#WCSD2017 Recap, Emphasis on Classy

Well, that was fun!  We really had a blast and hope you did too.

It was a whirlwind, but let’s try to break it down, classy, of course:

Saturday

We had an early start, but man did the weather hold up for us all day. It was a beautiful day in San Diego! The sponsors were on their game early with us, setting up their amazing swag and getting everything set up. We hope that you were able to use the free Internet and did not have difficulty connecting. If you did, we feel ya, and we’ll work on it next year.

Attendees trickled in Saturday morning and found their way to registration on the third floor. All in all, there were little to complain about the venue. It was super classy, modern and since Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a university, it was ADA compliant. We hope you enjoyed the venue!

Opening remarks were in each room and we started off strong with the morning speakers. Learning is indispensable for WordPress, whether you were in the How-To track, the Development track or the Beginners track. Everyone nailed their speeches. We hope you’re still thinking about the amazing things you learned in the morning.

Lunch was served. It was amazing. Enough said. Hope you loved the mint, which helps for digestion and talking to people.

Afternoon speakers knocked it out the park. So good! Such attentive presenters. Love love love for the speakers.

Then came the after party. We hope you joined us in this incredible venue where food was definitely served. Little Italy’s Loading Dock was a great venue and the owner is a gracious, attentive person. He even was able to set up Anchorman in the background, the G version, which means it was on mute.

Sunday

A later start, which meant you could recover from the previous day. Donuts, provided by Donut Bar, greeted you in the early afternoon.

Stephen Carnam brought us an amazing keynote about WordPress, #community, creativity, and doing unto others as they do unto you. It was beyond classy and, Stephen, we thank you.

Sunday afternoon we had a Development track, a How-to track and a Business track. We hope you learned a ton at these presentations!

It was over before you knew it. Closing remarks and raffles galore!

Overall, the event was most excellent. We are pleased and we hope you are too.

As always, stay classy!

Bring your umbrellas, we’re expecting classy rain

Weather forecasts are not too accurate, but it looks like it’s going to rain Saturday.

The good news: Thomas Jefferson School of Law is one building and, once you’re inside of it, your entire WordCamp experience will be there. It looks like it’s not going to start raining until around noon on Saturday, so you’ll be inside and cozy, listening to amazing speakers. More good news: It might clear up by the time you’re heading to the After Party. Additionally, it will probably be a warm rain.

What can you do? Bring an umbrella if you’re going to venture outside during the conference. It’ll be sunny Friday and Sunday. It’s currently beautiful weather now as we write this on Thursday, so if you’re just now arriving, go to Balboa Park or the beach.

We don’t get rain that much in San Diego, so we’re very thankful for any water.

Get ready, get set, get classy!

Hey classy people, are you ready for #wcsd on Saturday and Sunday? Below is some helpful information to ensure you get the most out of your WordCamp weekend.

Registration

Registration begins at 7:45am. Come early for meeting cool people just like you. Opening remarks will start at 8:45am of the corresponding rooms for each track.

Help Bar

Located on the 2nd floor and staffed by volunteers from various backgrounds, the Help Bar will be available on Saturday from 9am – 12:10pm and 2pm – 3pm. Then on Sunday from 12:40pm – 4pm.

Feel free to stop by if you have questions.

Saturday After Party

The After Party will be held from 7-11:30 pm on Saturday at Little Italy’s Loading Dock in Little Italy. You MUST have your WordCamp name badge to attend – no badge, no entry, sorry! Little Italy’s Loading Dock is a 21+ venue, and you should be prepared to show proper ID.

Sunday Networking

Join us for some great networking over coffee and donuts at 11am on Sunday, right before our keynote speaker, Stephen Carnam from SeverPress takes the stand.

Parking + Directions + Logistics + Special Needs

Check out parking and directions here. The Thomas Jefferson School of Law is an ADA compliant university and handicap accessible.

Last of all

Please give a big thank you to our sponsors, speakers, volunteers and organizers for all their efforts in making WordCamp San Diego one classy event.

Thank You WordCamp San Diego 2017 Gold Sponsors

WordCamps wouldn’t be possible without the help from generous sponsors. Without their support we wouldn’t be able to keep the event low cost and accessible to everyone. Thank you!


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Meet the Organizers

This WordCamp San Diego has been peppered with all-star anchormen and anchorwomen. A team of 8 persons who have been working relentlessly for 6 months in the planning of San Diego WordCamp so that bloggers, designers, developers, authors, marketers, non-profits, photographers, consultants, entrepreneurs— the whole kit and caboodle, can expand their knowledge in WordPress and meet others who share their love for WordPress.

If you see us around  WordCamp and want to give us a high-five, we would not object to said high-five. In fact, we would give you ten!

Our organizers’ page says more about us, if you’re interested in who these classy people are.

Start Planning Your Weekend: Track Recap

Can you believe #WCSD is only a couple of weeks away? Baxter can, but he’s always prepared. Here is a recap on what’s happening so you can start to plan your days.

Saturday:

Saturday has three tracks: How-To, Development and Beginner. Also, there is a “Help Desk” where you can get WordPress assistance at any level (beginner user to developer etc.), so tighten your belt and get ready for some fun!

Time Beginner - Floor 2, Room 229 Development - Floor 3, Room 325 How To - Floor 3, Room 323
7:45 am
Registration
8:45 am
Opening Remarks
9:00 am
9:50 am
10:40 am
11:30 am
12:10 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm
2:20 pm
3:10 pm
4:00 pm

Sunday:

Sunday has three tracks running: How-To,Development and Business. The “Help Desk” will return Sunday as well, get WordPress assistance at any level.

