A Giant Thank You to #WCPWM17 Sponsors

We want to give a giant thank you to this year’s WordCamp Portland, ME sponsors and all who have contributed. Your support of the WordPress community has allowed this event to return for it’s 4th year in Portland, Maine.

Check them out below or say hi during #WCPWM17!

Gold
Silver
Bronze
Vacationland
Casco Bay
Peaks Island
In-Kind
Individual Sponsors

Introducing WordCamp Portland, ME 2017’s Wapuu!

What is a Wapuu?

A member of the Japanese WordPress community, Kazuko Kaneuchi, set out to design a WordPress mascot in 2011. Her wapuu design is now the official mascot of WordPress and variations have emerged worldwide.

Meet #WCPWM17’s Wapuu

On a warm afternoon in May, little Wapuu Moose was spotted wandering East End Beach in Portland, Maine. Nobody quite knows how he arrived, but it seems he’s admiring the view.

WordCamp Portland, Maine 2017 Wapuu

Automattician and WordCamp Portland, ME organizer Stephen Quirk created the version above for this year’s event. In previous years, we’ve featured a fisher and prey wapuu as well as a lumberjack wapuu.

When Wapuu Moose isn’t taking long walks on the beach, you’ll find him at WordCamp Portland, ME – which is where you should be too! Get your tickets here.

Keynote Speaker: K. Adam White

This year we look forward to hearing from K. Adam White as our keynote speaker!

Keynote Speaker: KAdam

K. Adam White is a Senior Engineer at Bocoup, the open source technology consultancy in Boston, Massachusetts, where he trains teams, writes web applications, contributes to open-source projects, and evangelizes the web as an open platform for technology and collaboration. An artist and enthusiast photographer, K. Adam is also a WordPress core contributor and the Design Lead for the WordPress REST API.

Learn more about Adam’s talk ‘Democratizing Software’ here.

5 Places to See While in Portland, Maine for WCPWM17

Traveling to Portland, Maine for WCPWM17? If you’re planning to join in on the festivities Friday May 26th and Saturday May 27th, you may want to consider extending your stay.

There’s no better excuse than WordCamp Portland, ME to visit one of America’s most liveable cities, home to award winning chefs. Make the case to your employer and take the week off for these must-see spots.

1. Peak’s Island
Photo credit @steinbeckett

One of Portland’s crown jewels, Peak’s Island has beautiful ocean views. Accessing it is quite easy with round-trip ferry tickets under $8. If you’re looking for drink specials, music, and conga lines, check out Reggae Sunday at Jones Landing.

2. The Old Port
Photo credit @sleepytelly

Dining, shopping, coastal views – The Old Port has it all. After dark the area transforms into one of Maine’s few nightlife spots.

3. The Portland Observatory
Photo credit @katastictravels2

Get a bird’s eye view of Portland in this 210-year-old tower. Admission to The Portland Observatory for adults is just $10 and includes a guided tour.

138 Congress Street on Munjoy Hill

4. Craft Beer Breweries
Photo credit @bissellbrothers

If you like craft beer, you’ve come to the right place. Portland, Maine was recently dubbed, “Beer Capital, USA,” in an article by Forbes. Stop by and rub elbows with IPA connoisseurs and hop heads.

Yummy brews:

Liquid Riot Bottling Co.250 Commercial St
Bissell Brothers4 Thompson’s Point #108
Allagash Brewing Company50 Industrial Way

5. The Portland Museum of Art
Photo credit @ptldmuseumofart

The Portland Museum of Art will please almost all art critics. It houses an eclectic mix of art – from marble sculptures, to modern contemporary, to 19th century landscapes. Adult tickets are $15.

7 Congress Square

Whether you’re a Maine native or traveling to Portland from afar – you don’t want to miss it’s many attractions. Most of all, WCPWM17!

Get your tickets here, starting at just $10.

Who should be at WordCamp Portland, ME? You should!

What is WordCamp?

If “camp” brings back memories of cafeteria food and bunk beds, you’ll be relieved to hear that WordCamp Portland, ME is an entirely different kind of camp.

WordCamps are casual conferences focused on all that is WordPress. They’re places to share new ideas, or just sit back and listen to interesting talks. With 75 million sites online powered by WordPress, the WordCamp phenomenon is worldwide.

Still not convinced? If you consider yourself one of the following, it’s time to put WordCamp Portland, ME on your calendar.

Designers.

At the heart of every great WordPress website is a talented designer. Not only will the art around MECA be inspiring, talks on UX will give you new ideas to bring to your next design.

Entrepreneurs.

Many WordCamp talks are centered around business and ideas. As an entrepreneur, you’ll be right at home. If you’re taking a DIY approach for your website, a few practical WordPress tips can make all the difference.

Developers.

It’s a rare sighting – so many experienced developers in one place. Whether you’re interested in learning more about in-browser style guides or WooCommerce customization, WordCamp Portland, ME has got you covered.

Bloggers.

Stuck in a writing slump? Need some inspiration? WordCamps are your godsend. Meet other bloggers and share ideas to step-up your content creation.

Anyone with a WordPress website!

Perhaps you avoid your website’s code and have no idea what CSS or API stands for. That’s okay! You won’t be alone.

If you want to learn more about the inner workings of your website, this is your opportunity to ask questions. There are also plenty of code-free talks for those who would rather leave coding to their developer.

So what are you waiting for? WordCamp Portland, ME 2017 will be held Friday May 26th and Saturday May 27th. Head on over to our ticket page and scoop some up before they’re gone!

Call for Speakers

Do you have something to say about web design and development? How about digital marketing, SEO, blogging or entrepreneurship?

We are looking for speakers for this year’s event – apply now here!

Whatever your expertise, WordCamp is the perfect opportunity to share your WordPress related topic.

We welcome talks of all skill levels, as well as multiple submissions on different topics. If this is your first time applying to speak, check out this post from wordpress.org.

So what are you waiting for? WordCamp wouldn’t be possible without speakers like you!

Welcome to WordCamp Portland, Maine 2017

It’s that time of year again.. Clear your calendar for WordCamp Portland, Maine!

This two day event will take place May 26th and 27th at Maine College of Art (MECA) in Portland.

Remember, we have a limited amount of tickets – get yours now! For updates on WordCamp Portland, Maine, be sure to follow us on social media and use hashtag #wcpwm17.

WordCamp Portland, Maine USA is over. Check out the next edition!