Category Archives: attendee info

Important Attendee Information for WCMKE

The following has also been sent as an email to all attendees

We are just a few days away from WordCamp Milwaukee! Here is some information to help you navigate your way around the event.

The first thing we want you to remember is that WordCamp isn’t your typical business conference. We like to have fun and look to provide a relaxed atmosphere. We don’t want to see you in any business attire, most attendees will probably be wearing t-shirts and shorts (It’s July and it’s hot!). You will also find a bunch of fun extras here that you wouldn’t expect to see in your typical “Conference”.
Are you ready yet?
It’s not long to go now until WordCamp MKE and we hope you are ready for a weekend of fun and learning! If you didn’t spot it, the full schedule for WordCamp MKE has now been published. https://2014.milwaukee.wordcamp.org/schedule/

Pre-WordCamp Meetup

If you are in town on Thursday, we invite you out to our normal monthly meetup. This month we are having it on a special day to lead into WordCamp MIlwaukee. At 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 24, we will be meeting at our normal Location, C2 Graphics (http://c2gps.com), at 222 E Erie St, Suite 330, Milwaukee, WI.

This is just south of our venue and within walking distance to downtown hotels and the venue. We will be having a meet & greet and a “Help a Friend” session where we can ask questions and help each other out with our WordPress problems. It will be a relaxed session concentrating on allowing everyone to get to know each other before the weekend.

Pizza and beverages will be available thanks to C2 Graphics. There is free street parking in the area after 6:00 PM and multiple parking garages in the area. A ticket to WordCamp is not needed to attend the meetup, but we do ask you to join our Meetup group and RSVP here: [http://www.meetup.com/Milwaukee-WordPress-MeetUp/events/189613382/]

Parking & Directions

WordCamp Milwaukee will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education. This is located on the 7th Floor of the Plankinton Building of the Grand Avenue mall in Downtown Milwaukee above the TJ Maxx Store. The address is 161 W Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 6000, Milwaukee, WI.

Ample parking is available in the Grand Avenue Mall Parking Structure on Plankinton Avenue and Michigan Street. Parking for attendees will cost $6 per day. There are also various other parking structures and metered street parking available in the area. Additional parking and venue details can be found here. https://2014.milwaukee.wordcamp.org/location/

If arriving from the parking structure, enter the Plankinton Building/Grand Avenue Mall and cross the Rotunda to the elevators on the north side of the building (closest to Wisconsin Avenue). Take the elevators to the seventh floor.

Check-in

We will have a full slate of presentations scheduled on varying WordPress topics with four different tracks going throughout the day. When you arrive, please check-in at the registration desk where you will receive your badge. You do not need to print any tickets to gain admission. We will be checking you in with our registration database at the event.

You will receive badges at check-in. These badges will have some valuable information inside including the schedule, map of the venue, and will be used for admission to the After-Party.

If you are in need of any assistance at the event, visit the registration desk or find one of the volunteers in a green shirt. If they can not answer your question, they will direct you to the organizing team for help.

Friday – Check-in begins at 7:30 AM and workshops begin at 8:00am.
Saturday – Check-in begins at 8:00 AM, Opening Remarks start at 9AM, and sessions start at 9:30
Sunday – Check-in begins at 9:00 AM and sessions start at 9:30AM.

Food

We will be serving coffee, water, and some snacks throughout the day. Lunch will be provided at noon on Friday and at 12:30 on Saturday/Sunday. There will be vegetarian options available and we will try to accommodate other requests based on health needs.

After-Party Networking Social

The event After-Party Networking Social will begin at 6:00 p.m Saturday, July 26 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center in the Monarch Lounge (http://www.hiltonmilwaukee.com/downtown-milwaukee-dining/monarch-lounge.asp).

This is a great place to get to know the speakers and other attendees even better. There will be appetizers and light fare available as well as a cash bar. Miller/Coors will also be in attendance providing samples of some of their newest products.

The after-party is about a 6-minute walk from the venue and close to all downtown all hotels. After-party attendees are welcome to remain at the adjacent Miller Time Pub for further networking following the party. The address of the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is 509 W Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI. Be sure to bring your event badge to the party, as this is the only way you will gain entrance.

General Admission Tickets

If you purchased one of our General Admission tickets, you are entitled to attending all events on Saturday and Sunday including our After-Party Networking Event. You are also welcome to help out in our Charity Hackathon on Friday. If your ticket only says General Admission, you can not attend one of our Foundation Friday Workshops. More information on our General Sessions can be found in the What to Expect Section below.

Foundation Friday Workshops

If you purchased one of our Foundation Friday Workshops and your ticket says the name of your workshop + General Admission, you are entitled to attend all events on Saturday/Sunday plus the workshop you signed up for on Friday. These workshops are limited in attendees so we can offer a more personal learning environment. Because of this, we can not allow people to hop between workshops or change workshops on the day of the event.

We will be serving coffee, water, and snacks in the morning and a lunch at noon. All rooms will have chairs and tables for the attendees. We suggest that you bring a laptop with, so you can follow along, as portions of the workshop will be interactive. Power outlets are available in the rooms, but may be limited. We will try to provide power to as many people as possible on Friday.

Saturday/Sunday Sessions

Sessions are 45 minutes long (including Q&A) with 15 minute breaks in between.
The “Law of Two Feet” prevails. If you are not getting what you would like from a session, go to a different one or head to the happiness bar or chat in the hallway.
You may want to think about skipping a session or two. It’s totally okay! Sometimes the best thing you can do is chat with someone in the hallway or at the Happiness Bar. 🙂

Charity Hackathon

On Friday, during the day of the event, we will be working with a local non-profit organization to build a brand new website for their cause. This year, we are working with My Sista’s KeepHer, who will be in attendance to work along with attendees to create a website in one day. This activity is open to all attendees, so we would love for you to come out and attend. Just come to the venue during the day on Friday and we will direct you to the Hackathon to help out. We will begin work shortly after the day starts at 8:00 am and continue through the day. Work may be done at both the UWM SoCE and the Bucketworks Co-working Space on the second floor of the building. A profile of the non-profit and what we want to accomplish will be posted prior to the event.

Happiness Bar

The Happiness Bar will be open Saturday/Sunday where many WordPress experts can help you with your questions. Be sure to take some time to talk to these volunteers and see if they can help out with your website problem or just give you a better idea of how WordPress works.

Volunteers

Most volunteers and organizers will be wearing green shirts. Organizers are indicated on their badges. Please flag one of these people down if you are in need of any help. You can also visit the registration table for help during the event. If one of the volunteers can not answer your question, they will be able to direct you to one of the organizers who can.

Sponsors

Sponsors will be in attendance and have tables with swag and product information and many will be giving presentations at the event. Please take some time to say hi to them and thank them for sponsoring the event. Without their generosity, we would not be able to have this event.

WiFi and Technology

WiFi will be available at the venue. Connection information will be posted at the venue and in each session room. You are encouraged to bring a laptop to the event to take notes and work along with the presenters. There will be tables in the rooms for the Friday Workshops, but due to the number of attendees in every room on Saturday/Sunday we will not be able to have tables. Power will be limited in each room, so be sure to charge your battery beforehand.

Code of Conduct

Please be sure to review our code of conduct. We want to provide a welcoming environment for all people. This code applies to all attendees, speakers, sponsors, and volunteers. If you are found to violate this, you may be asked to leave the event. View the code of conduct here: https://2014.milwaukee.wordcamp.org/code-of-conduct/