Author: Kevin Brennan

That’s a wrap on the 7th edition of WordCamp Calgary.

Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, sponsored and organized the event.

It was incredible to hear so many positive responses throughout the two days. Seeing everyone engaging with the speakers and networking with their fellow community members makes pulling it all together worth while.

We want to hear from you. Tell us what you liked. What you didn’t. What’d you’d like to see next year. We’re constantly trying to improve things from year-to-year and we can only do that by hearing from the folks who attended.

Until we pull together a formal survey, feel free to send us an email with your comments.

Thanks again for coming and we’ll see you in 2020!

WordCamp YYC is tomorrow! If you haven’t already purchased your ticket, now’s your chance.

If you already have a ticket, you’re awesome! You’re in for a couple days of learning, networking and fun. It sounds less fun when you put it that way but we promise it’s going to be great.

There are a few things you should know for tomorrow.

1. The parking lot in front of Fort Calgary is no longer free. It will cost you $6 per day.
2. We’ll be providing all attendees with a sweet WordCamp notebook so don’t feel like you need to bring something to write on. Bring a pen though as we might not have enough for everyone.
3. Food! We’ll be serving coffee, tea and water throughout the day. Lunch is also served. We’ll have snacks during the after party on Friday as well.
4. We have a Code of Conduct. We want WordCamp to be an enjoyable event for everyone. Take a minute to review it. If you have any questions or concerns, look for someone with an organizer badge.
5. KidsCamp is all day Saturday. When the kids leave on Saturday afternoon they’ll have their own WordPress website! A special menu is provided for their lunch.
6. There will be people of all WordPress skill levels. We strive to make the event as inclusive to everyone as possible. We’ll have Happiness Experts on Saturday afternoon to help you out with any problems you’re having with your own website.

We think that’s it. If we missed something you’re wondering about, feel free to contact us and an organizer will get back to you.

We’re looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow!

We all know Calgary is a last-minute city. But sometimes there are downsides to waiting until the last minute. Here are 3 reasons you’ll want to register for WordCamp Calgary 2019 asap (like as soon as you finish reading this post!):

1. We want to feed you! In order to ensure we have enough food for everyone at lunch, we need to have accurate numbers several days before the event.  Of course, the venue accounts for a few stragglers, but if 30 people decided to be stragglers, that would have a huge impact. Don’t be a straggler!
2. Make a good impression! Everyone who registers gets a nametag. If you aren’t registered when we send the nametags to the printer, you’ll end up with one of the blank nametags with your name scrawled on it in black Sharpie. These are typically harder to read, and everyone will know you were a late registrant. Just sayin’.
3. All the cool geeks are doing it! Ok, I don’t really have a third reason, but a list of 2 items just doesn’t look right. So I’ll use this opportunity to ask really nicely: if you are planning to attend this year’s WordCamp YYC, could you please register right now? Thanks 

So there you have it. No more reasons for delaying. Register your ticket, and I’ll see you next weekend!

We are excited to offer a full day of learning for the next generation of WordPress users! For children 8 years or older who are interested in starting their own blog or website using WordPress, KidsCamp is a must-do!

KidsCamp will run on the Saturday, May 11 during regular WordCamp hours.

Other important things to know:

• participants should be 8+ years old
• participants must bring their own laptop*
• participants must be accompanied by an adult (WordCamp ticket purchase required)
• participants should come with an idea for their blog/website as this will be a hands on learning experience
• participants should have easy access to an email

We’ll kick the day off with an explanation of what WordPress is, then we’ll create a new account on WordPress.com. Once that’s set up, it’s time to set up our websites!

Lunch will be provided for all attendees. Chicken fingers and fries for the kids, and a soup/sandwich buffet for the adults.

Looking for ideas?

• focus on your favourite hobby or sport
• create a journal of your poetry, short stories or other  writing
• study something new and share what you’ve learned
• share photos and life updates with your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends (as a private site)

* A limited number of laptops are available to borrow for the day. Please email calgary@wordcamp.org if you need to make arrangements.

We’re happy to announce that WordCamp Calgary is officially on the calendar!

WordCamp Calgary 2019 will be Friday, May 10, 2019 and Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Fort Calgary.

We’ll be keeping you posted on all the details over the coming months, including speaker submissions, ticket sales and more!