virtualenv, and pip (package manager). The conference typically features tutorials, talks, lightning talks, poster sessions, and sprints that attract contributors from repositories on GitHub, integrations with services from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure, and collaborations with academic institutions like National University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, University of Tokyo, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and Universitas Indonesia.

History

The conference traces its origins to regional meetups influenced by events such as PyCon US 2013, EuroPython 2012, and community efforts led by chapters like Python User Group Singapore, PyLadies, Djangocon, and Python Singapore. Early iterations involved partnerships with organizations including Mozilla Foundation, Etsy, IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and SAP SE and featured workshops on tools created by developers associated with Travis CI, Jenkins (software), CircleCI, and Sphinx (software). Growth of the conference paralleled the rise of projects like scikit-learn, Matplotlib, Jupyter Notebook, IPython, and enterprise adoption by companies such as Airbnb, Shopify, and Netflix.

Organization and Governance

Governance is typically a volunteer-led model drawing on governance practices from Python Software Foundation and community groups like PSF Delegates, PyCon organizing committees, Code of Conduct, and Community Leadership. The organizing committee collaborates with sponsors from Alibaba Group, Tencent, Rakuten, LINE Corporation, and Naver Corporation while coordinating logistics with venue operators linked to institutions such as Singapore EXPO, Taipei International Convention Center, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Financial oversight and sponsor management often reference frameworks used by Nonprofit organizations and grant programs similar to those run by Mozilla Open Source Support.

Conference Program and Tracks

Program tracks reflect interests across a spectrum that includes web development, data science, machine learning, devops, embedded systems, and education with sessions on specific implementations such as Django (web framework), FastAPI, Flask (web framework), Pyramid (web framework), NumPy, Pandas (software), scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Apache Spark, Hadoop, Redis, and PostgreSQL. Hands-on tutorials often draw instructors affiliated with Coursera, edX, DataCamp, Kaggle, and research groups from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, National Taiwan University, and Seoul National University. Community-building tracks include sessions inspired by PyLadies, Django Girls, Rails Girls, Women Who Code, and Google Summer of Code.

Locations and Attendance

Events have been hosted in major Asia-Pacific cities including Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, Melbourne, Seoul, and Bengaluru, in venues associated with city partners such as Singapore EXPO and university campuses like National University of Singapore and University of Melbourne. Attendance ranges widely, attracting individuals from startups such as Grab (company), Gojek, Carousell, and Tokopedia as well as enterprises like Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and Honda Motor Company. The geographic reach pulls participants from countries including Japan, South Korea, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.

Community and Outreach

Community initiatives include outreach programs modeled on Django Girls, PyLadies, Code for America, Hacktoberfest, Google Summer of Code, and Outreachy to increase participation from underrepresented groups and students from institutions like Indian Institutes of Technology, University of Malaya, Chulalongkorn University, The University of Hong Kong, and Ateneo de Manila University. The conference also hosts sprints and mentorship aligned with contribution practices used in projects such as CPython, pandas-dev, numpy/numpy, scikit-learn/scikit-learn, and Jupyter (project), often coordinating with local user groups and meetup networks like Meetup (website) chapters.

Notable Talks and Keynotes

Keynotes and notable presentations have featured community leaders, core maintainers, and industry technologists associated with Python Software Foundation, Guido van Rossum, Brett Cannon, Raymond Hettinger, Armin Ronacher, Kenneth Reitz, Travis Oliphant, Fernando Pérez, Wes McKinney, Jake VanderPlas, Chris Fonnesbeck, Van Lindberg, Carol Willing, Lorena Mesa, Hynek Schlawack, Luca de Alfaro, David Beazley, Paul McMillan, and representatives from Google Research, Microsoft Research, Facebook AI Research, DeepMind, OpenAI, NVIDIA, AMD, Intel Corporation, and ARM Holdings addressing topics from asyncio internals to ecosystem governance, performance optimization, scientific computing, and production deployment.

Category:Python (programming language) conferences