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Part 13: Swag (PyCon 2008 Chairman's Report)

We had some great conference swag this year. When the Python xkcd strip came out, the Python blogosphere exploded. It didn't take long before the idea arose -- from several people simultaneously -- to use it for the conference shirt. Ted Pollari was particularly enthusiastic and tracked down the artist to secure his permission. (And Randall Munroe has done it again, this time in a more philosophical way.)

We decided to upgrade the conference bag this year -- it's really sharp. In addition to being attractive, it's durable, and a useful size too. I can't wait to see one in the wild, and I fully expect to. Use your bags! It's great advertizing for Python.

The good people at Python Magazine worked with Van Lindberg to produce PyCon's first program guide. And is it ever slick! 60 full-color pages, a real collector's item. A special PyCon edition of the March 2008 Python Magazine was also part of the swag.

And stickers! We had thousands of Python logo stickers made up, with both white and black backgrounds. They instantly adorned most of the laptops in the place. PyCon sponsor Tummy.com also produced stickers -- ovals resembling country stickers for automobiles -- a welcome addition.

(Does anybody have pictures of the stickers? How about your laptops with stickers on? Add them to Flickr, tag "pycon2008"!)

Thanks to Don Spaulding for taking care of the swag production details.

We'll have to come up with designs and swag ideas for next year too. If you're artistically inclined, how about helping out?

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