Author Archives: Steve M

Coming to Raleigh for WordCamp?

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Here’s some visitors information for those of you who haven’t been to our beautiful city before.

We are pleased to be working with the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau to welcome guests to WordCamp Raleigh and to our city. The GRCVB have provided us with lots of information for you our guests and their website www.visitraleigh.com has lots more information.

Raleigh has much to offer any visitor – from great food and world-class museums, to boutique shopping and beautiful parks and gardens. Raleigh is known as the “City of Oaks” because of the high concentration of green space in and around the city. It has an unmistakable southern charm and the history of the area is visible everywhere.

Outside of Raleigh there are 11 fascinating cities and towns that make up the Greater Raleigh area. Each has its own personality and charm, the historic downtown areas and tree-lined streets are some of the best in the state.

There is an abundance of parks and lakes in the area offering scenic walks and recreational activities for all ages both on the land and on the water. The J.C. Raulston Arboretum on the North Carolina State University campus is especially beautiful with over 8 acres and 5,000 species of plants, shrubs and trees on display.

Raleigh is also well-known as a sports city. The city is home to the Carolina Hurricanes National Hockey League Team and winners of the Stanley Cup in the 2005-06 season. The Carolina Railhawks Football Club play out of the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary which is one of the premier soccer complexes in the United States.

North Carolina State University is the home of the NC State Wolfpack which boasts an active and very successful NCAA sports program including the NC State Football Team, ACC Mens Basketball and Womens Basketball Teams. And of course if you’re a college basketball fan then everyone knows that Duke and UNC find their homes here in the Triangle making this the hub for college basketball.

If culture is what you seek then Raleigh has a plethora of museums and performing arts. The NC Museum of Art has just re-opened after receiving a $138 million expansion featuring new galleries and public spaces including 23 Rodin sculptures. There is also the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, the NC Museum of History, and the Marbles Kids Museum.

The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts is home to the Carolina Ballet, the North Carolina Symphony, and the North Carolina Theatre. There is also The Opera Company of North Carolina, the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, and the North Carolina Master Chorale in downtown Raleigh.

For more information and ideas of things to do in and around Raleigh go to www.visitraleigh.com

For a full calendar of events click here.

We hope you enjoy your visit to Raleigh, the City of Oaks!

Special sponsorship opportunities available for WordCamp Raleigh

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WordCamp Raleigh is only a few days away now but we still have some great opportunities for sponsors looking to get their name in front of our guests.

Check out these great sponsorship deals:

Sponsor the internet for the conference!

We are providing wireless access to all attendees for the two days because we know how they love to be online and connected to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and their blogs.  So why not own the internet for a couple of days.

$1,000 will buy you branding of our guest internet access. So if you want your name at the end of the slogan “WordCamp Raleigh internet access sponsored by …..” then contact us today!

Sponsor lunch at WordCamp Raleigh!

Yes that’s right, you can brand the lunch for our guests.

$1,000 will get you brand placement at each table for lunch with a special mention at the conference. So when our guests are sitting down after lunch savoring the great food they just ate they’ll be thinking of you. Contact us today to find out more.

Sponsor the coffee breaks on Saturday!

Do you love your caffeine? Well so do the guests at WordCamp Raleigh.

$750 is all it will take to own the coffee and tea breaks at WordCamp Raleigh. Admit it, that’s what you spent on Caramel Macchiatos this last month. So put your name on the coffee and, because this is North Carolina, the iced tea and get yourself instant promotion.

Sponsor the live video streaming of all speakers sessions!

If you love an audience then we’ve got one for you. Did you know there are over 19 million WordPress users around the world? Unfortunately some of them couldn’t attend our star-studded event this weekend so we decided to stream it live to them across the wondrous web.

$1,000 will get you prime placement on the streamed broadcasts of each session. So you won’t just reach our guests at the event but thousands more all over the world. It’s better than a 30 second ad during the Super Bowl.

Sponsor the air!

What? I hear you say. You’re selling the oxygen as well? Yes, I’m afraid we are and for just a few bucks you can get balloons filled with genuine WordCamp Raleigh air for each of our guests, just in case the real stuff runs out.

$750 will literally get your name on the air. And if our guests don’t take the balloons home we’ll donate them to the local childrens hospital for the kids to enjoy.

So if you’re interested in any of these special sponsorship packages then contact us and we’ll get your name out there.

Thank you to all of our sponsors for their generosity. Without your help WordCamps would not be the great experience that everyone enjoys.

Go to wordcampraleigh.com/sponsors/become-a-sponsor/ for more information.

Check in at WordCamp Raleigh with TriOut

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TriOut is coming to WordCamp Raleigh and they’ve got an offer for you!

TriOut helps you meet people, find new places and discover things to do in the Triangle. Their location-based services application helps you explore the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill areas and discover its cultural treasures. You can check-in to more than 2,000 locations and connect with community members to share your favorite places to go.

If you are attending WordCamp Raleigh and you live in North Carolina then check out TriOut. Members who check-in from WordCamp on Saturday and Sunday will receive 10 points and a special check-in badge. Also for TriOut iPhone app users, open the events icon in the  app to see other events listed where you can collect badges and points.

TriOut founder Lawrence Ingraham and Wayne Sutton, Business Development/Marketing Strategist for TriOut will be speaking at WordCamp Raleigh. Come join them for what promises to be a great session.

I would like to welcome Lawrence and Wayne to WordCamp and thank them for their support.

Live SitePoint Podcast at WordCamp Raleigh

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By now you will know that we are welcoming the SitePoint Podcast team to WordCamp Raleigh. They will be broadcasting live from WordCamp on Saturday 22nd May with a special two-hour podcast.  I thought we’d whet your appetite with some information about this special podcast –

SitePoint Podcast hosts – Brad Williams, Kevin Yank, Patrick O’Keefe, and Stephan Seagraves will be interviewing 12 special guests including:

Aaron Brazell, Author of “WordPress Bible”

Lisa Sabin-Wilson, Author of “WordPress for Dummies” and BuddyPress for Dummies”

Jeff Chandler, Host of WordPress Weekly

Gregory Ng, Frozen Food Master at Freezer Burns

Nathan Rice, Lead Developer at StudioPress

Cory Miller, CEO of iThemes

And as if that’s not enough to get you excited, there will be prizes!  Over $1,500 worth of giveaways including books, theme and plugin licenses.

So if you’re attending WordCamp Raleigh come along and participate as part of the audience to this unique event. And if you’re not attending WordCamp Raleigh then what are you waiting for? Get your ticket today before time runs out!

Register at wordcampraleigh.com/register/

The SitePoint Podcast will start at 1pm on Saturday 22nd and will last 2 hours. Hope to see you there.

WordCamp Raleigh advanced ticket price ends today!

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Today’s the day to get your tickets for WordCamp Raleigh!  The advanced ticket price of $35 for this two-day event ends at midnight tonight and the ticket price will then increase to $49.  We know this is still a great price and incredible value for two days of world-class presentations by 22 renowned speakers AND a live SitePoint Podcast!

Register today at wordcampraleigh.com/register/ and don’t forget to grab a badge to proudly display on your website or blog.

There are still some sponsorships available if you want to advertise your business to the 200+ attendees at the event and the thousands that will watch the live streaming and recorded sessions. Sponsorships can be purchased for as low as $150 and offer great value to any business. Read more at wordcampraleigh.com/sponsors/become-a-sponsor/.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend at what is guaranteed to be a great WordCamp!