WordCamp US is less than a month away and attendees are finalizing their travel plans. In August, organizers were estimating 3,000 attendees on the ground but official numbers are not yet available as tickets continue to sell. A maximum capacity has not been published, because organizers have a great deal of flexibility to expand the event to thousands more if necessary.
“The entire side of the PA Convention Center is ours, and we’re not using all of the spaces that they have,” WordCamp US co-organizer Alx Block said. “The sky is the limit.”
Last week a world-class lineup of speakers was confirmed from a record number of applicants. The team received 600 submissions (up from 231 last year) and accepted less than 10% of them, according to Block.
“I think that WCUS last year really excited a lot of people, and they were interested in being a part of it,” Block said. “We also had quite a bit more time on the speaker applications, since in 2015 we planned the entire conference in just about three months.”
One exciting change this year is that live stream tickets will be free for those who are not able to attend the event. There’s no limit on the number of people who can watch live.
“We really felt like there shouldn’t be a barrier to entry in attending WCUS,” Block said. “It’s the community’s conference, and everyone should be able to ‘attend’ no matter where they physically are. We have some incredible sponsors, and making the live stream free felt like the best move.”
Last year’s live stream tickets included swag from the event, and WCUS 2016 will have commemorative t-shirts for sale in the swag store. In addition to the live stream, all of the sessions will be recorded and uploaded to WordPress.tv. If you are joining by live stream, make sure to reserve your ticket in advance. You can also test your computer for compatibility ahead of the event.
Just signed up for the live stream. Can’t wait!