Author: Stephanie Brinley

Stephanie here, finally surfacing after WordCamp Jacksonville 2019. Thank you so much to everyone that attended, helped out, and worked hard to make it all possible.

Problems (Expected & Unexpected)

Unfortunately, we had a few hiccups with t-shirts and registration this year, but I think we’ve figured out what to do to prevent the same problems next year. All our attendees were a wonder and delight. No one was upset about the t-shirt mix-up, and those that experienced troubles as walk-ins were so kind and gracious about the problems.

As typically happens, we had to replace a few speakers at the last minute, but we had some incredible people step up to fill the spots.

Amazing Sponsors

As I’ve said before, over 50% of our budget comes directly from sponsorships, and I want to thank all our sponsors again. We were blown away with 36 microsponsors this year! To learn more about each sponsor, click on their logo in the footer of this page.

Beach Umbrella Sponsors: Bluehost, Jetpack, KnownHost, Liquid Web, Pantheon, and WooCommerce

Beach Towel Sponsors: Create My Voice, GoDaddy Pro, GreenGeeks, HubSpot, Popup Maker, TitanHost, WP Cerber Security, WP Guys

Sunglasses Sponsors: DreamHost, Forks On The Left Catering, GoWP, HIGHFORGE, Kustura Technologies LLC, Market.us, Oyova, Redfin, WPSec.com

Beach Ball (micro) Sponsors: 411 Marine, Andrea LeDew, CSS International, Dagmar Marketing, Divi Host, European Leather Gallery, Events Replay, Fabric & Tile Masters, Farah & Farah, Fatima C Photography, FixUpFox, Flower Works, Fluid Junction, Global Risk Solutions, Harrell & Harrell Personal Injury Attorneys, HeartWired Digital Solutions, Joseph Holbrook, Judy-Ann Smith Law Firm, Live Healthstrong, Lusosystems, Inc., Marketers Delight, Massage Magazine Insurance Plus, Mobile Atom Media and Code, My Island Designs, Open Sky Web Studio, Parlor Media, Russell Connie, SEDA New Homes, Shepherds Loft, Suddath, Tailored WP, Thrasher-Horne Center, Tortoise and Hare Software, Turner Pest Control, Upchurch Law, WyNS

Wonderful Keynote

It was such a pleasure to have Christie Chirinos as our Keynote Speaker this year. She shared some very personal stories about work and life as she encouraged us to thoughtfully consider the consequences of how we do business. Her talk set a great tone for the rest of the weekend.

Fantastic KidsCamp

KidsCamp is a tradition at WordCamp Jacksonville. Not only do we teach the
next generation about WordPress, but they also learn collaboration, critical
thinking, and presentation skills through art and engineering projects that make learning fun.

Great After Party

Despite the heat, the After Party was well attended. I visited with several tables and overheard lots of wonderful conversations. Thanks to everyone that came over to chat with me specifically, it’s always great to take a few minutes and actually meet our attendees.

Thank You, Volunteers

We had many phenomenal volunteers again this year. Thank you for keeping us going throughout the weekend!

Our Incredible Team

Finally, I want to give a personal shout-out to every single one of our organizers. Without these important people, WordCamp Jacksonville would not be what it is.

Aida Correa: As one of two KidsCamp Coordinators, Aida brings her love of art and creativity to make KidsCamp Jacksonville fun and engaging.

Andrea LeDew: When I recruited Andrea to be our Social Media Wrangler, this beautiful writer told me she didn’t know how to use social media, but she’d do her best. Well, her best was fantastic! She had so many creative posts and kept the content rolling all year.

Daniel Iser: Throughout the year, Daniel worked to find us sponsors. During WordCamp Jacksonville, as our Community Engagement Wrangler, he kept a pulse on camp to make sure things were running smoothly, to help out as problems would arise, and to help maximize the happiness of our community.

Frank Corso: You might know Frank as “that number guy.” But he’s so much more than that. Without Frank’s numbers, properly planning would be so much more difficult. He was also our Speaker Coordinator this year. He collected and sorted speaker applications, contacted all applicants, and made sure all our speakers knew what to expect.

Gary Kovar: If you like tacos and/or popsicles, make sure to thank our Food & Beverage Coordinator. He works hard every year to provide WordCamp Jacksonville with delicious food for all types of eaters and those with special dietary needs.

Ian Svoboda: Without Ian we just would not have videos, plain and simple. He has done a great job the last two years as A/V Coordinator. We’re still trying to work out the kinks in the process, and the videos are not quite done yet, but they will be, and that makes me happy.

Jessica Fowler: As the Events Coordinator, Jessica put together our wonderful After Party. WordCamp Jacksonville is just one of many plates she keeps spinning, and yet she kept it going. She also spent lots of time and energy working on the Thank You Party for speakers and sponsors.

Karena Kreger: Without Karena as Volunteer Coordinator, WordCamp Jacksonville would fall apart. She’s the woman that makes sure everyone is where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to do, during camp.

Laura Phillips: As our Brand Coordinator, she put together the logo and visual looks of the camp. She also kept the website running.

Linda Jones: As I told everyone during opening remarks, if you see a typo in our communications, it’s not Linda’s fault. It’s our fault for forgetting to have it proofread. Linda did a wonderful job as our Word Wrangler and I hope she will help us out again next year.

Scott Anderson: As our Tech Wrangler, Scott’s job is to ensure that all our technology (aside from A/V) is working properly. Scott did a fantastic job this year and there were only a couple hiccups.

