29 Days Before Conference, Day 96 of 100-Day Challenge "Free Interaction in Open Space"
29 Days Before Conference, Day 96 of 100-Day Challenge “Free Interaction in Open Space”
This is a daily report published personally by PyCon JP 2025 Chair @nishimotz.
It’s 29 days before the conference, day 96 of the 100-day challenge.
PyCon JP 2025 will be held on September 26-27 at Hiroshima International Conference Center.
Today I’m writing about Open Space. Please note that Open Space details have not been officially announced yet, but due to venue constraints, it is planned to be held only on September 27th.
What is Open Space
Open Space is a venue where participants can freely bring topics for discussion and information exchange. Unlike pre-planned programs, it functions as a place for spontaneous interaction based on participants’ interests and concerns.
While this is sometimes called “Unconference” at technical conferences, I chose to call it “Open Space” this year. This term is used in various settings such as community childcare support and elderly care support, making it a more familiar and accessible expression for a broader range of people.
At PyCon JP 2025, we plan to provide this Open Space on September 27th alongside main talk sessions to offer more diverse and free learning opportunities.
The Value of Participant-Led Content
The greatest appeal of Open Space is that participants themselves create the content. From voices like “I want to talk about this” or “I want to exchange information with someone knowledgeable about this technology,” learning communities naturally form.
For first-time participants, it’s also a valuable opportunity to ask questions and seek advice casually. Basic questions that might be difficult to ask during formal talk sessions can be comfortably raised in Open Space.
I personally participated in local community management and accessibility groups at PyCon US 2025’s Open Space. I was delighted to discover that there were themes and spaces where I could participate beyond technical topics. This experience gave me a real appreciation for the inclusiveness and diversity that Open Space offers.
PyCon JP has also had many valuable encounters and experiences through Open Space in the past. There have been diverse activities including IoT discussions, guerrilla presentations by those whose talk proposals were not accepted, and spaces for young people to showcase what they’ve created.
A Casual Learning Environment
In Open Space, we expect activities such as:
- Sharing advice on technical challenges
- Practical information exchange about new libraries and tools
- Consultations on careers and learning methods
- Information sharing about regional Python communities
- Exploring collaboration opportunities for projects
A Place Where Connections Are Born
PyCon JP 2025’s slogan “pieces of python, coming together” perfectly expresses the philosophy of Open Space. We expect it to become a place where Python users from different backgrounds gather, bringing their respective “pieces” to create new connections and discoveries.
As the chair, I hope for an Open Space that befits “Come Together, Python Pieces” - one that is welcoming and accessible to diverse participants. I plan to continue discussions with the organizing team to achieve this vision.
One thing I want to emphasize is that the information published in advance on the official website is not the only content available. Open Space plays an important role in maximizing the value of PyCon JP as a technical conference. We hope many people will actively participate.
On the conference day, ticket sales are continuing. Both conference tickets and party tickets are on sale, so if you haven’t applied yet, please consider it.
Update History
- 2025-08-28: Initial publication