Time Business - Floor 2, Room 229 Development - Floor 3, Room 325 How To - Floor 3, Room 323
11:00 am
Coffee + Donuts + Networking
12:00 pm
12:40 pm
1:30 pm
2:20 pm
3:10 pm
4:00 pm

Get pumped for this year’s WordCamp San Diego. It’s going to be a classy time.

Get ready to party at Little Italy’s Loading Dock

Join us on Saturday evening following WordCamp at Little Italy’s Loading Dock, formerly 98 Bottles. Little Italy’s Loading Dock is a 21+ neighborhood bar with an extensive craft beer selection along with great wines, sake and creative Soju cocktails. We’re lucky to have the entire venue for our WordCamp attendees from 7 – 11 PM.

Little Italy’s Loading Dock is located… you got it, in Little Italy. Just north west of downtown. This historical neighborhood has plenty of restaurants. A few of our favorite foodie spots are Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Bencotto, Monello, Ballast Point, Ironside Fish & Oyster, and Underbelly. We will have some light appetizers at the after party, but we recommend stopping somewhere in beautiful San Diego for something more substantial before the event.

Location and Parking details for Little Italy’s Loading Dock are below. Please be sure to bring your WCSD badge for entry – we will not be able to accommodate any +1’s for this event, so you must have a WCSD weekend badge to attend the after party. We are looking forward to unwinding after a wonderful, exciting WordCamp day with you! See you all there. And as always, stay classy!

LOCATION

Little Italy’s Loading Dock
2400 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

PARKING

Parking can be a bit tough in this neighborhood on a Saturday night, so you may want to consider using Uber or Lyft.

Below is information from littleitalysd.com regarding where to park:

Rate: First 2-hours free, then $2.00 a hour thereafter.
7:00am to 4:00pm
Washington Elementary’s Parking Lots:
W. Fir & State Lot
Union & W. Date Lot


610 W. ASH @ LITTLE ITALY
Rate: $5.00 per car
Monday to Friday from 5:00pm to 1:00am
Saturday and Sunday All-Day


Valet Parking

Rate: $9.00 a vehicle

5:30pm to 11:30pm
India & W. Ivy (Presented by Ballast Point Tasting Room & Kitchen)
5:30pm to 12:00am
Kettner & W. Ivy (Presented by Herb & Wood)
6:00pm to 11:00pm
India & W. Cedar Streets
India & W. Date Streets
India & W. Fir Streets


County Parking Structure
The County of San Diego has officially opened their parking structure on Kettner Boulevard and W. Cedar Streets to the public all day on the weekends.

WordCamp San Diego Help Bar

WordCamp San Diego 2017 will have a Help Bar (previously called a Happiness Bar) to help answer your WordPress questions.

New to WordPress? The Help Bar can help!

Want to learn how to customize your theme? The Help Bar can help!

Need to find a plugin for your site? The Help Bar can help!

If you’d just like to chat one-on-one with someone about your WordPress site, then guess what? The Help Bar can help!

Some tips to help you get the best out the Help Bar:

  • Bring your laptop
  • Remember your login details 🙂
  • No problem is too small
  • We don’t know everything. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll help you find someone who does

Staffed by volunteers from various backgrounds, the Help Bar will be available on Saturday from 9am – 12:10pm and 2pm – 3pm. Then on Sunday from 12:40pm – 4pm.

Feel free to stop by if you have questions, or if you want to help answer questions too! See you there.

Lunch Is Where It’s At

Let’s not fool around, it’s time to eat!  Most importantly, it’s time to give that old noggin a break. It’s time to meet new people, re-affirm friendships, and discuss why San Diego is the classiest.

Lunch is included with your ticket on Saturday. It will be provided by The Wild Thyme Company and will be a boxed lunch. Lunch will be served on the 2nd floor of Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Each lunch will include fresh fruit, kettle chips, and dessert. Choices will be:

  • Black Forest Ham Sandwich with Spanish manchego cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, & roasted garlic aioli
  • Lemon-Thyme Chicken Sandwich with organic lettuce, tomatoes, havarti cheese, & sun dried tomato aioli (there will be a Gluten Free version of this too)
  • Roast Turkey Sandwich with applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, roma tomatoes, & Dijonaisse
  • Thai Chicken Wrap with soy-ginger chicken, carrots, cucumber, jasmine rice, lettuce, & peanut sauce
  • Grilled Vegetable Wrap with seasonal grilled vegetables, arugula, & white bean hummus (This is the Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free and Lactose-free option)

If this doesn’t float your boat, Thomas Jefferson School of Law is within walking distance of the Historic Gaslamp District, with many restaurants to choose from.

If you need to change your lunch dietary requirement preference, please click on the “edit” link in your ticket confirmation email to update that info.

As always, eat classy!

A Big Thanks to the WCSD17 Silver Sponsors

WordCamp wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We’d like to take a moment and turn the spotlight to our Silver sponsors. Thank you!

WordCamp San Diego 2017 – Silver Sponsors

Make sure you say “Hi” to the following companies at WordCamp San Diego 2017. It’s because of them we enjoy low ticket prices, great speakers, swag, t-shirts, all those goodies!

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WordCamp San Diego 2017 is over. Check out the next edition!