If snagging your WordCamp Nashville 2016 ticket is still on your to do list (what are you waiting for? Get on over there and put your order in so you can make sure we have enough of your favorite Mitchell Deli sandwich on hand), you might not have noticed that the cost of the ticket increased over past years.
Community Growth & a New Venue
This year’s event is a big one for our community. We’ve seen our MeetUp group break the 1400-member mark, and Nashville is growing at breakneck speed around us. When planning started for this year’s camp, we knew we needed to take things to the next level. This included booking a venue more suited for learning, networking and community building. redpepper & Deavor are the logical next step for our event – moving us close in to the heart of the city and giving us more space for the variety of activities that happen at WordCamp (no more need to eat lunch in a classroom!).
Expansion of Programming
It also meant expanding our event to 2 days – something we’ve been working toward for a couple years now. Adding in-depth classes to the programming that allow attendees the chance to do some hands-on work, supported by an instructor, is something we’ve seen a need for in years past, and we are finally making it happen this year on day 2 of camp.
How We’re Paying For It
The new venue and the expanded programming mean a pretty steep increase in expenses, so the planning team increased the amount of local sponsorships we’ve brought in by 75% over 2015, while taking pretty much the same level of global sponsorships from WordCamp Central as we did last year. Still, in order to cover all operating expenses, an increase in ticket price is necessary.
The big-picture plan here is, of course, to provide a better, richer camp experience for everyone. For those of you with sticker-shock, consider this a sign of the times here in Nashville – everything’s getting bigger, better and busier! The planning team is confident that by the end of the day on September 18, you’ll feel like it was worth it.
So, if you haven’t bought your ticket yet – do it now! You’re guaranteed to be a part of something special – and, did we mention the Mitchell Deli sandwiches?
