Give a talk at a PyData Helsinki meetup
Speaking at PyData Helsinki is a great way to share what you know, get feedback on your ideas, and connect with the local data community. Our audience of 80–120 attendees is curious, friendly, and technically diverse – you'll reach people from many different backgrounds and experience levels.
Whether you're an experienced conference speaker or giving your first-ever talk, you are welcome here. We aim to be a supportive space for trying out ideas and practising public speaking.
You can give a regular talk of about 30 minutes, a lightning talk of 5–10 minutes, or propose a debate where the whole audience joins in.
| Format | Length | What it involves |
| Regular talk | About 30 minutes | Typically slides and/or live coding on a single topic |
| Lightning talk | 5–10 minutes | One idea, tool, or lesson – a great low-effort way to start speaking |
| Debate | Occasional | Bring a thought-provoking question or a hot take, and we'll set up a discussion where everyone can take part |
We're also open to creative formats – don't let convention stop you.
Thinking about a lightning talk? PyLadies Vancouver has written great tips for giving a lightning talk – like ours, their definition of the format is relaxed, so don't worry about sticking to exactly five minutes. The main points: focus on one idea (what it is, why it matters, and a concrete example), keep slides minimal with large text, practise aloud with a timer, have screenshots as backup if a live demo fails, and end with one takeaway. And remember – you don't need to be an expert to have something worth sharing.
Talks are in English, on topics relevant to data professionals, and not direct product or company marketing. In detail, by default we expect talks to be:
Good talk topics include tools and libraries you use, lessons from data and ML projects, data engineering and infrastructure, visualisation, what's new in the ecosystem, and developer tools – at any level, from beginner introductions to deep technical dives. In more detail:
Our audience is diverse and there's an appetite for both beginner and advanced material. To get a sense of what our talks look like, check out recordings from past events on our YouTube channel.
Yes – we're happy to help with coming up with a topic, structuring your talk, or practising before the meetup. Just reach out and we'll figure it out together.
A typical meetup evening runs from 17:30 to about 20:30, with three talks, a break with food, drinks, and networking, and a quiz:
| 17:30 | Doors open |
| 18:00 | PyData Helsinki introduction |
| 18:05 | Welcoming words from the host |
| 18:15 | Talk 1 |
| 18:45 | Talk 2 |
| 19:15 | Break – food, drinks, networking |
| 19:40 | The (in)famous PyData Helsinki quiz |
| 19:50 | Talk 3 |
| 20:30 | End of programme |
The exact timings can shift. If you have schedule constraints (arriving from out of town, need to leave early, etc.), let us know and we'll adjust.
We try to record talks and publish them on YouTube, though we're amateurs at it and can't always guarantee the result. If you'd prefer not to be recorded, that's completely fine – just let us know.
Contact us at pydata-helsinki-organisers@googlegroups.com or on the Helsinki Python Discord if you're interested in giving a talk. We'd love to hear from you.