WordCamp Montréal

We’ve updated our schedule page with presention and bio details for all the speakers we’ve confirmed so far, including

• Matt Mullenweg (BBQ)
• Jane Wells (Future of WP)
• Andy Peatling (BuddyPress)
• Brendan Sera-Sriar (FlashPress)
• CT Moore (WPMU)
• Brad Williams (security)
• Mario Asselin (Using BuddyPress).
• Jeremy Clarke [me] will also be presenting on something that isn’t covered by another speaker (WP optimisation or Apache/MySQL tuning probably).

We need more! Help us fill the schedule with useful talks!

We’re freaking thrilled with the speakers so far and IMHO they’d be a great lineup by themselves, but we have two days to fill and we know there are more great minds who know how to make WP sing coming to the event. We want to learn from you and hear what you’ve learned through your experience with WP. Having as many topics as possible ensures that attendees have lots of selection and can choose what they don’t already know. Even if you think your area of expertise isn’t interesting or that its too ‘easy’ or ‘obvious’ don’t worry. There are people who don’t know anything, and we need to help them get started, just as there are those who know the basics but need help getting off the ground.

If you think you can help your WP neighboors please use the Become A Sponsor application form to propose a presentation and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

For those who are 1337 at WordPress but can’t think of what they can present on please consider picking up one of these topics and just presenting and explanation of how people can do it with WP. Everyone loves an educational seminar and its usually the most valuable kind of talk to attend (also makes you look smart!)

We need presenters for:

• Running a bilingual site with wordpress/Translation (plugins, translation strategies)
• Intro to PHP basics for templating (template tags, arguments, using Codex as reference)
• Advanced templating and design (custom fields, loops, template hierarchy hacks, functions.php)
• JQuery for design/WP (theme animations/interactivity)
• Speed/Optimisation seminar (Caching, assessing plugins, optimization plugins, optimizing themes)
• Intro to Apache/MySQL config (understanding servers, editing config files, using terminal/top/ssh, examples of server tuning)
• Intro to plugin creation (using custom plugins to clean up themes, releasing plugins)

Thanks to everyone who has applied already and to those will will Apply Now! If you can’t do a talk then we can’t wait for your participation in the presentations and discussions that will be happening at #wcmtl!

We are thrilled to announce that we will be opening WordCamp Montréal with a special Question and Answers session with Matt Mullenweg, the founder/evil genius behind WordPress, and we want to know what questions you want to hear answered.

Please post your WordPress question (about the past, present or future of Wordpress) in the comments on this post. We will put together a list of the best of them (with some help from the peeps at Automattic) for this special session. Thanks for your help!

Jane Wells too?

In relatedly excellent news, Jane Wells, another Automattic employee and one of the key minds behind the WP 2.7 usability overhaul and community engagement process will also be at WordCamp Montréal. She’ll be presenting about where WP has come since 2.7 and where its headed in the near future.

We’re flattered to have these two celebrity guests at our event, thanks guys!

Timed perfectly (i.e. accidentally) with today’s release of WordPress 2.8 tickets for WordCamp Montreal are now available.

Register now!   Inscrivez-vous!

To keep things simple we are using EventBrite, a site that organizes the process of registering people for your event. Just head over there and the sign up process should be simple. If you have any problems please contact us, we want to see you at WordCamp!

Note for speakers: If you have confirmed that you will be speaking or plan to speak please wait to buy your ticket. Obviously speakers will get free registration and we will give you a discount code for that.

Amazing news. The SAT (google maps) is the coolest, most high-tech venue in Montréal and we’ve confirmed that WordCamp Montréal will be taking place there. When we started planning #wcmtl the SAT had construction slotted during the weekend of July 11-12, but it turns out they are available after all, which is a huge stroke of luck for us! From their site:

Founded in 1996, the Society for Arts and Technology [SAT] is a transdisciplinary centre dedicated to research, creation, production, presentation, education and conservation in the field of digital culture. It brings together creators who work with digital technologies, fostering collaboration among diverse artistic and scientific disciplines, establishing partnerships with industry and educational institutions and promoting its members at home and abroad.

We’re super-excited to be working with them and couldn’t imagine a better place to get down to business about WP. It’s also really big, so we should be able to accomodate as many WordPress fans as want to come.

Now that the venue is confirmed we should be putting up tickets for sale any day now. Stay tuned for updates.