Raspberry Pi Reseller Conference

I had a great week in the United Kingdom visiting with the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

While we cannot share details on many things discussed during the meetings, we left very excited about the future of Pi.  The best is yet to come!

Trip Summary

The event was held in at the home of Raspberry Pi in Cambridge, England as well as in Pencoed, Wales where most Raspberry Pi's are manufactured.  While in Cambridge we learned all about what the Pi Foundation and Raspberry Pi Trading are up to.  We got to hear keynotes from Eben Upton, (a founder of the Raspberry Pi and CEO of Raspberry Pi Trading), as well as the Philip Colligan (CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation).  We were able to meet resellers from around the world.  Companies from as far as Australia were in attendance.

Factory Visit

As a guy who used to work in manufacturing and product development, the highlight of the trip was the visit to the Sony factory in Wales where most Pi's are built.  The facility is one of the nicest manufacturing plants I have ever visited.  Without getting into too much detail, they are building a lot of Pi's and watching the Pick and Place putting the Pi's together was mesmerizing.  Sadly, the only picture I can share for now is from the outside!

Education

At the core of the Pi Foundation's vision is computer science education.  I was very excited to learn some of the activities.  One initiative that was of interest to me is the Foundation's work with Scouting UK.  Both organizations are working together to develop resources for scouts and they have even created a new badge.  While this is limited to UK scouts for now, we are hoping to help bring this initiative to our side of the pond someday!

We also learned that Coder Dojo is now part of the Pi Foundation.  Coder Dojo is a volunteer-led community of free programming clubs for young people between 7 and 17.  Anyone from 7 to 17 can visit a Dojo where they can learn to code, build a website, create an app or a game, and explore technology in an informal, creative, and social environment.  Maybe you could create a Dojo in your own community!

Raspberry Pi Press

Raspberry Pi is making a big push into media through Raspberry Pi Press.  All of their properties are available in print and free PDF format!

	The MagPi is a phenomenal online and print magazine focused solely on the Raspberry Pi.  We did not realize it but Raspberry Pi Trading has owned The MagPi since 2015!
	Raspberry Pi has also recently launched Hackspace Magazine.   This magazine is focused on projects for makers of all abilities.  They focus on all aspects of making.  The most recent issue had a great article on all the new Arduino boards, check it out!
	HelloWorld.cc is a computing and digital making magazine for educators, volunteers, and parents.  Published 3 times a year, this publication is geared towards anybody who is introducing young people to computing and digital making.

Conclusion

This was a great event and we were honored to participate.  I hope we get to participate in the future!  We will use everything we learned to improve our offering and continue to help develop the Raspberry Pi in America.