WordCamp Denver 2017 Recap

WordCamp Denver 2017 was a blast.

We couldn’t have asked for a better conference, and want to thank our organizers, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees for making it so great!

Here’s how the weekend went down:

SATURDAY

Keynote

Zack Katz talked about both the history and the future of WordPress. We started the conference with our minds absolutely blown with what’s to come.

Zack Katz Keynote

Not to mention, the BEST song ever. We’re still doing the WordPress Wiggle!

Morning Talks

We wish we could recap EVERY single talk here, but that would take all day. Every speaker did an amazing job, and we couldn’t be happier!

On track one, we kicked off with Nathan Ingram sharing what he wished he knew when he started freelancing. Erin Flynn followed, telling her story about how she raised her web design rates. Pamela Herrmann taught us how to create and tell our brand story. And then Amber Hinds and her adorable daughter took the stage to talk about work/life balance.

On track two, Tricia Akins helped us get more done in less time (we could have used that when organizing the conference!). Mendel Kurland taught us what to do after the post is written. Phylecia Jones shared how to create a membership site in just 60 days. And Sherri Renner dropped some tips on virtual accessibility.

Lunch

With that much learning in one morning, we were HUNGRY.

We took lunch outside, and many made use of the picnic blankets we got as swag. It was amazing to see all the groups, discussions, and interaction going on. We’re hoping lots of attendees got to reconnect with old friends and make new ones!

WordCamp Denver Lunch 5

WordCamp Denver Lunch 4

WordCamp Denver Lunch

Afternoon Talks

After lunch, track one hosted several townhalls. The first was our website takedown townhall, where attendees were given live feedback from our experts, Patrick Rauland, Diane Whiddon, and Cecily Crout.

Following, we had an expert discussion on matching themes with projects, featuring Kevin McKernan, Mike Selander, and Amber Hinds.

Wrapping up the day on track one, we discussed the business of web design with Miles Kailburn, Nathan Ingram, and Erin Flynn.

Back on track two, the talks continued with Maddy Osman teaching us how to write a kick-ass blog post. Kenn Kelly then shared how to sell products on WordPress. Diane Whiddon wrapped us up by helping us write a non-sleazy sales page.

We all gathered for closing remarks, then retreated for a break before the after party.

After Party

Free drinks AND tacos? Yeah. We know how to throw a great party!

WordCamp Denver After Party

We loved this venue because everyone was able to mix and mingle, and chat with each other, all while eating delicious tacos.

It was the perfect ending to a fantastic day.

SUNDAY

Workshop day! While only a half-day, Sunday was designed to be hands-on so that attendees could leave with new skills.

And it was awesome.

Attendees were able to learn everything from business skills to advanced WordPress. Here’s what we covered:

  • Site SEO checkup with Maddy Osman and Mendel Kurland
  • Flexbox with Tim Blodgett
  • Defining, mapping, and automating your business processes with Christopher Hinds
  • 5 Things you can do to get more traffic to your blog with Tracy Malone
  • Making your first WP plugin with David Hayes
  • Let’s learn Git with Dwayne McDaniel
  • Take back the say with WP-CLI with Ryan Kanner
  • Learn Vanilla Javascript with Zac Gordon
  • How to create and intro packet with Erin Flynn
  • Content Personalization with Michael Newman
  • Advanced WP features for users/bloggers with Gordon Seirup
  • Building a theme with Kevin McKernan
  • How to attract clients with better branding with Diane Whiddon

WordCamp Denver Workshops WordCamp Denver Workshops WordCamp Denver Workshops

The workshops were truly amazing, and gave a great opportunity to learn new skills.

We believe in ending early on Sunday, so around noon we wrapped up, said goodbye to all our friends, and closed the doors on a successful WordCamp.

Thank you again to everyone who made WordCamp Denver 2017 such a huge success!

Sunday workshops are sold out!

We can’t wait for the Sunday workshops, and apparently you all can’t either, because Sunday’s tickets have SOLD OUT!

But don’t worry, there’s still a ton of fun and learning scheduled for Saturday. We’ve got everything from the future of WordPress, to blogging tips, and selling products. Plus, tacos at the after-party on Saturday night.

Don’t wait to grab your ticket for Saturday’s great lineup–get it here now!

How do the Sunday Workshops work?

You’ve no doubt noticed that Sunday programming is small-group, hands-on workshops.

How is that going to work?
We have a room full of 8-person round tables. Each table will hold a single workshop – 1 instructor + 7 eager learners. (If the weather is nice, some of the non-technical, business-focused workshops may choose to move outside.)

All workshops run concurrently for 3 hours (9:00-12:00), so you may only attend one workshop.

Bring your laptop.

The caffeine is on us. (There will be coffee, tea, and water provided.)

How do you choose which one you want to attend?
Leah, our Co-Lead Organizer, is emailing all Sunday ticket holders, in order of purchase, and personally matching attendees with available workshops. So keep an eye on your inbox!

Full Schedule and Speakers Announced

It’s an exciting day for WordCamp Denver – all of our speakers have been announced, and the full schedule is live. Check them out for yourself and let us know what you’re excited about on Twitter!

2017 WordCamp Denver Speakers

2017 WordCamp Denver Schedule

Haven’t got your ticket yet? They’re selling fast and the event will be here before you know it! Grab tickets for one or both days now:

WordCamp Denver Tickets: Saturday, August 26 and Sunday, August 27

Wait, there are TWO Denver WordCamps?!

