Interview with WordCamp US 2017 Organizers Dustin Meza and Laura Byrne-Cristiano

While at WordCamp Europe I had the opportunity to interview Dustin Meza, lead organizer of WordCamp US 2017, and Laura Byrne-Cristiano, who is part of the marketing team for the event. The two are members of a 20-person team of organizers who will welcome an estimated 2,500 attendees to Nashville in December.

Although the maximum capacity of the Music City Center venue is much higher than what is required by WordCamp US, the organizers want to make judicious use of the event's resources to put on the best possible event for those who make the effort to attend."At the end of the day, it's going to be the right size for the event," Byrne-Cristiano said. "You could say, 'Hey, we want 10,000 people, but that's not the right size for the event. The right size is probably somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500. The venue can do more than that, but I don't know that that's the main goal. Bigger isn't always better. Your main goal is the best event and quality for the people who are already there."

Meza said he considers WordCamp US to be the premier event for North America and that it is there to represent the communities located in this area. He couldn't share the full details of the unique things they are working on, but organizers plan to display and exhibit more information about the the various WordPress communities throughout North America.

In the interview below, Meza and Byrne-Cristiano share a little bit about why they believe Nashville was selected and how welcoming the city is for people from different cultures. "No matter where in the world you are coming from, there's a place for you at WordCamp US," Byrne-Cristiano said.

"This is, by far, the best technology community I have ever been apart of, seeing how much everyone involved embraces new people – to me that is the big reason why I got involved," Meza said. "I want to give this community the best event that we possibly can."