Young McQueen: As the Speaker Mentor, Young helped our speakers with problems and questions they had. He helped to review slides and offer advice on how to improve speaker bios, talk descriptions, ad presentations.

William Jackson: Our other KidsCamp Coordinator, William is wonderful with kids. His enthusiasm and love of technology is infectious, and he is very encouraging to both the shy kids and the over-confident ones.

Thanks again to everyone that attended, sponsored, and assisted with WordCamp Jacksonville 2019. Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and keep your eyes open for 2020 announcements.

Article by Jonathan Brinley

“Hi, I’m Jonathan.” Just a few magic words that make WordCamps great. Whether WCJAX is your first conference or your fortieth, a little preparation can help you make the most of your experience.

Get Registered

Let’s start with what you can expect when you get to registration. After a brief journey through the registration queue and a conversation with the volunteer at the registration table, you’ll find yourself the proud owner of a lanyard, a name tag, and a very comfy t-shirt. You might wait for a private room before you change your shirt, but be sure to put on your lanyard right away. Without it, you are a nameless face in the crowd. With your name badge on, everybody knows your name.

Don’t Miss the Opening Remarks

The Opening Remarks will clue you in on any important information you might need for the weekend. Some will be reminders, other announcements could be about last minute changes that will affect the rest of camp.

Enjoy the Keynote

Since you’re already at the Opening Remarks, you really should stick around for the Keynote session. The organizers of WCJax bring in a speaker from outside the area to share in a topic relevant to all of us.

Meet the Sponsors

There are a few strategies here, depending on who you’re talking to. I always like to start by exploring the sponsor booths.

1. Our sponsors make WordCamp possible. This is a great opportunity to thank them.
2. They’re sponsoring WordCamp because they think that their product or service might help you run your business. It’s probably worth hearing them out.
3. The WordPress community is… a community. Sponsors are just as much a part of that community as WordCamp attendees and speakers. While they’re at WordCamp to sell something, they’re also there to build connections, get feedback, and make friends. They would love to hear about you, your business, your problems and frustrations, and what solutions you’re using to solve those problems.
4. Pick up some swag: t-shirts (for yourself or your kids), stickers, pins to decorate your lanyard, product brochures, sunglasses, and more.

Introduce Yourself

Now that you’ve met all of our sponsors, take a look around you. You’re in a room full of people, all of them wearing name tags. Some of them are having conversations, but a lot of them have pulled out their smartphones to check that “important” message from their cat. This is where those magic words come in. Walk up to someone—anyone, alone or in groups—and say, “Hi, I’m Jonathan.” (But don’t say “Jonathan” unless that’s really your name; it could lead to some awkward situations later.) Moments later, you’ll know their name, too (or you’ll both be using the “Jonathan” pseudonym, which is perfectly valid), and you have the opening to start a conversation. Here’s a small list to help you get started:

• What do you do?
• Where do you come from?
• How long have you been using WordPress?
• What are you hoping to get out of this conference?
• What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime?

It especially helps if you know your own answers to those questions. Why are you at WordCamp? Are there questions you’re hoping to answer? Are there people you’re hoping to meet? Are there skills you’re hoping to learn? Write those down before you come; give yourself a checklist to complete before the weekend ends. Every one of your interactions is an opportunity to move toward those goals.

Learn Something

Interspersed with all of these conversations, you’ll want to attend many of the informative and entertaining sessions prepared by our cast of talented speakers. You might treat this as an opportunity to relax and soak in the information. Or you might be furiously recording the torrent of vital information that was obviously prepared specifically for you to revolutionize your business. Either way, consider what to bring to make sure you’re comfortable and able to make the most of your time.

Be Prepared

If you want to take notes on your laptop, make sure your battery is fully charged at the start of the day. You might not always find a working power outlet nearby, and they’re often in high demand. Consider bringing an extension cord or power strip that you can share with your neighbor (and look! You just made a new friend).

A backup battery or power bank can help your phone last through the day. Turning on airplane mode when you’re not using it can also help stretch your battery life. If you can’t function without an Internet connection, consider bringing your own.

There should be WiFi at the venue, but even the best routers struggle when a hundred laptops and two hundred phones all try to connect at the same time. A personal cellular hotspot can help you connect when it’s essential.

Take Care of Yourself

If you need a break from the sessions, stop by the Happiness Bar (What Is The Happiness Bar?). The volunteers staffing the room would be delighted to help answer any quick questions you have about the conference, about WordPress, about business, or really anything. If they can’t answer your question, they’ll try to connect you with someone who can. You might even be that “someone” for another attendee, so stick around and start up a conversation.

Conferencing isn’t exactly backbreaking labor, but it’s still important to stay hydrated throughout the day. Carry a water bottle with you, and maybe pack a few of your favorite portable snacks to get you through that last session before lunch.

When lunch does come, refer back to what you practiced first thing in the morning. Find an empty chair at a table, even if five other people at that table already look like they’re having a conversation. They would love for you to join them. Have a seat, and say, “Hi, I’m Jonathan.”

Your Conference Preparation Checklist

Things to pack

• Business cards
• Water bottle and snacks
• Laptop, power cable, extension cord
• WiFi hotspot

Things to do before you go

• Think about why you’re coming
• Review the schedule
• Think about what you want to learn and who might help you learn it

Things to do at the conference

• Wear your name badge
• Meet new people
• Talk to the sponsors
• Meet new people
• Visit the Happiness Bar
• Meet new people