Jetpack is like the swiss army knife of WordPress. And they are bringing all of their multi-tool goodness to the attendees of WordCamp Houston! We’re excited to have them as a gold sponsor and know you’re going to enjoy checking out their tools.
From our sponsor:
Jetpack is a powerful collection of security and performance tools made for WordPress sites by the WordPress experts.
Proven security tools keep your site backed up, online, and hack-free.
Fast-loading pages mean happier visitors.
Everything in a single package — so you can focus on your business.
Learn how Jetpack helps you secure and speed up your site at jetpack.com.
As we wait or can’t wait for May, as the case may be, there are WordPress events happening near you that you can attend!
Although Houston is a HUGE city, all WordPress Meetups fall under The Houston WordPress Meetup Group. Depending on where you’re located, you can meet other WordPressers in your area.
Heights Meetup
In which area of Houston does this happen? In the Heights, which is located inside I-610, north of I-10, and west of I-45
When is it? The first Wednesday of every month
What do they talk about? Past topics include, but are not limited to:
Setting up a Fast, Scalable and Robust WordPress Installation on AWS
Is it worth it to use a Page Builder?
Technical Visual Design Suggestions for Your Awesome Website
SEO for WooCommerce
Plugins that help you master Pinterest!
NEW! Digital Meetup
In which area of Houston does this happen? Wherever you are!
When is it? The third Thursday of every month
What do they talk about? This meetup covers what you need to know when you’re new to WordPress. The recurring topic is For Those Who Asked for Help on “Everything.”
Sugar Land WordPress Meetup
In which area of Houston does this happen? Southwest, in Fort Bend County
When is it? The fourth Thursday of every month
What do they talk about? Past topics include, but are not limited to:
How To Make an eCommerce Website with WooCommerce
Your Marketing Plan for 2020!
All Business Professionals Must Hunt (But No One Likes to Be Targeted)
Email Automation With Active Campaign
Zapier and Automation – Getting started with Universal App Connector
The Woodlands WordPress Meetup
In which area of Houston does this happen? North, in Shenandoah
When is it? Various Saturdays NOTE: Nothing upcoming is scheduled at this time, but keep your eyes open!
What do they talk about? Past topics include, but are not limited to:
Setting Up Security on your WordPress Website
Backing Up and Migrating with WP All-In-One Migration
Let’s Talk About Drag and Drop Page Builders
Let’s Talk Chatbots, SSLs, and Trends in WordPress
If you haven’t already, subscribe to our updates so you never miss the latest information about WordCamp Houston.
Show us that you’re as excited for WordCamp Houston as we are by using the hashtag #WCHOU in your WordCamp Houston posts. Be sure to find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Prepare yourself, WordCamp goers. The WordCamp Houston 2020 call for volunteers is officially open! Our WordCamp, like all other WordCamps around the world, is 100% run by volunteers.
Read the details below and learn how to join our stellar volunteering team!
Perks
Here are all the great perks you’ll get as a volunteer:
Comp and Discount Tickets to the event, based on availability and volunteer hours.
An inside look at the planning stages of the event.
The opportunity to meet speakers, attendees, and vendors.
After-parties with other organizers and attendees.
Copious amounts of high-fives and thank-yous from the organizers.
Areas of Volunteering
As currently planned, volunteer duties will include the following:
Registration – Check-in registered attendees and hand out name tags with WordCamp t-shirts.
Swag Table – (“Stuff We All Get”!) handout all the goodies provided by our sponsors.
Food and Snacks – Keep food service orderly and ensure that snacks are provided.
Clean-up Helper – Follow up with hotel personnel and clean up messes (mess happens!).
Conference Room Helper – Make sure rooms are clean and have enough seating and assist attendees.
Speaker Helper – Introduce speakers and ensure that their talk starts and ends on time; help speakers with equipment and presentations as needed.
Sponsor Desk Help – Assist sponsors making sure they have their assigned space, as well as tables, chairs, and any electrical needs.
AV (Audio Visual) and Technical Help – Set up video and sound equipment and record talks. You should have at least a basic knowledge of electronics and AV equipment for this assignment.
Happiness Bar – Help other WordPress users with their websites.
Takedown – After the event, taking everything down and making sure the venue is clear of event materials, tables, swag, as well as any other rubbish/debris.
After-party – Receive and assist attendees at the after-party venue.
