Back to 2025 AgendaPython, SimPy and Espresso: Your First Steps into Practical Simulation Modelling
🕓 12:10 pm - 12:30 pm📍 Room 5 - Black Swan (Lv 2)Ever wondered why the line at your favourite coffee shop sometimes moves quickly and other times feel like it'll never end? In this beginner-friendly 20 minute session, you'll see a Python simulation that reveals exactly what happens when the morning rush hits a coffee shop - and how small changes can make a big difference.
Using SimPy, a pure-Python library for discrete-event simulation, we'll live code a "Coffee Shop morning Rush" model together. You'll see customers arrive, baristas prepare drinks and discover how changing just one variable can transform a frustrating queue into an efficient operation. No simulation experience or advanced mathematics required - just basic Python knowledge and a curiosity about how things work.
What you'll learn:
When simulation beats spreadsheets for answering 'What if?" business questions.
The core SimPy concepts (Environment, Process, Resource, Event) explained in everyday coffee shop terms.
Step-by-step creatoin of a working simulation with visualisation of wait times and queue lengths.
How to transform your static model into a dynamic tool that can process real-time order data.
Real-world application: how the same principles apply to modelling other industries.
You'll leave with complete GitHub code, a SimPy cheatsheet, and the confidence to model your own real-world systems- whether it's a taco truck, customer service desk, or complex service architecture.

David Whebell