All posts by David Bisset

WordCamp Miami 2015: New Tracks

We have a lot of new things, refinements, and classic traditions planned for WordCamp Miami 2015 on May 29-31st.

But what has us excited most is our changes to our sessions and our session tracks. We are making some minor refinements (“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”) in several key areas. In a few areas, we are hitting a reset button. For a couple of things we’re going to be trying something new and fresh.

(Please note that plans can change, with some details in flux due to venue and personal confirmations).

jjj-presenting

“How To” Track

This year we will be adding a new format of a track we are calling “how to”. This track will be focused on users walking into the room and walking out in that same hour with actionable insights and knowledge. Although there will be abstract and motivational talks at WordCamp Miami, they really won’t be in this track. This track will focus on getting things done – a mini-workshop with step by step instructions… steps you can go home that night and do hopefully on your own. Experienced speakers will be hand selected and slides will be formatted in such a way where users can use them as a resource. Additional techniques and technologies will be used, and we will share with you more about this as we get closer to the event.

One session in this track, as an example, might be focused on installing and using “Google Analytics on your WordPress blog”. An attendee will walk into the room knowing almost nothing about analytics… and walking out with knowledge and materials to be able to install and use the basic settings of that plugin on their own (perhaps even going into another room and trying it right at the conference or heading toward the happiness bar if they need further assistance). Session topics will be deliberately small in scope, but just the right size so an attendee can leave WordCamp that day saying to themselves “I know now how to do X” with physical materials they can refer to (and being able to follow up on that knowledge with the local WordPress meetups).

It sounds simplistic and maybe obvious, but we can’t wait to show it in action. Once we have things in place, there will be a few surprises that will make it more interactive and instructional for the attendees and speakers. You’ll just have to be there to find out what we REALLY have planned.

 

debut

Developer Topics

WordCamp Miami has always had a developer track on it’s main day – but primarily presenting talks meant (more or less) for general developer audiences. Which makes sense – WordCamps tend to attract all kinds of developers with various levels of experience. Wouldn’t it be great for developers if they actually got into some deeper topics? How about more insight into PHP and other topics maybe not directly related to WordPress? We are going to make such pushes for developers this year.

What’s more important – we think Miami is ready for more serious developer talks and conferences. According to feedback from local meetups and other sources, more and more advanced topics are being desired (and less of the very early or beginning level topics).

Hallway Tracks

We’ve decided to officially unofficially welcome networking/hallway tracks into WordCamp Miami. More on this in the coming days.

Screenshot 2015-02-19 12.23.41

We Mean Business

Business talks will be back this year and will be aiming toward providing those in attendance with knowledge, slides, videos, documents, and links for many talks. Think more “this is what you need and how you do it” and a training course more than a schedule of random tracks. It’s a cohesive plan from beginning to end (so you don’t want to miss any early sessions).

Kids: Workshops and Beyond

WordCamp Miami 2014's Workshop For Kids brought 30+ kids and one of the biggest highlights of the event.

Our WordCamp for Kids last year was a first for us and a HUGE success (read the highlights here). Expect it back this year, but we are also bringing something else for young ones to WordCamp Miami 2015. One of our biggest goals at WCMIA is diversity – and diversity includes young ones. They are the next generation of bloggers, developers, and coders.

What we got planned currently is going to knock your socks off.

BuddyCamp Miami III

The third BuddyCamp Miami was announced already for May 29th – we couldn’t wait. We hope to have a solid speaker lineup this year. And to go along with our developer topics mention, it looks like this year’s BuddyCamp Miami might be more developer focused and have a more limited attendee maximum than previous years. We really don’t want people just to come and listen to talks, but actually CHAT with developers and contributors one-on-one to learn and improve their development and design skills with BuddyPress and bbPress. So speakers: be warned!

Additional Friday Course

In addition to a Beginner’s Course and BuddyCamp on Friday, we are planning another small intimate full-day course. We will be announcing this third course – along with it’s lineup – in the coming days. Right now, it’s a surprise.

