The Details You Want

Between all of us on the organizing team, we have attended at least a hundred live events, and we like to think we know a bit about what information you need before coming to WordCamp so you’re properly prepared for the day.

If this is your first live event, trust us, the worst thing ever is to get to the event — where you’re going to be for the whole day — and not have something you need!

Between the organizers, attendees, sponsors, and speakers, we’ve got 350+ people to care for, and while we are doing our best to serve your needs, we also know that we do have some limitations and ask you to be understanding.

So please be sure to read this entire post, so you are prepared to have a fantastic time at the event — it’s everything you need to know about WordCamp Sacramento 2016.

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Travel and Parking ($6/day)

WordCamp is being held at The Harper Alumni Center at Sacramento State University. For driving directions and a map, visit the Venue Location Page. You can also download the directions and campus map (PDF).

Now about the parking…

We will have people in red WordCamp shirts and signs with the WordCamp logo on them at the two main parking lot entrances for the Harper Alumni Center.

A daily parking permit will be required for each day of WordCamp. Daily permits can be purchased at the kiosks for $6.00/day. There is a kiosk in the Harper Almuni Center parking lot. It is about three rows back from the Alumni Center building next to a tall blue “Emergency” pole.

All kiosk locations can be found on the interactive campus map.

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Event Registration

Opening remarks start at 8:40 am, and registration opens bright and early at 7:30 am, giving you over an hour to get registered, get the lay of the land, grab some coffee, chat it up with our sponsors and fellow WordPressers, and snag a seat.

• Registration will take place outside under the covered, main entrance to the Alumni Center (on the same side of the building as the courtyard).
• Registration will be done by first name: A-G, H-O, P-Z, Sponsors.
• At registration, you’ll get your name badge and lanyard, t-shirt, and event program.
• Then you’ll head inside for some coffee and pre-event networking.
• We have 350 of you to get registered in just over one hour, and while we have many volunteers ready to make the experience as easy as possible, we do ask for patience.

If You’re Arriving Late: After registration is closed, any late comers will need to check in at the Happiness Bar (circular bar in lobby) to pick up their name badge/t-shirt etc.

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Event Volunteers

The WordCamp Sacramento Organizing Team and the event volunteers will be wearing special RED T-SHIRTS so it’s easy to find them in a crowd. If you have an issue, problem, or a question during the event, find someone in the RED WORDCAMP T-SHIRTS and they can point you to an organizer or get you some help.

There will also be a table in the back of each ballroom where members of the organizing team will be hanging out — with some WordPress swag and snacks! If you have event questions or if you need help with anything during WordCamp Sacramento, stop by one of these tables or the Happiness Bar and we’ll get you taken care of.

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Food and Drink

The Alumni Center is a stand alone building way out the middle of a parking lot, so once you park, there isn’t a Starbucks or quick restaurant to walk to easily. Once you’re at the event, you’re at the event for the day.

Now we know some of you are big eaters, and we know some of you have special needs, so we’re giving you all the details about what is being provided at the event so you’ll know if you need to pack your own lunch, or bring some snacks in your backpack or bag. Likewise, if you’re a BIG water drinker, you want want to bring your own water bottle.

THE MORNING:

Be sure you eat breakfast before you come to WordCamp — it’s the most important meal of the day! We will have coffee and iced water for you so we all stay hydrated, but we will not be providing breakfast.

THE LUNCH:

We’re working with an amazing caterer for the event this year who will be serving up premium boxed lunches. With your ticket purchase, you already made your boxed lunch selection of:

• Roasted Turkey Breast, Smoked Ham, or Medium Rare Roast Beef that are garnished with Tomatoes, green Leaf Lettuce and Assorted Cheeses.
• Vegetarian, which includes: Avocado, Sprouts, Tomato, Red Onion, Cucumbers, Carrots, Fresh Mozzeralla Cheese
• Vegan, Kosher, or Gluten-Free special boxed lunch options

Each boxed lunch also includes your choice of either pasta salad or potato salad, a bag of chips, and a dessert item of either a lemon bar, pecan bar, or gourmet brownie.

Drinks will include lemonade and iced tea. We’ll be refreshing the coffee and iced water stations for the afternoon too!

PLEASE NOTE: If the premium boxed lunches you selected during registration doesn’t work for you anymore, or you have special dietary needs that the special box lunch you selected during registration may not fit your diet perfectly, you may want to bring your own lunch and snacks.

THE AFTERNOON:

We’ll have coffee and water on hand again to keep us all hydrated. We’ll also have snacks to combat your afternoon munchies like trail mix, granola bars, cookies, chips, and candy bars. If you can’t eat those snacks (or snacks like that) and you get hungry in the afternoon, please pack a few snacks.

THE AFTER PARTY:

The After Party will have non-alcoholic beverages, including Chilled Infused Cucumber Citrus Water and Non-Alcoholic Mai-Tai Punch, as well as light snacks like cheese and cracker displays, fresh bruschetta, and two chocolate fondue stations with a variety of yummy dipping treats.

SUNDAY:

Sunday, because it is a half day running from noon to 5:00 pm, will have coffee and water, and afternoon snacks available like trail mix, granola bars, cookies, chips, and candy bars. If you can’t eat those snacks (or snacks like that) and you get hungry in the afternoon, please pack a few snacks.

