Two WordCamps!
Just in case you missed the big announcement in our closing remarks…
There’s another WordCamp in Australia this year!
WordCamp Sydney is being held on September 24 and 25 at UTS.
Head on over to their website, and purchase a ticket, or subscribe for updates.
A few weeks ago I spoke to a business acquaintance about WordCamp Sunshine Coast, and all the great lineup of speakers.
“Wow, sounds great!” he said. “I’ll definitely come along. How much is it?”
When I told him it was only $50 a ticket he stared at me in disbelief.
“What?! How is it so cheap? It’s got to be worth a lot more than that!”
And indeed it is! But the great thing about it is that they have amazing sponsors who invest in making WordCamps around the world happen. WordCamps are not for profit, and totally run by volunteers. Tickets sales cover just a fraction of the cost involved in running a conference like this. Without sponsors we would be looking at hundreds of dollars per ticket, so we really do owe them a lot!
At WordCamp Sunshine Coast we have sponsors for a range of different things, including our Saturday after party, as well food and drink for the 2 days, but our Platinum levels sponsors are: Paypal, XWP, Jetpack, WooCommerce, and of course the Innovation Centre who are supplying our amazing venue! We also have fantastic GOLD sponsors also including GoDaddy and Bluehost.
We all know WordCamps are great, right? Have you been to one before, or just stared lustfully at the twitter stream as it rolls along over the weekend?
There are so many good reasons to attend – here are just a few.
One of the highlights for those who attends a WordCamp is putting faces to the names they’ve seen online. I’m sure you have plenty of people you talk to online who you’ve never met in person, and WordCamps are a great chance to do this! Even though we all talk to people online all the time, via email, social media, and video calls, there’s still something a bit special about shaking someone’s hand or sitting down for a beer together.
It’s not always about meeting those familiar names though, WordCamps are a great place to meet new and exciting people who rely on WordPress just as much as you do! It is not uncommon for people to meet new start-up partners, or potential employers/employees at WordCamps.
You have two full days of sessions, so mix it up a bit. WordCamps are a great opportunity to broaden your perspective and listen to some sessions with subjects you’ve not heard much about before. Be sure to prioritise your favourite sessions, and then add into your mix a few sessions on topics you’ve not considered before. You never know what you might discover, or what gems are waiting for you there.
We can’t under-value the importance of WordCamps to refocus and inspire you. WordCamp has the benefit of being work-related, but also tons of fun! It’s important that we refresh ourselves, and open ourselves up to new inspiration so that we, and our businesses, are growing and adapting.
Of course, there’s also the afterparty. Great food, great drinks, and an awesome location – just another great perk of WordCamp!
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Don’t forget to grab your ticket, and score all these perks, and more! You can sign up for WordCamp Sunshine Coast here.
I really can’t decide if this illustrated wapuu is cute, or just down right terrifying… help me decided please?! Add your vote in the comments below!
The Japanese have given us a lot of good things. Who doesn’t love sushi, pokémon, or karaoke?
My personal favourite is the WordPress mascot: Wapuu. Here he is, in his original form:
But Wapuu didn’t stop there. This little critter travels to WordCamps all over the globe, where he represents of the country or region. Pretty fun, right?! His different costumes are kept on his website.
Of course, he’s looking forward to WordCamp Sunshine Coast, where he’s donned some zinc, found a surfboard, and been fondly nicknamed Wapoolaba after our very own Mooloolaba Beach.
Well, we’ve been looking forward to seeing Wapuu at WordCamp Sunshine Coast so much, that we got a bit obsessive and gave him an 8-bit make-over. 🙂
You’ll see him floating around on stickers at the event — a perfect addition to the back of your laptop. He’ll be with some alternate universe Wapuu friends, which we’ll be announcing soon. Get your ticket now!
Have you seen any great Wapuus around at different WordCamps you’ve attended? Which is your favourite?
(Thanks to Melissa Sartor for the 8-bit artwork!)
WordCamp Sunshine Coast will bring together a community of WordPress business owners, developers, marketers, designers, content strategists and educators. If you have something exciting and relevant to share about WordPress with this audience of potentially 300+ WordPress lovers and users, then we’d like to hear from you.
Applications are now open and we warmly welcome a variety of session formats including, but not limited to:
All speakers will receive a complimentary ticket to the event, including the after-party.
We’re still on the hunt for more sponsors to help us create the best WordCamp we can, so if you’re business is interesting in supporting this event, please get in touch!
Wordcamp is about giving as much as receiving and without our volunteers, the show would not go on. In fact, there is not a single paid person in the organising teams of the event, so volunteers are truly the wp-config.php file of the weekend.
If you’re attending, looking to attend, or are simply wanting to help out an amazing community focused event, fill out the volunteers form and our Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch with you soon.
It can’t be denied that one of the cultural cornerstones of WordCamps world over are the Wapuu’s. If you don’t know what a Wapuu is…
A Wapuu is the official unofficial mascot for WordCamps. The original was designed for a WordCamp in Japan and since then, almost every WordCamp has had their own. The general character is the same, with each WordCamp adding their own style to match the region.
So for WordCamp Sunshine Coast, what else could we do but sit this little guy down by the beach.
Meet Wapoolaba, the Wapuu for Wordcamp Sunshine Coast.
Why the name Wapoolaba? Let’s see if you can figure that one out yourself. 🙂
We’re happy to announce that Wordcamp Sunshine Coast is officially on the calendar!
Wordcamp Sunshine Coast will be 7th – 8th May 2016 at the Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast.
Subscribe to stay up to date on the most recent news. We’ll be keeping you posted on all the details over the coming months, including speaker submissions, ticket sales and more!