…and that’s what we have planned so far. See you in Miami at the end of May. 🙂

Second Round of Early Bird Tickets Available

Update March 19th: Our second batch of EARLY BIRD WEEKEND TICKETS have sold out. We will be offering general admission tickets shortly. Make sure to be on our mailing list for any ticket announcements.

Just a quick note that we have opened a second round of early bird tickets for those who want to grab a ticket before we announce speakers and detailed plans. Click here to buy your weekend ticket.

A reminder that this is a WEEKEND ticket only (May 30th and May 31st) and that we will be posting workshop tickets (for May 29th) shortly, so stay tuned. 🙂

Nominate A Speaker

Could You Encourage Someone To Add Their Voice To WordCamp Miami?

While we are actively looking for speakers (click here to submit your application), we are also looking for your suggestions and nominations for topics and speakers as well. Click here to nominate a potential speaker for WordCamp Miami.

Who Can Submit A Talk?

  • First-time speakers
  • Younger Ones (teenagers, students)
  • Experienced speakers
  • PHP developers (even if you don’t code WordPress)
  • Marketers, Project Managers, Designers
  • Non-profit organizers
  • Community leaders
  • Just about anyone.

Early Bird Tickets On Sale!

Update March 19th: Our second batch of EARLY BIRD WEEKEND TICKETS have sold out. We will be offering general admission tickets shortly. Make sure to be on our mailing list for any ticket announcements.

Just a quick note that we have opened a second round of early bird tickets for those who want to grab a ticket before we announce speakers and detailed plans. Click here to buy your weekend ticket.

Update (2/25): Our first batch has sold out. We will be releasing a second batch soon. To know when that second batch is coming please check back on this site, follow our updates on twitter (@wordcampamiami) or subscribe to our mailing list.


We doing something special this year!

We wanted to thank the people that come to WordCamp Miami year after year – ESPECIALLY those that buy a ticket before speakers and many details are announced.

We are opening batches of early bird tickets to the public.

Why You Want To Get a Ticket Now:

Reason #1: The earlier you buy a ticket, the more chances you have of winning a prize or gift from us (and our sponsors) during the event. This is particularly true during our closing remarks on May 31st, which we plan on giving out some great gifts thanks to our wonderful sponsors. As far as the math goes, if you are in the first of four groups then you are entered to automatically win for 100% of the prizes. If you’re in the second group, you are entered for 75%. Third: 50%. Fourth: 25%. You see how this goes?

Reason #2: We always sell out. Seriously. Always. Last year we had 770+ attendees and still a waiting list of 100+

Why Are You Still Reading This? Get A Ticket!

Click here to buy your early bird ticket.

BTW even if you are selected as a speaker or qualify for a free ticket, we will reimburse you.

Call For Speakers!

With our dates officially announced (May 29-31, 2015), we are opening up our call for speakers.

All the information you need to know – including the link to submit a speaker proposal – is located here.

But before you rush to submit, keep reading…

We are making some changes to some tracks and workshops, and introducing new formats for sessions. Please read the submissions page carefully. Also read this insight into what changes we are making in our session tracks this year.

Also when submitting proposals: please assume at this time you will have 30 minutes for your session, plus some brief time to answer questions. Also assume your talk will be recorded, so you will have to sign a media release before giving your presentation.

Returning Speakers? Great. New Speakers? Even better.

We welcome back anyone who has attended and spoken at WordCamp Miami in the past – repeat speakers welcome! On the other hand, we are looking especially for those who might not have spoken at WordCamp Miami before – or perhaps those wanting to make WordCamp Miami their first speaking conference!

No Time To Waste – Submit Your Application

We always like to make this call as soon as possible for a few reasons. Main reason is speakers (especially out of town ones) need time to schedule and book travel. Speakers with experience sometimes wish to submit speaker submission requests to conferences as soon as possible. These make a decision (or at least are fairly sure) they will attend WordCamp Miami – either they come every year, or they live close to the area. In either case, we are opening up speaker submissions now and the current deadline for submissions will be March 20th, 2015.

