Author: David Ryan

What You Need to Know for WordCamp Phoenix 2020

Posted on by David Ryan

We’re so excited to see everyone coming to WordCamp Phoenix 2020 this upcoming week and share our beautiful Arizona weather and Downtown Phoenix with you.

Please review this post for information on how to get the best out of your WordCamp weekend.

Get the latest updates on our social media, #WCPHX hashtag and WCPHX Slack

We’re @WordCampPHX on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (DM’s open and monitored) and our official hashtag is #WCPHX.

We also recommend joining our Slack to get updates and connect with other attendees!

Getting to Downtown Phoenix

If you’re flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor, you can use the free PHX SkyTrain and Valley METRO Light Rail to reach most Downtown Hotels in about 30 minutes. Head Westbound for 19th Ave/Montebello. Lyft & Uber also service both Terminal 3 & Terminal 4 and are roughly $15-20 each-way with a 15m ride Downtown. If you fly United, Alaska or Spirit, those airlines no longer are serviced at Terminal 2 and have moved to Terminal 3.

If you’re driving into Phoenix, please note that no free parking is available at Events on Jackson, but there is street parking and a $5/day garage (Jefferson Garage) nearby.

Getting to Events on Jackson

Events on Jackson: 245 E Jackson Street Phoenix, AZ 85004
Jefferson Garage: 333 E Jefferson Street Phoenix, AZ 85004

Events on Jackson is a 5-20 minute walk from most Downtown hotels. Scooter companies, GRID bikeshare and pedicabs are also available around Downtown. The nearest Westbound Light Rail stop is 3rd St. & Washington and the nearest Eastbound stop is 3rd St. & Jefferson.

For parking, we’ve secured a special rate at the Jefferson Garage of $5/day. If you arrive after 11am, you will need to mention WordCamp Phoenix to secure the $5 rate.

Full Event Schedule

Our full event schedule is available on our website, as well as bios for our speakers and our public attendee list!

Refreshments & Lunch on Friday & Saturday

We’ll be providing coffee, tea and light snacks both days. There is also a Fry’s grocery store a short five minute walk from Events on Jackson.

Lunch will be provided by our local caterer Conceptually Social on Friday & Saturday. There will be gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan options available, as well as any other dietary restrictions you’ve let us know about. Everything will be labeled and we’ll have master list available for reference.

Friday

We’ll be serving Tacos Dorado, including Green Chili Chicken Tacos, Red Chili Beef Tacos, Potato & Soyrizo Tacos as well as Black Beans & Mexican Rice. We’ll have fresh salsa and toppings as well.

Saturday

We’ll be serving garlic-and-lime roasted pork or vegetarian mofongo with a corn tortilla, sofrito rice & beans in an achiote chile oil and a mesclun salad with a mango-lime vinaigrette.

Afterparty Saturday evening at Galvanize Phoenix

Address: 515 E Grant Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004

Our afterparty starts shortly after our event on Saturday evening at Galvanize Phoenix, a few blocks south of Events on Jackson. We’ll be serving a large spread of appetizers, have alcoholic and soft drinks (both valid for an included drink ticket) as well as a cash bar.

We’ll also have a photo booth and game truck to add to the fun!

Helpful Tips for Visiting Phoenix

  • Check out our Local Guide for great local dining options and we recommend checking out First Friday in the Roosevelt Row Arts District on Friday evening.
  • We strongly recommend carrying a water bottle as it can be easy to become dehydrated.
  • We also recommend sun protection if you burn easily and carrying a light jacket if you get chilly as many buildings will be cranking up their air-conditioning.
  • If you plan to hike any of our spectacular (yet challenging) mountain parks, please bring at least one liter of water per two hours on the trail. The Phoenix Fire Department has the busiest mountain rescue unit in the world.

Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns

If there’s anything we can do to make your visit more comfortable or fun, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns!

See you all soon,
The WordCamp Phoenix Team

Code of Conduct

Please remember all attendees are expected to follow our Code of Conduct at all official event activities. Weapons are prohibited at all WordCamp Phoenix venues, except for on-duty law enforcement with jurisdiction.

Stay Connected:

Follow our official event accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use our official event hashtag #WCPHX to connect with others.