Requirements
TIME We try to ask only for a few hours of help from each of our volunteers during the event, and your availability will help us cover all of our bases. You should be available during the day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 10th, 2020.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to our updates so you never miss the latest information about WCHOU.
Show us that you’re as excited for WordCamp Houston as we are by using the hashtag #WCHOU in your WordCamp Houston posts. Be sure to find us on Twitter and Facebook.
We look forward to working with you to help make WordCamp Houston 2020 a success! For other details, check out the Call for Volunteers page or click on the button below to go directly to the volunteer application.
I think it’s safe to say he’s been fully embraced worldwide with Wapuu swag showing up around the globe in many different forms. From pins to stickers to plush toys, it’s not at all uncommon to see Wapuu around when there are WordPressers present.
We are excited to share with you WordCamp Houston’s own version of Wapuu! Meet our very own Wapuunaut!
An image of WCHOU’s Wapuunaut
Wapuunaut • noun Pronounced: WAH – poo – not Definition: a Wapuu who travels beyond the earth’s atmosphere
Houston is well known as the Space City, and the WordCamp Houston organizers are fully embracing our location across the street (literally!) from Johnson Space Center, home of manned space flight. We wanted our Wapuu to represent our resilient city and the brave people who surround us every day.
As John F. Kennedy once said, “Man [and woman], in his[/her] quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred.”
You’ll see the WordCamp Houston Wapuu around the venue in many different forms and hope he will remind you of the fantastic experience you had during the event.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to our updates so you never miss the latest information about WCHOU.
Show us that you’re as excited for WordCamp Houston as we are by using the hashtag #WCHOU in your WordCamp Houston posts. Be sure to find us on Twitter and Facebook.
This post’s featured image caption: Space Shuttle at Johnson Space Center, Photo courtesy of Space Center Houston
“Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
“Houston, we have a problem.”
Famous words uttered from outer space with one thing in common. Houston.
Maybe it’s clear why Houston carries the nickname of “Space City.” Or maybe not.
On September 12, 1962, then-president John F. Kennedy delivered his monumental speech announcing the country’s plan to send a man to the moon. The speech took place at Houston’s Rice University and gave NASA’s Apollo program a clear mission, and a need to expand!
Not far from the stadium where Kennedy stood, the Humble Oil and Gas company donated approximately 1,000 acres of land to the University. This land would soon be the new home of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC).
Mission Control Center, photograph by Heather B.
While space vehicles are launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, all manned spaceflight for the United States are coordinated and monitored from the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center in Houston. Which is why most communication from astronauts begin with the word “Houston…”
Neutral Buoyancy Lab, photograph by Heather B.
Houston is also home to the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL). The NBL is a 6.2 million gallon swimming pool (essentially) filled with mock-ups of the International Space Station (ISS) and other space vehicles. This is the place where astronauts from around the world come to practice for upcoming spacewalks. This is the closest way to experience the weightlessness they’ll be working in while at the ISS.
If you’ve ever wondered where the astronauts go after they land back on earth, the answer is… you guessed it, Houston. They’ll spend some time reacclimating to the effects of gravity from special housing on the JSC campus.
While you’re here for WordCamp Houston, you’ll inevitably pass by one of the many gates to Johnson Space Center. Above each gate flies six flags representing the nations of the current astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
You can’t go in those gates, but you can visit Space Center Houston next door for all things NASA. Rocket park houses a full-size Saturn V rocket, there are tram tours of special buildings on the JSC property (including mission control), and you can explore inside a Space Shuttle replica. Coming soon, one of the first reusable rockets, a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster will be on exhibit as well.
Houston has fully embraced it’s Space City moniker. After all, we are also home to the Astros major league baseball team, Rockets professional basketball team and an astronaut themed McDonald’s (look for it on your left as you’re driving in).
WordCamp Houston’s very own Wapuunaut
All kidding aside, Houston is very proud of our space-related heritage, and it’s one reason why you’ll see lots of space-related elements at WordCamp — from our website to our Wapuunaut to our venue and session space. We hope you enjoy the view!
To infinity and beyond!
If you haven’t already, subscribe to our updates so you never miss the latest information about WCHOU.
Show us that you’re as excited for WordCamp Houston as we are by using the hashtag #WCHOU in your WordCamp Houston posts. Be sure to find us on Twitter and Facebook.
It’s been almost 10 years since WordCamp last took place in Houston. The organizing team is extremely excited to announce that we are now accepting speaker applications for the big return.