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Opening Remarks

Don’t sweat about which room you need to be in for Opening Remarks! Just find a seat in the room for the first session you want to see:

• CALAVERAS ROOM: Matt Vanderpol speaking on Building Custom WordPress Themes With Sass
• EL DORADO ROOM: Chris Lema speaking about Five Things You’ll Discover About Yourself As You Blog Consistently

Opening Remarks will happen simultaneously in each room. Closing remarks will happen the same way.

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The Learning Sessions

WordCamp Sacramento is delighted to offer two days of WordPress focused learning, featuring 31 different speakers sharing their expertise and knowledge!

The sessions are split between two rooms, The Calaveras Room and the El Dorado Room. You have the choice to stay in one room all day, or bounce between the rooms throughout the day to cherry pick the sessions you want to see most. You can check out the entire WordCamp Schedule in advance to plan which sessions you want to attend.

• Like the schedule layout and the print program layout, the Calaveras Room is the room of the left and the El Dorado Room is the room on the right.

Don’t worry if there are two sessions you want to see that are scheduled at the same time. All sessions will be video recorded and submitted to WordPress.tv. Please know that WordPress.tv is managed by volunteers who are required to review every video in full before posting it to the site. With almost one hundred WordCamps each year, with anywhere from 20-60+ speakers/sessions at each one, it can get backed up. So please understand it may take a while for the videos to get posted.

Follow WordCamp on Twitter, @WC_Sacramento, for event updates, announcements, links to speaker slide decks, and more!

BREAKS:

There is a 10 minute break between every session, so you have time to switch rooms, use the restroom, or grab a drink. We also have a longer 20 minute break in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday to grab a snack.

QUESTIONS:

At the end of each session, there will be a small amount of time for you to ask questions. If time runs out and you still have questions, the speakers will head over to the Happiness Bar following their presentation and be available to chat with you.

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The Happiness Bar

The Happiness Bar, located in the venue lobby just outside the session room doors, is your go to resource throughout the event for WordPress help.

Throughout both days of the WordCamp Sacramento event, the Happiness Bar will be staffed with skilled volunteers who will be on hand to answer your WordPress questions and help you with your WordPress site. If you need help, this is your chance to speak with someone 1:1 and ask questions, get plugin recommendations, get help with your theme, learn hands-on, get help with your code, and troubleshoot any problems you’re having.

Whatever you need help with, as long as it’s related to WordPress, we’ve got you covered.

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The Job Board

At the end of the Sacramento WordPress meetup meetings, we have time to announcements and invite attendees to share needs and announcements. This time is typically used for those who have job openings and are looking for help to connect with those currently looking for a job or who have capacity for new clients.

We love connecting members of our local community to do business together and we’re doing it at WordCamp too with a giant Job Board!

• If you’re hiring, grab a marker and write down the position and the contact email/website URL.
• If you’re looking to hire a contractor or get help with your site, write down your name and email, and a quick note about what you’re looking for.
• If you’re a freelancer with availability, grab a marker and write your name, website URL, and “available for hire.”
• Looking for full-time or part-time work? Grab a pen, write down your name, portfolio URL, and “looking for FT work” or “Looking for PT work.”
• Design looking for development support? Developer looking for a design partner? Write it down!

If a posting looks interesting, you can respond right from WordCamp and maybe connect face to face before the event is even over. Or, if you’re a follow-up-later type, snap a photo of the Job Board and reach out after WordCamp.

*Please don’t use giant writing. Leave room for others.

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The After Party

The After Party is After the event on Saturday. Not at the end of the event on Sunday.

WordCamp officially ends for the day on Saturday at 5:00 pm when the final sessions of the day wrap up. All attendees are invited to stay a little longer for the WordCamp After Party that starts immediately after the event and runs until 6:45 pm, leaving you time for a post event dinner or time to check in with the family and get a great night’s sleep so you’re rested for the Sunday sessions.

We hope you’ll join us for extra networking time, yummy treats, and live music!

Here are some key After Party details:

• 5:00-6:45 pm in the courtyard immediately following the event
• Enjoy live music from the amazing Matt Rainey
• Snack on cheese and crackers, fresh bruschetta, and chocolate fondue
• Take advantage of the added networking time to meet other local WordPressers
• This is an alcohol-free event

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Tweet It Up & Use Social Media

Show your love for WordPress and WordCamp and use the event hashtag #wcsac.

We will have wifi available for everyone to use, so help us get Sacramento WordPress on the map and elevate our local WordPress community by sharing the event on social media.

• Tweet about things you’re learning, the speakers, the sessions, people you’ve met, and more (@WC_Sacramento).
• Share things you loved from the sessions or publish them to Facebook.
• Take photos with other WordPressers and share them.
• Share posts about the event on LinkedIn.
• Live blog the sessions you attend and share them on Twitter with the hashtag.
• After the event is over, write recaps of the sessions or the entire event on your blog and share them with us using the hashtag #wcsac — we’ll promote you and your posts through our social channels and post links to your website on the WordCamp site!

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Code Of Conduct

Let’s keep WordCamp positive and friendly!

WordCamp Sacramento believes our community should be truly open for everyone. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, religion, preferred operating system, programming language, or text editor.

Our Code of Conduct outlines our expectations for participant behavior as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior. We invite all sponsors, volunteers, speakers, attendees, and other participants to help us realize a safe and positive conference experience for everyone.

Also, please remember, none of us are professional event planners. This is a volunteer-run event and we’re all doing our best to make this a great experience for everyone.

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Thank You!

Thank you so much for being part of the WordPress Community and for coming to WordCamp Sacramento 2016! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!