Ian Littman

Welp, @longhorn is keeping me up at night. Sponsor support has been great (we'll have two after-parties and a speaker dinner this year!), speaker lineup is solid...and ticket booking curve is *scary*

I get it. US politics, TX politics, economic malaise, fractured social media. But presenting to (and sponsoring) a full room is a lot more fun than...not that.

If there's a place where we should be getting the word out but haven't, @ me. If ticket price is a factor, DM me. Thx for your support :)

Oct 3, 2025 at 6:11amWeb
Show threadKevin Boyd (he/him) 🇨🇦Oct 3, 2025
@ian @longhorn I won't be able to attend, for the reasons outlined, but I'll definitely be taking a look at who is sponsoring it. Companies that offer such support to the PHP community are ones I want to know about and support in return.
Show threadJoseph Leedy Oct 3, 2025

@ian @longhorn keep up the good work. I wanted to attend in person, but unfortunately not having stable employment makes it difficult to justify the cost. Instead, I’ll be attending virtually.

Good luck!

Show threadSteve GrunwellOct 3, 2025

@ian @longhorn I think it's a lot of the reasons you've outlined: even the most progressive part of Texas is still subject to Texas laws, which is pretty much a non-starter for trans folks, foreign nationals, and many people of color. The government shutdown makes flying feel riskier, and general economic uncertainty makes everything scary.

I'll be there (and trying to give speakers audience energy to play off of), but I recognize that it's only due to my privilege that I'll be able.

Show threadIan LittmanOct 3, 2025

@stevegrunwell @longhorn ...yeah.

Ideally we are mainly serving folks who are driving distance as a regional conference, which sidesteps some of the above. But that's easier said than done when the meetup scene for PHP within driving distance is a shell of its former self.

I have more thoughts that I'll save for DMs or hallway track during the conference.

Show threadSteve GrunwellOct 3, 2025

@ian @longhorn any time my mind goes to "I wish Longhorn would move" I have to remind myself that it exists first and foremost to serve the Texas PHP community—a Texas-sized meetup that welcomes those from outside the area to join in.

But yeah, I'd love to talk further. See you soon 🙂