We are looking for speakers from lots of different backgrounds, on a wide variety of topics.
Each talk should be approximately 45 minutes long with time included for questions from the audience. It can be any format: how-to, panel discussion, case study, and more. Topics should appeal to developers, designers, bloggers, business owners, community organizers, newbies, oldies, or anyone in between.
Prior experience is not necessary! If you’ve got WordPress related information to share, but you’ve never spoken at a WordCamp before, that’s ok. We’re looking for speakers from all backgrounds and all experience levels.
Need some inspiration to get those topic ideas flowing? This list is not comprehensive. If it relates to WordPress, we’re interested!
Categories to Speak About
Security
Development
Design/UX
Business development
Content
Specific Ideas
Scaling & performance
Front-end technologies including JavaScript
Working with the Customizer
Working with taxonomies & terms
Automated testing
The WordPress REST API
Turning your plugin into a business
Development tools, including dev environments, dependencies, and deployment
Specific plugins (like BuddyPress, WooCommerce)
DevOps
Best practices when building WordPress websites
How to choose themes/plugins
Backing up and restoring WordPress sites
Security 101
Theme design
UX trends for 2020
Going from freelancing to building a team
Dealing with clients
Pricing
Customer support
Business models
Contributing as a non-coder
Personal stories
How to start a meetup
Content strategy
Blogging/writing
Multilingual content
Mental health & well-being
Working remotely
Workflow and optimization of personal/team productivity
Open-source & licensing
Accessibility
Whew! Hopefully, your creative juices are flowing now. Put your pen to paper (or keyboard to digital paper) and write down all of those brilliant ideas you’re having. Narrow it down to a few and start planning your submission.
You can submit more than one talk. You’ll just need a title and description (write these to entice the audience to attend), plus your own bio, and you’ll be ready to submit.
Call for speakers closes on February 29th, so get your talk submitted before Leap Day. The committee will evaluate the submissions, choose the ones that best fit the needs of the event and notify you mid to late March if you’ve been accepted.
We can’t wait to see what you’re going to talk about at WordCamp Houston 2020!
Tickets are $50, and they cover all two days of programming, including, but not limited to:
Free lunch on Saturday & Sunday plus light refreshments.
Admission to the Saturday evening party (Location TBA).
Official WordPress and WordCamp Houston 2020 swag, plus access to the Sponsor Hall where many offer additional swag and contests.
All tickets sold after 5/01/20 at 6:45 pm CST no longer include a printed badge — you will have to write-in at registration. WordCamp Houston 2020 swag might be available Saturday, but swag is not guaranteed with late tickets.
If you offer a product or service you think would benefit the Houston WordCamp community, consider purchasing a Community Sponsor ticket. For $150, you get all of the items for general tickets, as well as:
Small logo and link on WordCamp Houston website
Acknowledgment in post-camp email to attendees
Recognition at starting and closing remarks on each day of the event
Our venue is at Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake, located at 3000 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058. Reserve a room to make your WordCamp day commute just a few minutes long.
We are still accepting speakers! To be considered for WordCamp Houston 2020 programming, submit the Speaker Application before Saturday, February 29, 2020!
What else is happening?
We will open a call for volunteers later in February. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our updates so you never miss information.
Are you excited?!
Show us you’re excited for WordCamp Houston by using the hashtag #WCHOU in your WordCamp Houston posts. Be sure to find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Mark your calendars now, WordCamp is coming back to Houston after a 10-year hiatus.
May 9-10, 2020 at Hilton Houston NASA
And yes, it’s going to be out of this world!
Your organizing committee is busy putting together a fantastic list of speakers, sponsors, parties and more! Plan now to be a part of the return of WordCamp Houston.
Tickets will be available in February of 2020. Watch the website and our social media pages for updates. Not following us on social media? Check us out on Twitter (#WCHOU) and Facebook.
Hotel rooms are available at our host hotel. The Hilton Houston NASA is a beautiful full-service hotel right on the shores of Clear Lake and across the street from Johnson Space Center, home of manned space flight. We’ve arranged for a special WordCamp rate of $109 per night, available online or by calling the hotel and using code “WCH.”
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Show your support for the Houston WordPress community and get in front of your ideal audience. Learn more about our sponsorship options and start the process at our Sponsor page.
Can’t wait to see YOU at WordCamp Houston!
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