It can be intimidating coming to a conference of several hundred people, especially when they all seem to be so much more at home than you are. We propose the Zen of PyCon UK which we hope newcomers and old hands alike will benefit from:

• Never be afraid to ask someone's name
• Never be afraid to ask someone's name again
• Never be afraid to join a group
• Never be slow to welcome someone who's joined your group
• Never be afraid to leave a group
• Never be afraid to ask for help, directions, advice, where's the toilet?
• Never be afraid to respectfully disagree
• Never be afraid to apologise and/or back down
• Never be afraid to admit you're wrong, that you don't know, or that you're out of your depth
• Never be afraid to go in out of your depth
• Never act surprised just because someone seems not to know something you think they should
• Never be afraid to take a break
• Never be afraid to address, politely, negative behaviour or language, whether explicit or implicit
• Never be afraid to do your own thing, regardless of what the crowd is doing