WooThemes Lends a Hand to WordCamp LA

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WooThemes. Do I need to say any more? No, seriously. Be quiet. Think of something WordPress-related that doesn’t do the whole “Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon” thingy majig. YOU. CAN’T! WooThemes is a part of your life. You’ve touched  a site using their themes, you’ve built sites running their themes; you sell products using their snazzy WooCommerce product. The point is this: WooThemes is big. No, they’re HUGE!!! And even though they’re located all the way over in South Africa (almost typed “South America” for a moment there) they continue to make a global impact on business owners running WordPress as their foundation.

In this ecosystem it’s truly amazing what they have accomplished and not one other company has come close to replicating what Woo has done. Period. Not even my nice hair holds a candle to them!!

So let’s give a hearty “Huzzah!” to the good folks at WooThemes for their generous donations this year. You guys is great!

Sponsor Spotlight: Sprout Apps

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I’d like to talk to you about our newest sponsor for a moment, Sprout Apps. You might be wondering who they are. I wondered the same thing.

The folks over at Sprout Apps aren’t just looking to build the next “also-ran” product. They’re looking to change the way you do business with your clients. Because you know what, guys? Doing business is hard! How does Sprout Apps plan to make things easier for you and I? Oh, you know, by being philosophically sound in their product development approach. As Chris Lema puts it: “The trick to making difficult things easy, is to keep the easy things still easy.”

What does that mean exactly? It means closing the gap between your website and your customer intake systems.

Wait. What?

If you’re like me, you probably have Gravity Forms on your site. You get a request for a quote. You review it, blah, blah, send an email back and, if the potential client wants to do some business you get stepping on creating an estimate. It doesn’t sound like a lot of work, but even two to three of these can eat up hours of your time before you notice that time has gone and left you.

That’s where Sprout App comes in. They’re building an integrated tool that automates this workflow headache for you. Yeah, auto-magically! If it sounds like Pixie Dust and Unicorn Pies in the Sky, it’s not! It’s not available yet, but it’s coming and it’s something to keep your eyes, kids.

That said, let’s give a big thank you to Sprout Apps for sponsoring WordCamp LA this year. You guys rock!

WP Site Care Cares So Much They’re Sponsoring Too!

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Do you manage WordPress sites for a living? If you’re here then you probably do. I don’t know about you, but I hate providing support for projects that have long been finished. In fact I’d rather take  sharp stick to the eye. WP Site Care, though, supporting you and making sure your sites are purring, free of nasty malware and malicious code is what they do. It’s like it’s their job… Oh wait, it IS their job!

Ryan Sullivan runs WP Site Care and I have to tell you, he knows what he’s doing. Not only that he’s all about the community. He doesn’t just say, he lives it and breathes it. Maybe you’ve seen him sponsoring at WordCamps, maybe you’ve seen him speak at a WordCamp, or just maybe he answered one of your questions on the WordPress.org forums. Without a doubt, he’s a stand-up dude!

Let’s give a hearty thanks to Ryan Sullivan and WP Site Care!

Chris Lema is Sponsoring WCLA!

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When he sneezes, the people around him get new product ideas; when people sit in his office and listen to his eloquent voice and furious fingers tapping away on the keyboard, they close not one, but TWO business deals; by the time you finish reading this, Chris will have made more money than you will in 586 years… And he blogs daily. He is the most awesome dude in the world, he is the Chris Lema.

We’d like to take this time to thank the incomparable Chris Lema for yet another generous donation. He contributes so much more to each and every Camp and is a true pillar of awesome in our community.

Thanks, Chris!

Call for Volunteers

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It’s that time again. WordCamp Los Angeles is around the corner, and we need your help!

Will this be your first WordCamp? Or do you have more WordCamp T-shirts than you know what to do with? Either way, volunteering is a great way to get involved and give back to the incredible WordPress community. And today could be your lucky day, because we’re looking for some volunteers to lend us a hand!

Why should I volunteer?

XOXO Alex Because the WordPress community is awesome! You’ll also get a free ticket for the weekend, a t-shirt, and a 5×7 autographed picture of Alex Vasquez and his great hair. But most importantly, you’ll receive our undying gratitude*! Really, it’s the least we can do.

* non-transferrable, no cash value, not for resale.

