We’re sure you’re already anticipating two (or three, if you’re attending any of the three beginner workshops on Friday) days of the wonder and WOW! that is WordPress. And we intend to deliver.

But, if this is your first trip on the WordCamp Express, you might be wondering about some of the logistics.

Where It’s At!

The home of WordCamp Atlanta is the lovely Loudermilk Center.

As for where to leave your car, you’ll be parking in the United Way parking deck and parking is $8 per day.

What To Bring!

• Business Cards: You’ll want to be able to catch up with new friends and colleagues after the event, won’t you? Sharing business cards with contact information is one of the easiest ways to ensure you keep in touch.
• Tablet, smart phone, laptop: Especially if you want to have questions about your own site answered! We’d also love it if you share your thoughts on the event, between sessions – of course, on social media using our event hashtag: #WCATL.
• Your questions: Because we’re here to help get them answered!

Once You’re Inside …

Registration Begins At 8:00 AM

You’ll want to head directly, without delay, to the registration table to pick up your name tag, get any early questions answered, and meet much of the team putting on this fantastic event. From there you can then make your way around the room to see what our super-duper sponsors have on offer atop their swag tables!

Didn’t have time to stop for a quick bite on your way? No problem. Assorted muffins and other breakfast goodies are available to keep your stomach happy, too. Plus there’s plenty of coffee to keep you pepped up and perky.

This is a great time to mingle and engage in a little meet and greet, too. You’ll be wearing your name tags, which means it will be easy to recognize names and Twitter handles. Take some time to take your online connections to the next level and meet IRL.

We’ve got plenty of fun things to do and see during this time, but we’re going to keep that a surprise!

Between 8:30 and 8:45 (on Saturday) organizers and volunteers will start directing all attendees toward the main room for opening remarks before our keynote speaker, Mika Epstein (@Ipstenu) takes the stage.

The Speakers, The Sessions

With forty-eight (that’s right, 48!) different speaker sessions on offer, there’s something for everyone, from the newest users to the consummate WordPress pro. The speakers will be in four different rooms, yet there’s plenty of time to travel between sessions.

You can attend ANY session you choose, on any subject, no matter your WordPress proficiency and skill set.

Each speaker will present for 30 minutes, leaving 15 minutes for Q&A and discussion before you have to make your way to your next session.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions and engage in the conversation. None of our speakers bite!

And don’t worry if you have to choose between two or more sessions during a given time slot. You’ll be able to access the video and the slides from any presentation after the event. Keep your eye on this site for updates and links!

Lunch!

A delicious lunch is served each day, promptly at noon. You can sit at the tables in the main room or you can mix and mingle amidst the sponsors and organizers.

Happiness Bar

No, it doesn’t serve drinks. It serves up answers to your pressing WordPress questions. The area will be staffed by volunteers ready and able to assist you with your design, development, plug-in, theme and any other WordPress needs. Don’t be shy.

After Party In The Sidebar!

This is for everyone! All attendees welcome. Read this to get up to speed on all after party details.

Have Fun And LEARN!

Above all else, we hope you come away from our event feeling like you’re firmly entrenched in the wonderful WordPress community! WordPress is certainly wonderful, but it’s the people who use it, who are enthusiastic and always ready to talk about it, that make it really awesome!

You’re now one of those people! You’re a WordCamp attendee and you’re a key part of our community!

Did we miss anything?

We hope we’ve managed to give you, especially any of our first time attendees, a sense of the event. But if we missed something, we’re happy to answer your questions pre-event. Pop your question into a comment and one of our organizers will be back in touch ASAP.

You’ve probably seen it tacked on to the end of a tweet, or rounding out a caption on Instagram. Short, sweet, easily searched and meant to keep us all up to date on the latest news and how-tos, #WCATL is the official WordCamp Atlanta hashtag.

But what exactly is an event hashtag? Is there a proper way to use it? A best practice?

What is a hashtag?

We’re sorry if this is seems rather obvious to any of our regular attendees, but better safe than sorry. A hashtag is a word or short phrase, prefaced with the number or pound sign, that allows social media users to search a specific theme, topic or – in our case  – any post pertaining to an event.

Plug that hashtag into the search field on your favorite social media platform and you’ll see any posts which contain the hashtag. Some social media platforms are more hashtag friendly than others. They’re especially popular on Twitter and Instagram. We’re using the #WCATL hashtag prominently on both of those platforms

Hashtags & Community

We want our attendees to come away from Wordcamp with a lot more than an increase in their design or development knowledge. We want you to come away feeling like part of our active and engaged community.

Using the #WCATL hashtag before, during and after the event helps keep the community thriving. It’s a great way to participate in the continuing conversation.

Where & How To Use #WCATL Online

The WordCamp Atlanta community is especially active on Twitter and Facebook at present. We’re actively using the hashtag on Twitter and on our new Instagram account. We’ve started a twice-daily search using the hashtag on Facebook and Google+, so if you’ve mentioned the event on either of those social media platforms, we’ll see it.

Have questions leading up to the event? Pop #WCATL into a tweet and an event organizer, speaker or repeat attendee will see it and one or more answers will come your way.

We absolutely love it when you share your excitement during the event, too. We will be monitoring the hashtag closely all three days, though it’s best to ask time sensitive questions of a volunteer, as the hashtag use is hot and heavy during the event, and we can’t guarantee we can respond to each use with a response.

We want to see your event photos. So add that hashtag when you share them to your Facebook and Instagram feeds! Seeing your smiling faces and knowing you’re enjoying the event makes all of the planning and preparations so very worthwhile.

Keeping Up With New Connections!

The event hashtag doesn’t go away after the last session closes. It’s a powerful tool for keeping up with all of the wonderful people you meet at the event and it’s also a great way to share what you learned with those who weren’t able to attend.

Event organizers and the social media team will certainly keep using #WCATL to share videos, articles and more and we hope you will, too.

Let’s start the conversation now!

We can’t wait to see you in less than two weeks. Let us know what you’re looking forward to most! Share your pre-event thoughts with us by tacking #WCATL to your tweets and other social media posts. We’ll look for them and for you, online!

No WordCamp would be complete without an amazing after party, and WordCamp Atlanta is having ours in the Sidebar from 5:00 pm-9:00 pm. Rather appropriate, don’t you agree?

An after party is more than eating and drinking – it’s also having fun with friends, networking, and making new connections. And you need to be there!

Immediately after the conference day ends on Saturday, come straight – make NO detours – to the official #WCATL Networking After Party at Bassment – downstairs at Sidebar (directions below).

There are several $4 parking decks within a block of Sidebar. The distance from Loudermilk is walkable, yet I personally would hesitate to walk back alone in the evening. Lyft and Uber are always an option.

Bring Your Attendee Badge
You Will Not Be Able To Gain Entrance Without It!

There will be appetizers—Hot-zarella sticks, potato skins, wings, and a cash bar. Sidebar (upstairs) offers a full menu of soups, salads, pizza, sandwiches, burgers if you want to enjoy additional choices.

After Party Location
Sidebar, Private Entrance
79 Poplar Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30303
(map) (pdf)

REMEMBER!!!
Bring Your Attendee Badge
You Will Not Be Able To Gain Entrance Without It!