#WPDEVMAG had a pleasure to talk with Stephanie Brinley from WordCamp Jacksonville. She shared with us her experiences, introducing us with the WordPress community in Jacksonville and this year WordCamp Jacksonville 2019. Here is what Stephanie has told us… Enjoy!
Please, introduce us shortly with the WordCamp Jacksonville 2019!?
WordCamp Jacksonville 2019 was our 4th event. We’re the “small, regional camp” compared to our neighbors in Orlando & Miami, FL and Atlanta, GA.
We had over 200 attendees this year. Our organizing team had 14 individuals this year, 39 speakers, and over 20 volunteers.
Are you satisfied with sessions and programs!?
We have a very diverse group of WordCampers that run the gamut from experienced developers to small business owners, to free-lance web designers, and beginning bloggers. We try to offer a good mix of sessions for all these people. The dearth of attendees in the Hallway Track speaks to the quality of our sessions this year.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY: WORDCAMP JACKSONVILLE 2019
Is there anything you will like to highlight as the especially interesting part of this year program?
This year was our 3rd year hosting a KidsCamp. It’s a great place to introduce kids to technology and WordPress. If another camp is interested in hosting a KidsCamp, they can email kids@wordcamp.org.
I was also pleased that we had lots of great sessions for experienced developers.
Tell us more about Jacksonville!? What kind of place it is!?
Jacksonville is located in the Northeast area of Florida, near the Georgia border. We have the St. Johns river running through town and are just down the road from St. Augustine, the oldest city in the continental United States.
Although people think of Florida as a warm vacation spot for tourists, Jacksonville doesn’t quite meet those stereotypes. We actually get cold (down to freezing some years) and don’t have a lot of major tourist destinations.
With multiple military bases in the area, we are more of a military town than a tourist town. In some ways, we’re a hidden gem: we have beautiful beaches and all sorts of wonderful food and local breweries, our local zoo is a delight to visit with a premier tiger and primate exhibits, and all our out-of-town WordCampers say everyone is so friendly and welcoming.
What would be your message (or advice) to the organizers of WordCamps all over the world?
Put together a good, solid team you can count on, and the more you can divide up the jobs, the easier it is for everyone. Visit other WordCamps and “steal” their best ideas while learning from their mistakes.
With good organization and planning, you will have time for some hallway tracks and even some sessions during WordCamp.