PyConf Hyderabad 2025 | Behind the Scenes

I was excited to finally attend my first PyConf Hyderabad! I had always regretted missing the previous editions. But this time, there was no way I was going to miss it. I was thrilled to be a part of the organising team (flex 💪) and get a peek of behind the scenes which made this conference special!

So Let’s dive in and uncover how my journey started and what actually happened under the hood!

How It All Began: My Journey in the Python Community

My journey of contributing to the Python community began with PyCon India 2023. I signed up as a volunteer and got the opportunity to contribute in Technology workgroup. The community was welcoming, inclusive, and open to new ideas. From that point on, there was no looking back! I did a decent job, and soon, I became part of the core team(again 💪).

Thanks to the community and my contributions, I got an opportunity to participate in an interview, gave my best shot, and nailed it. I moved to Hyderabad - close to the community. This contribution also led me to be a part of the Hyderabad Python User Group (HydPy) - the organisers of PyConf Hyderabad.

During my volunteering stint, I had the chance to collaborate with Sanchit, Bharat, Kalyan, and Bhanu. This journey wouldn’t have been possible without their guidance and support!

How the PyConf Hyderabad 2025 Started?

The HydPy team (including me) attended PyCon India 2024, and during the conference, we had a meetup titled "Is PyConf Hyderabad 2025 happening?"

Well, you already know the answer - it did! We concluded the discussion with a plan to organise it in February 2025. As for the finer details... well, those are classified 😎. To know those, you’ll have to join HydPy!

The Actual Work

The journey officially kicked off with a call on 16 Oct 2024, where we discussed key aspects such as potential venues, conference and workshop dates, number of participants, and communication platform and workgroup leads. Team members stepped up to take ownership of different areas, and we maintained momentum through weekly sync calls.

Volunteers were onboarded via a Google Form, followed by a dedicated kickoff call. They were then grouped into dedicated workgroups based on their interests such as Technology, Design, Call for Proposals, Social Media, Community Partnerships, Ticketing, Sponsorships, and Logistics.

This year, we introduced new approaches that proved to be highly effective.

• Using Discord as our primary communication platform.
• A new dedicated domain for PyConf Hyderabad and developing a reusable website project to streamline future conferences.

The journey wasn’t a smooth sail. We faced a shortage of volunteers, some teammates had personal commitments and had to step down, while others had limited bandwidth. At times, we struggled with sponsors onboarding, ticket sales were slow, and bringing the keynote speakers took longer than expected. With the strength of our community, individuals stepped up, took charge when needed, and ensured steady progress.

Despite the hurdles, everything came together in the end:

• In such a short time we secured 9 sponsors. 🤩
• Ticket sales surged closer to the conference, leading to a sold-out event. 😎
• Anthony Shaw and Bowrna Prabhakaran accepted our Keynote invitation. 🎉

This was truly a team effort, with Bhanu and Kalyan leading the way, guiding us all towards a successful execution.

Show Me the Data

Let's take a look at what it takes to pull off such an event of this scale? Let’s break it down by workgroups and dive into the numbers!

• 📢 Communication/ Social Media Team - Amritha, Ashok, Arthi, Priyanka
  • Keeping the Buzz Alive: 366 (133 post * 3 Social Platforms) posts shared
  • Discord Exchange: 754 messages
• 🎨 Design Squad - Aravind, Karuna, Priyanka
  • Creative Overload: ~170 designs posts
  • Discord Chatter: 1465 messages
• 💻 Tech/ Website - Rajat, Bharat, Vamsi, Saketh, Mahendra
  • Number of line additions in code: 23170
  • Number of line deletion in code: 5219 (Deleting lines, keeping the love! ❤️)
  • Number of PRs: 78
  • Number of deployment: 111 (Including some D-Day changes! 😎)
  • Number of messages sent on discord workgroup: 804
• 🎟 Ticketing - Koti
  • Total Attendees (including speakers & volunteers): ~450
  • Ticket Variations: 18 different types
• 📢 Call For Proposal - Prudhvi
  • 112 proposals were reviewed, resulting in the selection of 18 sessions, including talks and workshops.
• ⚡ Instant Coordination on WhatsApp
  • On-Site Volunteering – The D-Day Hustle: 616 messages sent
  • Overall Volunteer Coordination: 2297 messages sent
• 🔍 And … I Couldn't Track, But the Effort Was Immense!
  • 🤝 Community Partners - Bhushan
    • Partnered with 11 amazing communities to spread the word!
  • 🏗 Logistics - Ashok
    • From venue visits to finalising sponsor booths, food vendors, speaker accommodations, and beyond…
  • 💰 Sponsorship - Snehith, Kalyan, Bhushan, Sanchit, Bhanu
    • Secured 9 incredible sponsors in such a short time - hats off!

Shout out to Volunteers

None of this would have been possible without our dedicated volunteers. Your time, effort, and commitment played a crucial role in making this event a success. Thank you!

A special shout out to everyone who traveled from outside Hyderabad - your volunteer spirit was commendable!

• Aravind – Led the design workgroup and traveled from Chennai. As always, he did an outstanding job and contributed right from the start.
• Karuna – Co-led the design workgroup and traveled all the way from Germany. A new addition to our volunteer team, she was involved from day one.
• Koti – Led the ticketing platform and traveled from Bengaluru. His continuous contributions to the community are invaluable, and we were lucky to have him.
• Vamsi – Traveled from Bangalore and contributed in tech and on-site volunteering.
• Pradhvan – Traveled from Delhi and provided support with on-site volunteering.

Memorable Moments

• Spot the Real Speaker 😆

  During the workshop lunch, Amritha pointed out that someone had shared pictures for social media announcements on internal channel where Bhushan was introducing the speaker, while the actual speaker was just chilling on a chair. It totally looked like Bhushan was the speaker. The whole conversation was hilarious, and the fun fact is - I was the one who took those pics! 🤪

  

  Picture Credit: Karuna

• Volunteers Round Table

  We had a casual round table discussion (well, on the floor 😆) after the workshop. We talked about what went well, what’s next for the community and what could have been better. The conversation was incredibly inclusive and welcoming, making everyone feel listened to ❤️. It went on for so long that we even delayed dinner.

  

  At EPAM Cafeteria

• Volunteers Dinner & After-Party

  After the workshop, we had a well-deserved volunteer dinner party. We also got to see Prudhvi’s stand-up skills - his jokes and sense of humour kept everyone laughing.

  

  Missing a few faces—some had to leave early, and others couldn’t make it.

Thank You for 5 Amazing Editions – Get Involved!

As we celebrate the 5th edition of PyConf Hyderabad, we’ve created a special page to appreciate everyone who has contributed in making these editions possible. Check out PyConf Hyderabad Turns 5 - This idea was proposed by Bhanu.

Being part of PyConf Hyderabad isn’t just about organising it, It’s about people and building community. I’m grateful to be a part of the organising team and for this incredible opportunity|

Interested in Volunteering? We always look forward to welcome volunteers who have a passion for giving back to the community. Join our HydPy Meetup page to stay updated and talk to our team about volunteering opportunities at our meetups!

Thanks Karuna and Bhanu, for taking the time to review!