docs: expand event and conference organizing guidance

docs/conference-organizing/index.md

@@ -12,7 +12,103 @@ Subsets of this list are also available on other sites:
 
 Several of these conferences record the talk sessions on video. [pyvideo.org](https://pyvideo.org/) provides an index to a large set of these videos.
 
-If you are organizing a Python conference or thinking of organizing one, please subscribe to the [Python conferences mailing list](https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/conferences).
+If you are organizing a Python conference or thinking of organizing one, please subscribe to the [Python conferences mailing list](https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/conferences). It is where organizers help each other, and you will often learn more there in a month than any single document can teach you.
+
+
+## Understanding the Python Conference Landscape
+
+If this is your first time, it helps to know that "a Python conference" is not one single thing. There are several distinct families of events, each with its own name, stewards, and rules about what you may call your event.
+
+### What Is a PyCon?
+
+"PyCon" is the name used by community-focused Python conferences around the world. There is no single global PyCon: rather, there is a family of independently organized national and regional conferences, each run by its own local volunteers, that share the name.
+
+- **PyCon US** is the largest annual gathering for the Python community and is produced by the Python Software Foundation itself.
+
+- Every other PyCon (for example PyCon Ghana, PyCon Kenya, PyCon India, PyCon Italia, PyCon Africa) is organized independently by local volunteers. The PSF does not run these events, but it does authorize the use of the name.
+
+A PyCon is typically a multi-day event with talks, tutorials or workshops, and often sprints. Its defining characteristic is that it is *community-focused*: organized by volunteers, priced to be accessible, and open to anyone who wants to attend.
+
+### What Is PyData?
+
+[PyData](https://pydata.org/) is a separate family of conferences and meetups focused on data analysis, data science, machine learning, and scientific computing. PyData events are an educational program of [NumFOCUS](https://numfocus.org/), a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and *not* of the PSF.
+
+This distinction matters practically:
+
+- The name "PyData" is a NumFOCUS trademark, so permission to use it comes from NumFOCUS, not the PSF. See the [NumFOCUS Trademark Guidelines](https://numfocus.org/trademark-guidelines).
+
+- NumFOCUS provides a fairly structured path for new events, including a sponsorship prospectus, a website template, a proposal review system, registration handling, and financial administration. In exchange, they expect an organizing committee of roughly 5-7 people with named roles, a confirmed venue and budget, and written approval from NumFOCUS staff before you proceed. See [Organize a Conference](https://pydata.org/organize-a-conference/).
+
+- PyData communities are not Python-only. Talks may cover Julia, R, and other tools alongside Python.
+
+If you want to run a smaller data-focused event first, PyData also has a [Start a Meetup](https://pydata.org/start-a-meetup/) path for local chapters.
+
+### Other Conferences in the Python Community
+
+You are not limited to these two names, and plenty of well-loved Python conferences use neither.
+
+- **Regional conferences with their own identity**, such as EuroPython (Europe-wide) and Kiwi PyCon (New Zealand).
+
+- **Topic-focused conferences**, such as DjangoCon (web development, with regional editions), SciPy and EuroSciPy (scientific computing), and PyCon Web.
+
+- **City or state-level community conferences**, such as PyOhio, PyGotham, North Bay Python, and PyCascades. These are often smaller, cheaper to run, and an excellent first event.
+
+- **Your own name entirely.** A well-run event called something local and distinctive is completely legitimate, and it avoids any trademark approval step. Many organizers start this way and adopt the PyCon name later once the event has a track record.
+
+Note that names beginning with "Py" are not automatically free to use. "Python", "PyCon", and "PyLadies" are all PSF trademarks. See [Governance, Trademarks, and Policies](../governance/index.md) and the [PSF Trademark Usage Policy](https://www.python.org/psf/trademarks/).
 
 
 ## Want to Organize a PyCon?
+
+Excellent. A conference is the most demanding thing you can build in this ecosystem, and also one of the most transformative for a region. Here is what a first-time organizer needs to know before anything else.
+
+### You Need PSF Approval to Use the Name "PyCon"
+
+The PSF claims "PyCon" as a trademark worldwide for conference activities in order to protect the term against unwanted or misleading use. **You cannot simply start calling your event "PyCon [Your Country]".** Use of the name is subject to approval by the PSF Trademarks Committee.
+
+The PSF's policy is to allow the use of "PyCon" for conferences that:
+
+1. Focus on Python, the programming language.
+2. Have adopted a Code of Conduct compatible with that of the PSF.
+3. Allow anyone to attend, subject to a reasonable conference fee.
+
+If your event meets these conditions, write to the PSF Trademarks Committee at **psf-trademarks@python.org** to request approval. This is a friendly process, not an adversarial one. The PSF genuinely wants to help new PyCon conferences start, so reach out early rather than after you have printed banners.
+
+In your request, it helps to include:
+
+- The exact name(s) you want to use, for example both "PyCon GH" and "PyCon Ghana".
+- The country or region the conference serves.
+- Who is organizing it, and a way to contact you.
+- A link to the Code of Conduct you have adopted or adapted.
+- Your intended dates, venue city, and rough expected size, if you know them.
+- Confirmation that the event will be open to anyone at a reasonable fee.
+
+The [PSF PyCon Trademark Usage Policy](https://www.python.org/psf/trademarks/pycon/) lists the national and regional PyCon conferences that are currently authorized. Check it first: your country may already have an authorized name, in which case you should get in touch with the existing organizers rather than starting a competing event. If a conference is missing from that list or listed under the wrong name, the same committee address is where you write to correct it.
+
+### You Can Request a `pycon.org` Subdomain
+
+Once your conference is authorized, you do not have to buy a domain name. The PSF can give your conference a home on a `pycon.org` subdomain, which is what conferences like `us.pycon.org`, `gh.pycon.org`, and `africa.pycon.org` use.
+
+To request one, write to **webmaster@pycon.org** with the subdomain you would like and details of your conference.
+
+This is worth doing even if you already own a domain:
+
+- It signals that your event is a recognized part of the global PyCon family.
+- It removes an annual cost and a renewal you could otherwise forget.
+- It survives organizer turnover better than a domain registered to one person's personal account. See [Handing Over a Community](../handing-over-a-community/index.md) for why that matters.
+
+### A Sensible Order of Operations
+
+1. **Check whether a PyCon already exists** for your country or region on the [trademark policy page](https://www.python.org/psf/trademarks/pycon/). If it does, offer to help rather than compete.
+2. **Adopt a Code of Conduct** compatible with the PSF's. See [Governance, Trademarks, and Policies](../governance/index.md).
+3. **Assemble a team** before you commit to anything. A conference is a marathon run by a relay team; do not try to run it alone.
+4. **Write to psf-trademarks@python.org** for name approval.
+5. **Request your `pycon.org` subdomain** from webmaster@pycon.org.
+6. **Build a budget** before you sign anything, and sequence your commitments so large costs are only confirmed once matching income is secured.
+7. **Subscribe to the [conferences mailing list](https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/conferences)** and ask questions. Other organizers have solved almost every problem you are about to hit.
+
+### Where to Get Help
+
+- The [Python conferences mailing list](https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/conferences) for organizer-to-organizer advice.
+- The PSF [Grants Program](https://www.python.org/psf/grants/) can support events, financial aid, and community projects. Apply early and be specific about what the money achieves and who it reaches.
+- Organizers of a nearby or similar-sized conference. Most are happy to share budgets, checklists, and hard-won lessons.