We have been investigating systems that would allow us to watch the conference and chat with other attendees at the same time and in the same interface. We think we have found a pretty simple setup and we hope that you will like it. The EuroPython 2021 conference system is based on Matrix, an open source chat system written in Python. You can take it for a spin here.
Matrix organises chats in a series of "rooms" or channels, pretty much the same way that Discord or any other chat system does. We have create one chat room per conference track, plus some extra ones for helpdesk, sprints, random chat and more.
In addition, Matrix allows one to embed widgets in chat rooms, enabling further functionality such as video chat and more. We plan on having the talk and training video streams available as widgets in their respective chat room.
In order to access Matrix you simply need a web browser. We recommend a Chromium-based browser such as Chrome, Vivaldi, Brave, Microsoft Edge, etc. for best compatibility and experience. Below, you can find a quick video tutorial on how to access our conference system.
Lobby
The Matrix server has a number of lobby rooms configured for
- announcements,
- an info desk to ask questions related to the conference,
- the hallway with access to the EuroPython Lounge,
- and a jobs room where we'll post sponsor job listings.
Main tracks
We will have multiple parallel main conference tracks, where speakers will present their talks, similar to our talk rooms at the in-person event. We will also have parallel training tracks for the tutorials.
Each of the tracks will come with a chat room and an embedded widget for watching the stream. We'll aim to make it easy to navigate between the tracks. For tutorials and workshops, we will use Zoom to add more interactivity at scale.
The keystone "Optiver" conference room will be used for plenary sessions such as opening, keynotes, lightning talks and closing sessions.
Attendee interaction during talks
Tracks only allow speakers to present, share their screen or webcam. Attendees will have possibility to answer polls and ask questions. Questions will then be read out in the Q&A part of the session and answered live by the speakers.
Talk breakout rooms
To enable more direct access to the speaker after a talk, we will provide separate breakout channels where speakers and attendees can then meet and discuss questions or talk topics in more detail and also in a more personal way.
Breakout rooms will use the Matrix builtin Jitsi for audio/video. They will not be recorded.
Posters
Posters will be made available on a separate poster page on this website in form of PDFs for attendees to have a look at. The poster tracks for the poster presentations and asking questions will be run in the EuroPython Lounge (on Wonder.me), which allows for direct interaction with the speaker via audio and video.
Please navigate to the "Posters" area in the lounge to meet the speakers. Poster sessions will not be recorded.
Interactive sessions
Just like posters, interactive sessions will also be run in the "Argument-Clinic" room. Unlike regular talks, these sessions will allow more direct interaction between attendees and speakers via audio and video.
Interactive sessions will use Zoom to allow us to scale up participation and interaction.
Open Space tracks
We will have an open space track at the conference in the "Silly-Walks" room, where attendees can schedule their own sessions and then run them on our infrastructure. Scheduling will be done during the conference using a Google sheet we will set up for this. After the conference, we'll add the scheduled session to the site's schedule for reference.
Open Space will use the Matrix builtin Jitsi for audio/video. Talks will not be recorded.
Sponsor rooms
To interact with sponsors using audo&video, we will also have sponsor rooms available.
Please stop by those rooms and say hi!
We rely a lot on our sponsors to make the event happen. Some of them may even have additional digital swag available for you to pick up.
Sponsor rooms will use the Matrix builtin Jitsi for audio/video.
Tools
For EuroPython 2021, you will only need a browser to attend the conference.
These are the minimum requirements:
- Use a Chromium-based browser
- Keep the EuroPython website open and logged in
- Open a second tab for the Matrix conference system
- (Optionally) Open a third tab for Zoom, in case you are attending a training session, workshop or interactive session.
If you want to interact with other attendees / speakers during the conference, it's also a good idea to have a webcam and microphone configured.