If you’re looking into amazing conferences to go to in Denver this August, you might be a little confused by the fact that there are TWO WordCamps happening on back-to-back weekends.

Yup, that’s right. There are two great WordCamp options you can attend, in Denver, in August.

We’ve got WordCamp Denver, and WordCamp for Publishers.
But which one should you go to? Or, should you go to both? We’ll help you decide!

Continue reading “Wait, there are TWO Denver WordCamps?!”

Workshop Speakers Announced!

We’re excited to share that the speakers for WordCamp Denver 2017 have officially been confirmed, and we’ll be trickling out their names over the next few days. Looking forward to hearing them speak? Purchase your WordCamp Denver tickets today!

The first round of speakers will be leading our Sunday workshops, and we’d love to introduce them to you:

Tracy Malone

Tracy is the owner of a successful marketing company – CoWEBop Marketing. Her team has been building websites for small businesses for over 20 years. She happily shares her knowledge with the WordPress community as a co-organizer of the Boulder WordPress Meetup.

David Hayes

David is a developer from Fort Collins, Colorado. He’s been working with PHP for almost a decade, and does a lot of intensive backend work, a fair bit of JavaScript, and dabbles with CSS sometimes. While I’m big into WordPress — he co-owns and runs the popular development tutorial site [WPShout](http://wpshout.com) — he’s got experience with everything from old school PHP to the latest and greatest of Symfony and Laravel.

Dwayne McDaniel

I have been working in tech and open source sales since 2005. I knew as soon as I started working with Java middleware developers I never wanted to work outside of open source ever again. I first started building in Drupal and WordPress when I needed to build projects for the San Francisco Improv scene. I fell in the love the community of developers and then found my position at Pantheon at the end of 2013. As a Community and Agency Success Manager I have had the privilege of presenting at MidCamp (Drupal), Twin Cities DrupalCamp, DrupalCamp Colorado, WordCamp Milwaukee, WordCamp Baltimore as well as leading BOFs at several other events. Outside of tech I love producing and performing improv theater. I also love comic books and karaoke!!!

Ryan Kanner

Ryan is a WordPress Developer for Digital First Media from Denver, Colorado where he works on websites for newspapers such as the Denver Post, Orange County Register, and Mercury News. He has been working with WordPress for the past 9 years, building websites and products for customers around the world. He is also one of the organizers for the WordPress Denver Meetup. You can find him most places on the internet as @CodeProKid.

Zac Gordon

Zac Gordon is a professional educator, currently working on the JavaScript for WordPress Master Course. Previously, Zac taught WordPress for Treehouse. He has years of experience teaching WordPress and JavaScript at high schools, colleges, bootcamps and online learning sites. In addition to teaching, Zac also runs Web Hosting for Students, one of the world’s largest hosting companies dedicated to students and teachers.

Erin Flynn

Erin has been making websites since 1999, and started her own web design and development company in 2012. After a few years creating websites for clients, Erin shifted her business. Now, her primary business is helping other designers and developers navigate the difficult waters of entrepreneurship by providing courses and guides to teach everything from how to start a web design business to how to deal with nightmare clients.

When she’s not teaching designers or working with her own design/development clients, Erin can be found exploring the mountains near her home in Aspen, Colorado.

Michael Newman

Michael Newman has designed and developed innovative, professional interactive experiences for over 20 years. He has worked with diverse clientele, including IFC, AT&T, Honda, UCLA, Godiva, MTV, Comcast, AOL and Gartner. After leading Interactive groups for companies including IFC, AT&T and Heavy.com, he founded Pomp Productions to create unique experiences for clients. Michael has taught at Pratt in New York City and currently teaches Design & Development courses at UCLA Extension.

Michael’s first experience with WordPress was in 2005. Using WordPress as CMS, he quickly learned the power of plugins and why you never hack the core. In 2016, Michael created the plugin Logic Hop to bring the power of personalization to WordPress through conditional logic, goals and lead scoring.

An avid maker, Michael has exhibited projects at TEDx, Maker Faires and museums, including an an SMS controlled Nerf machine gun, a hands-free skeeball game and an analog, hand drawn video game. He currently resides on the beach with his wife Katharine and sons Jack Tesla and Luke Edison.

Grab your ticket to WordCamp Denver now!

Call for Happiness Bar Volunteers

We’re looking for WordPress experts who will be at WordCamp and are willing to spend an hour or two helping to answer questions at the Happiness Bar.

What is the Happiness Bar?

A place for people to come and ask their pressing WordPress questions. It is staffed by volunteers (as is the rest of WordCamp!) who graciously provide their expertise for free as part of bettering the WordPress community.

How Can I Get Involved?

It’s simple! If you can spare an hour during WordCamp on Saturday, we’d be incredibly grateful if you could spend it at the Happiness Bar. Please fill out the form below with interest, and we’ll get back to you as far as particulars:

Accommodations for WordCamp Denver 2017

For those coming to WordCamp Denver from out of town, we’ve compiled a list of hotels within a reasonable distance of the venue:

Of course, don’t discount the further out hotels – Uber and Lyft are very cost-effective in Denver!

For additional options, consider vacation rentals through VRBO and Airbnb. But act quickly – these are apt to be the quickest to be scooped up and rented out!

Need more assistance? Feel free to tweet us at @WordCampDenver with any questions!

WordCamp Denver, CO is over. Check out the next edition!