So hot that it’s sold out, WordCamp Phoenix 2020 takes place tomorrow and Saturday (February 7-9). If you are among the lucky attendees who nabbed a ticket prior to the event selling out, keep on the lookout for Senior Backend Engineer, Aubrey Portwood, who will be in attendance. This will be Aubrey’s fifth WordCamp Phoenix, and he is offering up some exciting insight and information that anyone attending will find useful.
“WordCamp Phoenix is just fun and a well-organized event,” says Aubrey. “They have done well, each year, to make daily talks great, and after-hours a lot of fun too! Phoenix has so much to offer, so even when you aren’t at the event, you’re likely having fun still. Talks always get me thinking, and I always have a nice chat with whomever I’m sitting next to; and, oh, man, the swag!”
If this is your first WordCamp event ever, you picked a good one to attend (there’s a reason why it’s sold out). But don’t be intimidated. Aubrey advises you to feel at ease knowing that the community will welcome you.
“These events are great for learning, and you are not alone! WordPressers are from everywhere—from the smallest town, to the biggest city. Because WordCamp Phoenix is a ‘big-city’ WordCamp, it’s a great place to meet and hear from people from the wider community, since it often has people from all around the country, as well as those in our local Phoenix community.”
Featuring a playful retro video game event theme, WordCamp Phoenix’s schedule is jam-packed with exciting opportunities to get educated, network, make new friends, and just have an enjoyable time. Aubrey is eager to attend some pretty impressive talks.
“Being a developer, I’m always hungry to learn more about what other people are doing in their IDEs and text editors, so I will likely attend most of the pink items [Developer track] in the schedule. As an employee of WebDevStudios, I’ve been challenged to work on large enterprise-level solutions that need to scale, so I’m really looking forward to ‘Preparing for the Flood. How do you conduct Load Testing to Ready your WordPress site for Viral Events?.'”
It’s no wonder that WordCamp Phoenix gets bigger and bigger with each passing year, becoming one of the more popular WordCamp events to attend. Here are some more tips from Aubrey:
- “Bring a long sleeve shirt, maybe a light jacket, for the morning if you’re sensitive to a cool breeze, but expect sunny, clear skies and cool, clear nights (never come to Phoenix in July!).”
- “WordCamp Phoenix has a great local page with info on how to enjoy the area. But, if you want my favorites, I think you should check out Taco Guild and Sip Coffee & Beer.”
- “Expect to download an app to pay for parking. I’d gamble ParkMobile will still be in use, so I would set that app up ahead of time. Parking has always been available for me, and you shouldn’t have to hunt down any parking in parking garages. You should be able to park right at the event. If you’re lucky enough to park at the building, you won’t have to pay for parking (a perk to getting there early).”
- “WordCamp usually has lunch on-site, and it’s always tacos and other great food. They also have accommodations for vegan and our vegetarian folks too.”
- “Lastly, if you want an iconic Phoenicean activity to do, hiking Camelback Mountain is the must-do for any Phoenix visit bucket list. Matt [Mullenweg] marked this off his in 2017. It’s no easy hike, though, so be ready to break a sweat and go with a friend.”
Keep up with Aubrey’s WordCamp Phoenix experience by following him on Twitter. You can also follow the event on Twitter, too, by keeping up with the hashtag #WCPHX. Find out about the next WordCamp events where you can expect to see a WebDevStudios presence by visiting our WDS Gives Back page and scroll down to In a Town Near You.