DjangoCon US 2026 | Why Foxley Talent Sponsors every year!

This summer I'm heading back to Chicago for DjangoCon US 2026.

The conference runs from the 24th to the 28th August and for the fourth year in a row, I'm delighted to say that Foxley Talent will be sponsoring the conference.

Before we get into it, tickets for DjangoCon US 2026 are on sale now! here's a link

I have already attended and sponsored the 2023 and 2024 editions in Durham, 2025 in Chicago and now Chicago again for 2026. I've written a blog about each trip (here's a link to last year's visit) and a couple of years ago I wrote one about why I sponsor DjangoCon Europe. The reasons haven't really changed, but some of my company strategy has so I wanted to do the same again now for the US.

I should say up front, it's just me in the business these days. No team. I run Foxley Talent on my own and I attend these conferences solo. So when I talk about sponsoring, this is a one person business deciding to spend a significant chunk of money on turning up for a community. That feels worth being honest about.

Why I keep sponsoring and attending conferences

First of all it's a lot of fun! Usually a long, tiring, sociable week! But the main reason is that I want to be the go-to recruiter for the Python and Django community. You don't get there by sitting at home, staying in the office and by using ChatGPT to write LinkedIn posts for you. You get there by being in the room, turning up year after year, and getting to know people properly.

The conferences we all love can't run without sponsors. The venue, the catering, the grants that get people in the door who otherwise couldn't afford to be there, a lot of it is paid for by the companies you see on the banners. If you take any value out of a community, you should be willing to put some back in. For me that's just the right thing to do.

It's the same reason Foxley Talent is a Corporate Member of the Django Software Foundation and has donated over $20,000 to them so far. I still don't write any code but Django has given me a career and a community, so giving back financially is the least I can do. It's part of the DNA of the business and it's a non negotiable in my budget each year.

I get asked sometimes what the return on that investment is by old colleagues, peers in the recruitment industry and friends who run other businesses. In a previous job, every time I wanted to spend money on an event I'd be asked what the ROI would be, and it was never a question I could answer. I couldn't promise "I'll meet a candidate for X job" or "I'll land a new client", that's not how any of this works.

So now, I don't go in with targets. I don't set out to collect a certain number of leads or book a certain number of calls afterwards. I want the conversations to be genuine, not forced. I'll talk to everyone who comes by, the people I already know and the ones I'm meeting for the first time. Over the years that approach has quietly done more for my business than anything else I spend money on, but that's a happy side effect, not the reason.

The added benefit of being in the room with some of the top developers working with Python and Django is that I'm meeting REAL people. My differentiator when working with a new client who's ad response has been flooded with fakes and fraudsters.

Why I Sponsored in the US and not Europe this year

Here's the honest bit (because that's how I like to write these kind of posts. I didn't sponsor DjangoCon Europe this year. I still went and I was in Athens in April and had a brilliant week, but I've had to step back from putting sponsorship money behind it. I still bought my corporate supporters ticket, paid extra for the conference tshirt and hosted a social event.

The reason is that there's only so much I can spend on conferences in a year. The sponsorship is one cost. Then there's the flights, accomodation, the swag, the stickers, the extra baggage, the food and drink while I'm there. It all adds up, and it all comes out of the same pot.

This year I also made the decision to attend PyCon US for the first time, which was held in Long Beach, California in May. That cost had to come from somewhere and being honest with myself about where my business actually comes from, the US is where it makes most sense for me to invest into. Something had to give, and that was the European sponsorship.

I'd rather be straight about that than pretend I can do everything. I can't. So I put my sponsorship where it works hardest and I'll keep showing up everywhere else as an attendee. I hope this changes in the future and the pot of money is bigger another year but for now I am happy with the balance and excited about being out and about in the community as much as possible.

If you can't sponsor DjangoCon but still want to be there

Not every company can get the budget signed off to sponsor a conference, or send some of your team halfway across the world to stand at a booth all week. I get that completely and it's definitely one of the perks of being a one person company.

The other aspect is who's budget should it come out of? Who should you send? What's your purpose for attending? If you are going there with a view of signing up new clients, it's a marketing cost. If you want to to hire, it could come out of your recruitment budget. Or if you are there to upskill your team, that could be signed off as Learning and development...

But finance teams don't always look at things that way. It's probably why you see so many of the same sponsors in attendance each year and few new ones. My advice is that if you are unsure about the ROI or the hiring possibilities, speak to someone who goes regualrly as a sponsor and get their take on it. I'm always 100% in the just do it camp.

If you can't get your company to sign off on the spend, here's something I offer to my existing clients in the build up to the conference. If you're hiring and you can't be in Chicago yourself, I can represent your roles at my stand. I'll put your jobs in front of the developers I meet, talk to people about your company throughout the week and screen anyone who looks like a fit. You get a presence in the room without the cost of being in it.

Last year a couple of companies who couldn't make it took me up on this. They each paid part of my fee upfront and both roles were filled within weeks of the conference. Being in the room, even by proxy works. One of those companies were actually present at the conference but wanted to focus on the talks not recruiting so I looked out for them, it worked perfectly.

If that sounds useful, get in touch and I'll explain how it works. But honestly, if you can sponsor one of these conferences yourself, do it! The community needs more companies willing to back these events, and your business will get more out of it than you'd think.

See you in Chicago

If you're heading to DjangoCon US, come and say hello. Whether you're job hunting, hiring or just want to talk about the market, or sports I'd love to chat.

And if you're a company looking to hire Python or Django developers, this is all I do. Over 18 years in the Python world and a network built one conference at a time. Whether it's a single hire or you need to build a whole team, get in touch for a chat.

Thanks for reading.
Jon