An update on Pixels Camp v4.0
We’ve made the difficult decision to cancel Pixels Camp v4.0 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read on for the reasoning behind it, an important word to our sponsors, the future, and a challenge.
The Decision
Earlier this year, in March, we had to make the difficult decision of postponing Pixels Camp just three weeks before it was due to happen. The risk from the emerging COVID-19 pandemic was becoming too big to ignore, even though — at the time of postponement — there weren’t yet rigid restrictions on gatherings of this size.
At that time, with the support of our sponsors and the help of the production partner who helped us bring this event to life for more than a decade, we secured the venue for the end of November and gave the world eight months to sort itself out. In our usual optimistic selves, it looked like plenty of time for that.
But it’s now mid-September, and the pandemic is still around, which means it most likely won’t be safe to gather more than 1000 people under the same roof for three days straight two months from now, leading to the inevitable cancelation of Pixels Camp v4.0.
We’re sad to announce that Pixels Camp v4.0, set to happen in late November 2020, is, unfortunately, cancelled.
Yes, we considered several options before settling with this decision, including an online model or reconfiguring the physical layout, alternative activities and schedule. Still, no option retained what makes Pixels Camp the unique gathering of geeks that it is: the “gathering” bit. It is a camp, after all.
Our Sponsors
This is important, and I would be grateful if you could read it with attention.
We must take a moment to thank our sponsors.
As you know, organizing Pixels Camp was never a commercial endeavor. We don’t have any revenues from tickets. I want to tell you it’s a zero-sum game, but it isn’t. It’s often negative. And I’m not even taking the team’s work and the volunteers into account; we do that for free, with pride. Every single euro that we need to spend comes from the generous contributions of our sponsors.
Canceling an event of this size is not only a difficult emotional decision for you and us, but it’s also a very challenging financial situation. Every time we postpone or cancel an operation like organizing Pixels Camp is, there are real costs involved. You do not wait until the day before the event to rent the venue, produce the merchandising materials, or print the t-shirts, to name a few activities we have to perform.
We had to speak to each one of our sponsors to make things right, money-wise. We were happy and humbled to find that they understood what Pixels Camp is all about and would love to see it happen just as much as we do, but also share our conclusion that the current context doesn’t allow it.
I want you to know that our sponsors, without exception, absorbed the financial hit that this year’s edition postponing and canceling provoked.
Check the logos below. These are companies worth following. They did the right thing.
We hope they’ll join us again in the future.
The Future
Along with the pandemic context, some personal changes involving elements of the organizing team may have come to your attention and may have made you wonder how they impact the future of Pixels Camp. Fair.
Although every edition to date was done under Bright Pixel, we’re proud to announce that we’ve come to an agreement, and the Pixels Camp brand is now independent. Furthermore, the team intends for it to retake place in the future.
The structure is still being sorted out; we’re looking into setting up a non-profit association and a community-driven governance model as we speak.
The community has always been the most important aspect, and we hope you (as a member of it) agree. Be assured that’ll be at the top of our minds.
One More Thing…
Pixels Camp isn’t just three days out of 365 in a year; it represents a distinct way of looking at technology in our lives. We argue about programming languages and frameworks, operating systems, tools, methodologies, Vim versus Emacs, and Spaces versus Tabs. We even fight little religious wars around this. But we all share the fundamental love for all things tech and the original hacker spirit.
So, we thought you might like a token of our mutual appreciation, and we came up with a special edition and limited production t-shirt design that we’ll happily ship your way provided you prove to be one of us, free of charge.
Go here for the details and… Pixels Camp Forever!