Announcing BuddyCamp Miami 2015!

BuddyCamp Miami has been going on for the past two years in Miami. The first year, we had about 100 attend. In 2014, that number was close to 150. Lead organizers of BuddyPress even call Miami the unofficial home of BuddyCamps (are we misquoting? probably). Last year the drinking glasses almost got as much attention as the conference. Although AppPressor made it’s debut of AppBuddy Mobile at BuddyCamp Miami last year.

https://twitter.com/JJJ/status/422454571365969920

So let’s do it again.

 

What Is A BuddyCamp?

buddycamp (1)

BuddyCamp is a mini-conference (a conference inside a conference – almost inception-like) that focuses on the BuddyPress and bbPress plugins. This unique conference focuses on how you can use these plugins as you use WordPress to build sites for you or your clients.

As of now, the schedule follows a traditional WordCamp format, with beginner sessions along with designer / developer presentations. Key people and contributors will be speaking, answering questions, and hanging out.

jjj-presenting

 

Looking For Speakers

 

BnShjTwCUAAD2FYAre you be interested in being a presenter at BuddyCamp? Perhaps you’re a BuddyPress developer or if you want to show off your BuddyPress site? Send in your applications as you would any other WordCamp Miami speaker presentation (and note it’s a presentation for BuddyCamp).

General speaker details are available on our speaker submission page. Deadline for submissions will be the same as WordCamp speaker submissions (and we will update this post when that is announced).

Many details are being worked out, so the sooner you submit your speaker application the better we can plan.


What is the date for BuddyCamp Miami 2015?

The date has not 100% in stone – but right now it’s been set for May 29th, 2015 (a Friday) which fits with past years where we have had the event prior to WordCamp Miami’s weekend.

Be a BuddyCamp sponsor!

BuddyCamp, is a not-for-profit, community organized event that relies on the generosity of the community to bring it to life. If you’re interested in directly supporting BuddyCamp Miami, please see our sponsors page.

Tickets coming soon!

Watch this site (or jump on our mailing list) for ticket announcements in the upcoming days. You can also follow us on Twitter at @wordcampmiami and @buddycampmia for more details.

Please spread the word, and we look forward to seeing many of you at the third BuddyCamp in Miami!

Thanks,
The BuddyCamp Miami planning team

Calling All Volunteers!

It’s a simple fact: Past WordCamps would not have been possible without volunteers. Since WordCamps are community driven non-profit events, the volunteers are a vital part of a successful event like ours. In 2014, over 770 people attended WordCamp Miami and if it wasn’t for the volunteers (not just quantity but QUALITY and DEDICATION) it never would have been called by others as one of the best run WordCamps they’ve been to.

https://twitter.com/ShawnLyteImages/status/465616374178787328

For 2015, we plan to have another awesome event with close to 800 in attendances over multiple days. We cannot do this without your help and support… from those designing logos and signs… to helping with local venues… to those helping more during the event (crowd control, registration, etc.).

If you can think lend us support before or during the event – even for a few hours – please fill out this form so our WCMIA Volunteer coordinators can start gathering information.

We thank you in advance and look forward to another great year.

WCMIA 2015 Volunteer Form

It Has Begun!

We’re happy to announce that WordCamp Miami is back for it’s SIXTH YEAR. WordCamp Miami has become one of the largest WordCamps (over 770 attended last year), and we are excited to bring another HUGE and FUN WordPress event to Miami. We even got a new venue to hold it all.

Mark your calendar: May 29-31st, 2015.

The primary days of the event will be held at Florida International University main campus which is located at 11200 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, FL.

We’ll be covering more information about event details, BuddyCamp Miami, speaker submissions, etc. in the coming days. If you haven’t already, subscribe to the WordPress Miami event list for these updates (plus some exciting possibilities for some of our local early-bird ticket buyers):

Click here to subscribe to our mailing list

Want a preview of what’s coming THIS year? Take a look at our video of last year’s WordCamp Miami:

We can’t wait to tell and show you what we have planned!