Contributions to PGSQL Phriday #014
The welcome post invited the community to publish their PostgreSQL event experiences on December 1st. Many responded with posts, podcasts and episodes.
Podcasts and conference reports
Postgres FM
Michael Christofides and Nikolay Samokhvalov released an episode covering virtual versus in-person events, session recordings, volunteering versus paid professionals, Call for Papers, speakers and organizers, among other topics.
AWS re:Invent
Franck Pachot's post shows PostgreSQL is a key player not only in dedicated PostgreSQL community events but also in broader tech gatherings, attracting CTOs, architects and developers. He encourages attendance at cross-technology conferences.
PASS Data Community Summit
Jeremy Schneider describes a strong year for the Seattle Postgres User Group and its role in the PASS Data Summit, contributing to the PostgreSQL track and the booth. The conference drew international attention and the booth saw significant engagement; the Seattle PUG has an active 2024 schedule.
Ryan Booz reflects on how conferences shaped his career over two decades, from WWDC and CodeMash onward, and on bringing PostgreSQL content closer to the SQL Server community. The dedicated PostgreSQL track featured a PostGIS Precon, regular sessions, a panel discussion, keynotes, a Community Zone AMA and a PgUS booth. Ryan sees more room for collaboration between the two communities in future conferences.
Claire Giordano's "Illustrated Guide" covers the summit's strong PostgreSQL focus, her talk on contributing to the PostgreSQL community beyond code, sessions from Rob Treat, Ryan Booz, Jeremy Schneider, Ryan Lambert, Grant McAlister, Chelsea Dole and others, a panel discussion and the informal #PostgresFriends community dinner.
Ryan Lambert writes about networking at the PASS 2023 summit, the value of connections and partnerships built over a decade of community participation, and finally meeting people he had known online for years — including Ryan Booz, Claire Giordano, Robert Treat and Christophe Pettus. His post weighs in-person interactions against the cost-effectiveness and long-term content sharing of virtual events, and shares behind-the-scenes speaker preparation drawn from his piano lessons.
Community perspectives
Advice for new speakers
Building on the Postgres FM discussion, Michael Christofides' additional blog post explores the dynamics of PostgreSQL events and the importance of both in-person and online gatherings. He reflects on attending and speaking at events and advocates for increased support for organizers, offers insights for new speakers, and encourages sponsorship. He is willing to support and mentor new speakers.
A newcomer's view
Grant Fritchey describes his perception of PostgreSQL events after coming from the MSSQL world with its multi-thousand gatherings. He finds the PostgreSQL community welcoming, strong, vibrant and kind. His statement that Postgres events often seem centrally managed, in contrast with the more bottom-up SQL Server community, is worth further discussion at the 13th annual PostgreSQL Conference Europe in Prague, Czechia — this year in a bigger venue, with registration still open.
The event landscape
Andreas 'ads' Scherbaum surveys the events that have taken place and continue to thrive, noting a strong rebound after a brief pause due to COVID-19. Drawing on his interviews with community members, he identifies 33 PostgreSQL conferences. Frequently mentioned: PGConf.EU, PGConf.dev (formerly PGCon), PGConf.NYC, PostgresOpen, FOSDEM, FOSDEM PGDay, pgDay.Paris, Nordic PGDay, PG Day France, PGConf.Russia, PGConf.DE and numerous meetups.
Andy Atkinson highlights the diverse attendee roles and companies represented at PostgreSQL events, along with benefits such as learning, networking and contributing to PostgreSQL. He covers the mix of in-person and virtual events, lists conferences hosted by PostgreSQL companies, encourages submitting proposals, and outlines upcoming conferences, user group events and non-PostgreSQL conferences relevant to his role.
Building an event from a user group
Henrietta Dombrovskaya reflects on the road to PGDay Chicago and her involvement with the Chicago PostgreSQL User Group (PUG). In December 2016 she set out to prove Chicago could host a PostgreSQL conference, then recognized the User Group's vital role in fostering community interactions. Her account traces from her first PostgreSQL conference — PostgresOpen in Chicago in 2011 — and from feeling like a "nobody" to becoming a recognized figure, up to turning the dream into a successful event.
From Google Summer of Code to the main stage
Rajiv Harlalka took part in Google Summer of Code 2023, mentored by Jimmy Angelakos (who handled most of the workload), Boriss Mejias and the author of the welcome post. In his PGSQL Phriday #014 blog, Rajiv describes his PostgreSQL journey from choosing PostgreSQL in his early programming days to preparing a talk for the PostgreSQL Conference in Prague. He looks forward to his first conference in December — learning, meeting mentors, strengthening community bonds — and describes both the nervous excitement of a first talk on a grand stage and enthusiasm for the conference atmosphere.
Conclusion
PGSQL Phriday #014 brought together a wide range of perspectives and insights, strengthening the cooperative spirit of the community. The enthusiasm is worth carrying into the upcoming PostgreSQL Conference Europe.
