Packing For WordCamp

Speaking from experience, WordCamps are a lot of fun. Whether it’s your first WordCamp or your fiftieth, it pays to be prepared. We’ve had a lot of people ask about what they need to bring and what we’re providing.

Provided

With that in mind, we’ve got the following covered for you:

  • Your registration
    If you registered for a ticket and received a confirmation email, you’re in our system. You don’t need to print out a receipt — we’ll have your name and t-shirt size on our master list
  • Badges
    Everyone will have a badge with their name on it, for easy identification. The badges also have a master schedule printed on them for easy reference.
  • Official t-shirts
    Everyone who registered by October 8th was included in our t-shirt order. We will have extras for late registrations, albeit in a limited range of sizes.
  • Internet access
    Every badge will have a wifi username and password printed on it which will allow you to get online throughout the day. MiFi’s and tethering shouldn’t be necessary, though you certainly may bring your devices.
  • Power aplenty
    Temple’s Alter Hall has many amenities, including power outlets at (practically) every classroom seat. You shouldn’t need to worry about having your devices go all day without a charge.
  • A light morning snack/breakfast
  • A light afternoon snack

Not Provided

Due to various factors (budget, logistics, etc.), we unfortunately aren’t providing the following:

  • Lunch
    There are multiple options for food in the area. I will address these in a follow-up blog post.
  • Note-taking materials
    If you feel most comfortable taking notes with plain old pen and paper, feel free to bring your own.
  • Shuttles/transportation
  • Validated parking

Recommendations

So what should you bring? WordCamp is a fairly laid-back affair. With four speaker tracks, there is plenty of content to consume. You’re not locked in to a single track, though — feel free to float between sessions and catch the speakers that interest you. Additionally, we will have a Happiness Bar, where volunteers who are well-acquainted with WordPress and its inner workings can help you with your various questions. With this in mind, you should consider bringing

  • Note-taking equipment  
    Whether you prefer pen and paper or a keyboard, bring along something to jot down notes, tips, Twitter usernames and questions.  There’s a lot to keep track of and anything you can refer back to will help you stay abreast.
  • A laptop, tablet, or smartphone
    If you’re someone who wants to stay connected while at WordCamp, feel free to bring your devices and take notes, Tweet or blog.
  • Your web hosting information
    If you’re looking for answers, tips or tricks and you want someone at the Happiness bar to help, have this information handy so that we can assist you, live and in person.
  • A local WordPress install on your laptop
    If you’re interested in trying out the tips, tricks and best practices our speakers will be handing out like Halloween candy, please have a local install of WordPress ready to experiment on. Instructions on how to do so can be found on the WordPress Codex.

If you have any other questions, feel free to hit us up on Twitter (@WordCampPhilly) and we’ll get you sorted out.

See you all tomorrow!

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