NICAR 2020 in New Orleans is one of the places we'll look forward to seeing you this year. (Photo by Neal Wellons)

We’re so excited to get together with 1,000+ news nerds this week in New Orleans, in and around the NICAR conference schedule. All of our work grows out of conversations with the community—hearing what you’re in the middle of and what’s on your mind helps us make sure we’re developing programs that speak directly to what you need most.

Here are some ways we’re looking forward to connecting with you this week.

Community events around NICAR

We’re coordinating or helping out with three evening events this year:

• Wednesday night welcome dinners: We set up hosted tables at six restaurants the night before NICAR to help folks get to know new people in a smaller setting before heading into a huge conference. The signup sheet is here—if tables are full and you’d like us to let you know if more room opens up, just send Ryan a quick note.
• Friday night beignet party: This is an alcohol-free event at an art gallery just a short walk from the NICAR venue. RSVP here and drop in anytime from 7-9pm on Friday, March 6, to hang out with a bunch of journalists for snacks, art, and a live brass band. We’re planning to offer a Lyft code for free rides between the gallery and conference venue to help make the party more accessible, and you can send us a quick note if you’d like more information.
• Saturday night board games: Whenever you’re done with dinner on Saturday, you can join folks for games in the lobby of the conference hotel. See what people are planning to bring and sign up to bring games of your own!

Meetups & meals during NICAR

We’re super on board with the hallway track at NICAR, so please come say hi and talk with us about what you’re working on. You can also find us at these get-togethers during the days:

Thursday

• Journalists of Color meetup (12:45pm, Carondelet, 3rd floor)

Friday

• Mentor program breakfast (7:30am, Carondelet, 3rd floor)
• Journalists of Color lunch (12:30pm, Knight Lounge, 2nd floor)

Sessions & workshops

We love this community and love being a part of this community. Here are some sessions on the NICAR program where we’re teaching or coaching:

Thursday

• Python: Let’s scrape a website (11:30am, Studio 9, 2nd floor)
• Introduction to web development (2:15pm, Studio 9, 2nd floor)

Friday

• Code buddies: Get help on your project (9am, Galerie 4, 2nd floor)
• Career paths in data journalism (2:15pm, Bissonet, 3rd floor)

Saturday

• Census Reporting 2.0 (3:30pm, Galerie 4, 2nd floor)

Sunday

• Python: Let’s scrape a website (repeat) (10:15am, Studio 9, 2nd floor)

If we won’t see you in New Orleans

For folks who won’t be at NICAR this week, there’s an amazing remote unconference coming together thanks to Heather Bryant of News Catalyst. Shared video conversations will give you a chance to connect with other journalists and talk about the projects you’re working on, right from your desk (or favorite laptop spot so everyone else can enjoy the backdrop). Sign up to join here!

Our plans for SRCCON 2020 this July 16-17 in Minneapolis are coming together too, and we’ll have lots more information to share in the coming weeks. We’re developing a remote plan to respond to any travel limitations that come up, and you can stay in touch through Twitter or the OpenNews newsletter to keep track of our call for session proposals and updates about participation and logistics.

We know how important it is to connect with peers, and we’re looking forward to seeing you—online and off—this week and throughout the year!