Published by DEFNA on: May 28, 2024

DjangoCon US: Call for Venue Proposal 2025

Edit 2024-07-30: We did not receive any submissions by the original deadline of July 28th. We are extending it to August 13th, 2024.

We’re in the middle of planning DjangoCon US 2024, so it’s time to think about 2025! Where will we be next year? We need your help in making that decision!

So you want your city to host DjangoCon US? Hurrah! We’re delighted by your interest. Here’s what you need to know, and what we need to know, to consider your proposal.

For 2025, we are looking at conference dates of October 5-10, 2025 or October 12-17, 2025.

We need some information about your city, about the venue, the hotel, and travel. Your proposal doesn’t have to be super-fancy, just informative. The proposal should include the following:

1. Names of organizer staff in the host city. While DEFNA will handle the business aspects of the conference, we need the help of a team of local volunteers to manage preparation and the onsite coordination of the event. We realize you won’t have an entire team assembled, but let us know who the core organizers in your city will be.

2. A short list of possible conference venues (or just one, if you have found the Venue of Conference Dreams), with the following information:

   • Name
   • Location
   • Transportation options (how do people get there from the airport?)
   • Attendance capacity
   • Assurance that the venue can provide the following spaces (A floorplan with a rough explanation of what will go where would be great.):
     • Keynote room (also Sessions Track A) to accommodate up to 450 people, classroom style (tables with chairs)
     • Room for Sessions Track B to accommodate up to 200 people, classroom style (tables with chairs)
     • Space for sponsors to set up exhibit booths/tables; at least 12, and up to 16, sponsors with either 6’ tables or 10’ x 10’ booth spaces. If more sponsor booth space is available, that’s a plus.
     • Green room for speakers to prepare (generally a room that will seat 25 for a workshop is the right size)
     • Space for registration tables
     • Room for meals and breaks with sufficient seating and tables. If serving and/or seating areas cannot accommodate 450 people at once, indicate the room capacity and time required to move 450 people through.
     • Space for supplemental beverage stations for daylong service.
     • Secure overnight storage for vendor booth supplies and conference registration desk items.
   • Explanation of catering options available at the venue that can cover:
     • 450 people per day during the main conference: Breakfast, morning break, lunch, afternoon break, and all day beverage service.
     • Catering must have options for celiacs, vegetarians, and vegans of equal quality and variety as main menu. Estimate 15% vegetarian, 5% vegan, and 5-10% gluten-free (some of which may overlap with the other two groups).
     • The ability to serve a meal to 350—450 people in a 90 minute window.
   • A good conference venue is/has the following:
     • Easy to reach from the airport and the conference hotel
     • Most venues require use of their in-house catering service. If the venue does not offer catering services, check whether the venue restricts catering access to an approved vendor list, and what, if any, requirements they have for outside catering vendors.
     • Adjoins or within walking distance to a suitable hotel which can accommodate 350-450 attendees
     • Excellent Internet connectivity
     • Accessible to as many attendees as possible
     • Reasonable access to transit for sightseeing
     • Gender-neutral (or at least gender-inclusive) restrooms within a short walk to the conference rooms.
   • The venue does not have to be a hotel or corporate conference center. Many universities offer conference services, and there are also municipal/county level event venues which can be likely sites for DjangoCon US.

3. A short list of possible sprint venues, with the following information:

   • Name
   • Location
   • Transportation options (how do people get there from the hotel?)
   • Attendance capacity
   • Information on local companies that might be willing to host the sprints at no cost.
   • A good sprint venue is/has the following:
     • Easy to reach from the conference hotel
     • A room to hold 50-75 people, with work tables, chairs, power, and internet connectivity
     • Eating tables should be separate from work tables if at all possible.
     • Excellent Internet connectivity.

4. Hotel. The ideal hotel is adjacent to the conference venue, or a very short walk away. For the hotel. You can reach out to the event sales contact at the hotel to help gather the information we need:

   • Name
   • Location
   • Transportation options (how do people get there from the airport?)
   • The conference room rate (should be discounted from the standard rate)
   • A block of rooms starting the two nights before tutorials, and running through the last night of the sprints. The breakdown of the room counts would be estimated at:
     • Friday - 10
     • Saturday - 15
     • Sunday Tutorials - 100
     • Monday Main Conf - 100
     • Tuesday Main Conf - 100
     • Wednesday Main Conf - 80
     • Thursday Sprints - 30
     • Friday Sprints - 15
   • Concessions policy (comp room nights per actualized room nights)
   • A sample contract showing the terms of booking the block of rooms. Do not sign any contracts. DEFNA will handle the business side of things. We just need to see the terms the hotel proposes for the group block.

5. Provide estimates on costs associated with flights, accommodation, meals, ground transportation, etc. for an overview of the total cost for attendees.

   • Suggested cost examples include typical round-trip airfare from several major hub cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and London.

6. Information about what makes the city a good choice for DjangoCon US and an attractive destination for attendees.

7. Any additional ideas for making the event especially useful and/or memorable.

8. Any information about whether venues would be willing to sign multi-year deals. Hosting DjangoCon US at the same Marriott in San Diego made venue coordination in 2019 and 2022 considerably easier than having to interact with a new venue each year.

Since we are considering a number of proposals, no one from your group should sign a binding contract or make any kind of legal or financial commitment.

If DEFNA chooses your group’s proposal, your group is responsible for putting DEFNA in contact with the venue management to finalize the event agreement.

In order for us to make a decision in time to announce next year’s venue at the end of the Durham conference, please submit your proposal to hello@defna.org no later than July 28, 2024 August 13, 2024.

Thanks so much! We look forward to hearing about all the fantastic places we can go next year!