Why attend the WPCampus Conference?

tldr; It’s the first and only conference focused solely on the use of WordPress in higher education. You’ll learn a ton of stuff, expand your network, and be close to the beach.

But seriously…

What you’ll get out of the conference

• Oodles of knowledge – check out our schedule and you might just have trouble narrowing down the list of sessions you want to attend. With over 30 sessions packed into 2 solid days of learning and fun, you’re bound to find presentations on subjects dear to your heart, as well as some that are completely foreign to you. Hone your current skillset or branch out in a few new directions too, all while staying focused on using WordPress in an educational setting. The majority of our presenters work in higher education or with higher ed teams – we’re light on vendors and heavy on folks just like you.
• Networking – meeting other web professionals from around the country can be invaluable and can provide you with a team of like-minded colleagues and experts to collaborate and consult with long into the future. With attendance capped at 200, you’ll have time to connect rather than just getting lost in the crowd.
• Tons of fun – join us for our big social event Saturday night and spend your coffee and dining breaks socializing with your newfound friends.

How to justify the cost to your boss

1. Scour the schedule.

   Decide which sessions you want to attend. With a wide variety of topics, you should be able to choose several key sessions that cover topics that are important to your boss and your institution (along with a mixture of other sessions for personal enrichment). Be specific and show your supervisor how these sessions will help you meet your strategic goals.

   If someone will need to cover for you while you’re out of the office, reach out and arrange that tentatively so your boss will know you’ve already got your responsibilities covered.

2. Stress the ROI.

   The more you know, the more valuable you are to your institution – especially in the field of technology, where everything changes rapidly. You can never stop learning, and this is a great opportunity for personal enrichment. It wouldn’t hurt to mention that the registration fee is only $99 – a fraction of the cost of most conferences. You can even double up by sharing a hotel room and shuttle rides to further whittle the cost down.

   Not only will you return from the conference with a lot of great new ideas and advice from people in similar situations, you’re bound to meet some folks who can help you into the future. Having a network of colleagues to bounce ideas off of can prevent you from reinventing the wheel – you can reach out to the community and find out what’s already been tried. Or you may happen across a vendor you’ve never heard of who can fill a critical role.

   It won’t hurt to throw in a comparison. Find a two-day advanced WordPress course near you and see how much it costs. It’s likely that registering for that one course is more expensive than your travel expenses and WPCampus registration combined. Then remind your supervisor that the local course would teach you about WordPress in general, while at WPCampus, everything you learn will be directly applicable to higher education, and you can custom-pick sessions that speak to your exact needs.

3. Bring it on home.

   Let your supervisor know you’ll commit to delivering a post-conference briefing for your team, so they can all benefit from what you’ve learned. Take detailed notes throughout the conference, especially if someone presents a case study similar to a situation your organization is going through. It’s important to show your boss that he or she made the right choice in allowing you to attend.

We hope you’re as excited as we are to attend the inaugural WPCampus Conference. We understand that schedule conflicts, budgetary concerns, and the limited number of tickets will mean that not everyone who’d like to come will attend, so stay tuned for possible live-streaming options or recorded sessions.