Call For Speakers Open Until November 16

Posted on by David Ryan
Shayda Torabi and Patrick Rauland presenting at WordCamp Phoenix 2019.

We’re accepting submissions for presentations at WordCamp Phoenix 2020 in February!

However you use WordPress — for a hobby site, side-hustle, day-job — everyone has a story to tell and WordCamp Phoenix is a conference all about helping people level-up their technology, design, content, marketing, business and community online. Our speakers help teach, inspire and excite our community about using WordPress in clever, creative and efficient ways.

  • What’s something you wish you knew when you started using WordPress?
  • What’s something you’ve learned that’s changed how you approach certain tasks?
  • What’s something you were afraid of learning, that turned out to be easier than you expected?

Or, if you’re looking for a more concrete list of topics, we have a few ideas below (but please, surprise us and don’t limit yourself to these!):

  • Best practices for securing WordPress
  • Fine-tuning performance with WordPress
  • Elevating content to your audience using SEO and Social Media best practices.
  • Running an online store with WordPress.
  • Managing website client expectations and project timelines.
  • Going beyond boilerplate content and weak call-to-actions — put your website to work as a valuable team member.
  • Everything website owners need to know about copyright or protecting visitor’s privacy.
  • Creating Themes & Plugins that take advantage of the Block Editor.
  • Designing long-life websites that grow with site owner’s needs.
  • Level-up development skills with new technologies and workflows.

No prior speaking experience is required, what’s more important is you’re passionate about your topic and have a compelling story to tell! Topics can be targeted at beginners, pros and everyone in-between.

Apply to Speak

We can’t wait to see you all in February!
The WordCamp Phoenix Team

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Brandy Lawson to Give Keynote Presentation at WordCamp Phoenix 2020

Posted on by David Ryan
Announcing Brandy Lawson as the Keynote Speaker for WordCamp Phoenix 2020. Lawson is sitting in a velvet chair in a trendy office setting with retro 90's art superimposed.

We’re delighted to announce Brandy Lawson, founder of FieryFX, will take the WordCamp Phoenix stage as our keynote presenter in February at Events on Jackson!

Brandy is a multi-talented, dynamic technology professional with vast experience in marketing, product management and WordPress. Brandy is a frequent speaker at tech and business events, most recently giving powerful, engaging presentations at WordSesh 2019, Content Marketing Conference, Uppercase, Search Love, Phoenix Startup Week and WordCamp Phoenix.

For eight years Brandy has led FieryFX, a boutique digital agency that specializes in marketing strategy, analytics and business automation, helping leaders transform their online presence into a high-performing member of their team. Before founding FieryFX, Brandy was a senior product owner at Phoenix-area tech companies including GoDaddy and iGo, Inc., and holds an MBA from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business.

Brandy Lawson's headshot

Brandy is a familiar face for many in the Arizona WordPress community as one of the organizers for WordCamp Phoenix 2014, co-organizer of the Northwest Valley WordPress Meetup for six years and trusted adviser for many in our community.

We’re delighted to invite Brandy to share her experience, talents and passion at WordCamp Phoenix 2020!

We’ll be sharing more about the topic of Brandy’s keynote closer to our event.

See you in February,
The WordCamp Phoenix Team

Stay Connected:

Follow our official event accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use our official event hashtag #WCPHX to connect with others.

Welcome to WordCamp Phoenix

Posted on by David Ryan
Get retro with WordCamp Phoenix in 2020

We’re thrilled to announce WordCamp Phoenix 2020 will be returning to Downtown Phoenix in February 2020!

WordCamp Phoenix 2020 will features two days of sessions at Events on Jackson on February 7 and February 8 2020 on design, development, marketing, content, business and building communities!

In the coming weeks we’ll have our Call for Speakers, Sponsors and Volunteers, with tickets going on sale later this fall.

Be sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and subscribe to email updates in the form at the bottom of the WordCamp Phoenix 2020 website.

Since 2009, WordCamp Phoenix has brought together web professionals and WordPress users from across the Southwest and greater WordPress community, and we’re so excited for another fun weekend of learning and networking in our desert oasis!

See you in February!

The WordCamp Phoenix Team

Stay Connected:

Follow our official event accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use our official event hashtag #WCPHX to connect with others.