Interested? Perfect, keep on reading! We are currently looking for the following:

Registration Wranglers: Having attendees is great. Getting those attendees checked in is even better. We’ll need your help in the morning to wrangle all the stray cats attendees, and make sure the registration process goes smoothly. Expect a large rush with all-hands-on-deck in the morning, and then rotating shifts at registration throughout the day. If you’re willing to help us hand out t-shirts in the afternoon too, that’s awesome!

Happiness Bartenders: The Happiness Bar is a place where WordPress experts offer help and advice to other attendees. If you know a thing or two about WordPress and would like to share that knowledge, then the Happiness Bar is a great place to do so!

Room Monitors: Each room will need at least one room monitor present at all times. You’ll need to get the room under control before each presentation and keep things on schedule. You’ll keep the speakers aware of their time, and help transition between sessions. We’ll have multiple room monitors, so you won’t be tied to the same room all day.

General Helpers: We’ll need people to help out with smaller tasks throughout the day. This could range from helping attendees with directions, hauling equipment, or just about anything. tl;dr: We need help!

If you’re interested in helping, and you are comfortable committing to the date, let us know!

Call for Sponsors

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An artist's rendition of the official #wclax carrier pigeon, Mr. pre_get_posts()

An artist’s rendition of the official #wclax carrier pigeon, Mr. pre_get_posts()

In lieu of the fact that our primary means of communication getting destroyed (our Conch Shell) and that our second option, Carrier Pigeon, Mr. pre_get_posts(), is crappy at delivering hand-written messages (he’s old and kind of a jerk!) we’re going to deliver our Call for Sponsors via a standard old blog post.

Sponsors! We need you, man!

One of the things that makes WordCamps such great events is undoubtedly the community and how it comes together to make for something that creates value for all who participate. Often, one of the most overlooked aspects of a Camp are the generous donations from Sponsors who step-up and give their time and resources to ensure that they DO happen.

Shut-up-and-take-my-moneyWe’ve been fortunate to have some amazing sponsors contribute in so many different ways. And you know what the crazy thing is? They fall over themselves to help us out!! We don’t give them anything more than credits on the site and at the event; we don’t even give them cookies! I mean, it’s the least they deserve!!

It’s humbling and makes our job for raising funds for the camp so much easier.

Why Sponsor a WordCamp?

Sponsors help make WordCamps an awesome experience that focuses on providing value first and being a place that fosters a safe environment to learn, grow and thrive. It sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth! Sponsors help ensure a great event is experienced by all.

Sponsors of WordCamps, I think, understand it’s not just about “throwing money” at an event and slapping their logo on a website. The Sponsors that get the most out of donating to a WordCamp find the most value comes from interacting with the community and really taking part in it; knowing they helped create something of value for a lot of people. You’d be surprised how many folks remember the Sponsors who really take part in the festivities and reach out to them later. So if you decide to Sponsor a WordCamp be sure to take full advantage and connect with as many people as you can. Whether you’re a large company, or a one-person-shop, there’s a ton of value to be had from the interaction. It’s truly an opportunity to build something of worth.

Yeah, Sponsors help make sure that happens!! If you’re considering sponsoring this WordCamp or have done so in the past, this next part is for you!

 

Sponsor Inquiry

If you’re interested in sponsoring WordCamp Los Angeles, please complete the form below and we’ll contact you.

Call for Speakers

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Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen! It’s that time again – time to apply to be a speaker at WordCamp Los Angeles. If you work with WordPress, then we just know you have something awesome to share. Head on over to the call for speakers and submit to speak!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a developer, designer, blogger, business owner, lawyer, nonprofit, or anything and everything in between. We’ll have somebody at WordCamp LA who will want to hear what you’ve got to share, guaranteed, so don’t be shy!

Also, if you’ve got a suggestion for a topic you’d love to hear about or a speaker you’d love to see, we’d be happy to hear from you at our suggestions page.

Speaker submissions are now closed.

WCLAX 2014 Website

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As you can see, we’ve been working on the WCLAX 2014 website! Greg Douglas helped us out with an awesome design, and we’ve been in the process of putting it all together. And a big thanks to Joe Chellman, for helping us cross the finish line on the site today! Want to take a look under the hood? You can follow our progress on GitHub. Feel free to report issues, create a fork, and submit Pull Requests!

This event is about all of you, so let us know what you think!

WordCamp LA 2014!

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

WordCamp LA will be September 5-7, 2014 at Cal State Los Angeles.

Subscribe using the form in the sidebar 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!