WordCamp US is happening soon, and you want to be there. You see the benefit – skill-building, career opportunities, and community that pays off long after the conference ends. The tricky part is getting your boss on board. How do you get them to see this isn’t a vacation, it’s a professional investment with concrete ROI? Share this post with them to help them understand why it’s an important investment in you and their company to send you to Phoenix this August.
It’s Affordable
Lead with the easy win. WordCamp US is one of the most affordable conferences of its kind. Tickets are just $100 for general admission and $25 for students. This covers four days of sessions, keynotes, lunch, evening social events, and more. Comparable conferences typically run hundreds of dollars more.
We also have a room block available at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, which is a 5-minute walk from the venue, so no taxis or rideshares are needed to get from your hotel to the conference venue.
Real, Applicable Skills
This isn’t a conference where you attend sessions and take notes all day. There are hands on workshops sprinkled throughout the conference where you can learn some skills to take back with you to the office. Those sessions and workshops are centered around four tracks:
- AI: This track focuses on using AI as a tool, and not an autonomous replacement. You’ll learn practical skills like AI-assisted development, preparing sites for AI agents as visitors, and the legal/ethical questions of using AI with clients.
- Technical WordPress: This track focuses on the behind the scenes work of building with WordPress. You’ll learn things like modern development flows, automated testing tools, and plugin pipelines.
- Honing Your Skills: This track focuses on using WordPress in your business. You get practical advice on pricing, maintenance, and how the agency model is changing as clients ask for more from their websites.
- Beginners: This track is geared towards college students and others who are new to WordPress. It’s been designed to send people new to WordPress home with something usable. One of the highlights of this track is a workshop where you build your first WordPress site in half a day.
You also have the opportunity to sit down with WordPress experts at our Happiness Bar. Get 1:1 troubleshooting with volunteers. You could even solve a current work problem on the spot.
Network Building Opportunities Everywhere
Throughout the week, there are numerous opportunities to connect with others and build a network of WordPress professionals. Just a few to note:
- Sponsor Hall: You can meet representatives from WordPress businesses, and strike up conversations with other attendees. This is the hub of the conference, and you’re sure to find a lot of great opportunities here.
- Lunch: Lunch is a natural chance to sit down with other attendees and talk shop. You never know who you might bump into here.
- Social Event: On the last night of the conference, there is a social event and all attendees are invited. This is another great time to strike up a conversation and grow your network.
- Hotel: Most WordCamp US attendees stay at the official hotel. In years past, the lobby has been packed in the mornings and evenings with attendees. This is another great opportunity to connect with other WordPress community members.
See WordPress at Scale on Showcase Day
On the first day of sessions, Showcase Day, you’ll be able to see real-world case studies from teams running high-traffic, high-stakes WordPress websites. Teams will share how they used WordPress to build their sites, and practical takeaways for scaling and publishing control that attendees can use with their own organization’s website.
Giving Back on Contributor Day
On Sunday, August 16, you will have an opportunity to spend the day contributing to the WordPress open source project, the open source community behind the WordPress software. There’s a wide variety of ways to participate, many of which require no coding experience. Not only is giving back to the software project really rewarding, it positions the employee, and by extension the company, as an active part of the open source ecosystem that the company depends on.
What’s the Benefit to the Company?
Attendance at this event is an investment in the employee’s output and the company’s web presence:
- Cost: Cost is much lower than comparable events.
- Directly Applicable: The content is directly applicable for companies already using WordPress to power their web presence.
- Networking: There’s opportunity to meet potential clients, hires/leads, and new service providers to improve your company’s site.
See You in Phoenix!
View this year’s schedule and speakers to plan your time with us.
Grab your ticket if you haven’t already!
And join the conversation online using #WCUS #WordPress
