WordCamp Chicago set for May 2020

Save The Date: One of the midwest’s largest, independently organized WordPress gatherings in May 2020.  

CHICAGO:  May 2 – 3, 2020, the WordPress community will converge at the UIC Dorin Forum for WordCamp Chicago 2020, one of the largest locally-organized WordCamps in the United States. 

Taking place on the campus of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in the Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum, this camp will build upon the tradition of high-quality WordPress speakers from across a variety of cutting-edge topics with plenty of networking opportunities, WordPress help, and unofficial “hallway” tracks.   

“WordCamp Chicago 2020 is going to be a great experience for attendees at almost any level,” said Becky Davis, the camp’s lead organizer and the organizer of the Chicago Northside WordPress Community Meetup. “This year, the volunteer organizing team is a collaboration among the Chicago area WordPress and web meetups and this allows us to combine our event organizing experience to help us put on a great two-day event that only costs $50 to attend.”   

Located just minutes from downtown Chicago, the UIC Dorin Forum where WordCamp Chicago will take place is located at the intersection of Roosevelt Rd and Halsted St in the city’s vibrant Near West Side. 

You could say it’s sandwiched (pun intended) between two iconic and popular foodie neighborhoods, including Tayor Street’s “Little Italy” for a classic Chicago beef sandwich, Halsted’s Greek Town for a gyro sandwich – which was introduced to the U.S. in Chicago.  But food is not the only reason to visit Chicago this spring, the local WordPress scene continues to expand and Chicago is one of the easiest and most affordable “big city” destinations to reach with two international airports, Amtrak’s rail hub and local commuter transportation in and out of the city. Plus plenty of nearby onsite parking lots for those who prefer to drive and park for the day.    

“We welcome everyone to WordCamp Chicago as it’s something you don’t want to miss,” said Davis. “Join us in May, visit with the local Chicago WordPress community and experience all Chicago has to offer while you’re here.”  

While Chicago definitely has its own deep bench of WordPress and web experts, in January a global call for speakers will go out to select from some of the most interesting and useful topics for users and contributors today.  

“We’re looking for a diverse set of speaker applications from a variety of areas such as business development, blogging, user-experience design, programming and more to fill two or more speaker tracks,” said Keanan Koppenhaver a volunteer organizer and lead of the 2020 speaker lineup.  “In the end, I’m sure we will end up with distinguished lineup speakers from both local and outside the Chicago area that will create a variety of interesting WordPress topics that you won’t want to miss.”   

A hotel block will be announced in 2020 after a contract is finalized.   

Get Involved with WordCamp Chicago!

The following is a tentative timeline for the calls for sponsors, speakers, and ticket on-sale timeline:  

• Call for Sponsors: NOW – Space is limited, so contact us today to reserve your sponsorship.
• Call for Speakers:  January 1, 2020
• Ticket on sale: February 1, 2020
• Call for Volunteers: March 15, 2020

Follow the event’s official social media channels for timeline updates, notifications and new announcements.  Tickets for WordCamp Chicago will sell out quickly, don’t delay! 

Facebook: https://facebook.com/wordcampchicago

Twitter  https://twitter.com/wordcampchicago

Email: https://2020.chicago.wordcamp.org/