WordCamp Nairobi

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Did you know that Bluehost powers over one million WordPress sites? And did you know they sponsor every WordCamp in the whole entire world? Bluehost was the first company to sign on as multi-event sponsor when we debuted the program in March of 2013, and we’re so very grateful for their continuing support of this and every other WordCamp.

Contributor days are a great way to start or continue contributing to the WordPress project.

Like percussionists, contributors are often the unsung heroes of WordPress: vital to its success and smooth running.

Everyone is welcome to play a part – there are no auditions! – so come along, join our friendly company for the day, and be a part of the community that makes and supports WordPress. You don’t have to know how to code, as we have many different roles that need filling.

Essential information

Date and time

Contributor Day is on Saturday 24th November 2018. The event starts at 09:00 and finishes at 17:00.

Venue

Nairobi Contributor Day will be held on the 7th floor of PineTree Plaza (Nairobi Garage) Located on Kaburu Drive off Ngong Road

Schedule

Please see the schedule here

Contributor Day is about giving back to WordPress and helping the open source software grow. You will be amazed at what can be achieved when working together in teams in just one day, no matter what skills you have. Bugs are fixed, translations submitted, documentation written, future community events are planned…

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How to prepare for Contributor Day?

We know that taking part in the Contributor Day might sound daunting for the first-time contributors. No worries. We have all been there and we want to help you to make the most out of this experience. Here’s what you need to know.

#1 Open a WordPress.org account

Unlike previous years we ask you to open a WordPress.org account before registering for Contributor Day. But don’t worry. This is easy and takes only a minute and you can do it now via this form.

#2 Register for Contributor Day

Attendance on Contributor Day is free to all WordCamp Nairobi 2018 attendees, but you need to register separately for Contributor Day when registering you will be able to select the team that you would like to contribute towards. Keep in mind that you can change the teams during Contributor Day – we ask you to select the teams just so we can see how many people would like to join every team so we can allocate enough space for it.

Register for Nairobi Contributor Day

#3 Set up your local environment (optional)

Contributing to different WordPress teams requires working on your localhost, you’ll need to set up a local development server. During the morning we will be running a Set up your local environment workshop to help you. The workshop will be lead by Jeremy Kabaya, where the team will go through the setup process with you.

If you would like to prepare your local environment before Contributor Day, setup instructions can be found in this handbook article.

#4 Get on Slack

Currently, the main communication medium for contributors is Slack, so download a desktop version or use the web version with your WordPress.org credentials. If you don’t have a WordPress Slack account you can register at https://make.wordpress.org/chat. If you have any issues or difficulties with setting up Slack account don’t worry – organisers will help you on the day.

What else do I need for Contributor Day?

You will need your laptop and charger throughout the day, as well as, loads of energy to enjoy the day. Lunch will be provided.
Register for Nairobi Contributor Day

WordCamp Nairobi 2018 will be hosted at The British Council On 23 & 24th November 2018.

WordCamps are casual, volunteer-run events. Sponsor support for WordCamp enables attendees to experience the event for a low cost! A low cost ensures accessibility to freelancers, small businesses and anyone who wants to attend.

Being a sponsor gives you a unique opportunity to invest in the Nairobi WordPress community. The attendees are made up of web-savvy professionals who work in media, publishing, film, music, art, technology, education, healthcare, financial services, government… you name it.

We have all benefited from using WordPress; now is the perfect time to give something back. We’ve created sponsorship levels to fit every budget from the multinational corporations of midtown to small local businesses to independent freelancers building WordPress themes for a living. Even if you are a small agency, restaurant, magazine, or an individual wanting to give back because you know that WordPress has helped you and your business, we have a support level for you.

If you would like to sponsor, please fill out the form below and we will be in touch. Thank you for all your help!

TIERS & BENEFITS

PLATINUM – KES 200,000

● Top billing as a Platinum Supporter and brand mention at the beginning of the conference.
● Table space for your business to offer swag, showcase marketing materials, and answer questions.
● Your logo included on projector screensavers, “WordCamp Nairobi is supported by” in-between sessions.
● Inclusion on the WordPress Community Outreach section of our website including video or PowerPoint, text and image content.
● Opportunity to engage with attendees during the conference using social media channels.
● Logo on event programs.
● Link to the website.
● 15 tickets to WordCamp Nairobi.

GOLD – KES 100,000

● Table space for your business to offer swag, display marketing materials, and answer questions.
● Your logo included on projector screensavers, “WordCamp Nairobi is supported by…” in-between sessions.
● Inclusion on the WordPress Community Outreach section of our website including text and image content.
● Logo on event programs.
● Link to the website.

● 10 tickets to WordCamp Nairobi.

SILVER – KES 50,000

● Your logo included on projector screensavers, ―WordCamp Nairobi is supported by…in-between sessions.
● Medium logo on WordCamp Nairobi supporter page.
● Logo on event programs.
● Link to the website.
● 6 tickets to WordCamp Nairobi.

BRONZE – KES 10,000

● Small logo on WordCamp Nairobi support page.
● Link to the website.
● 4 tickets to WordCamp Nairobi.

MICRO SPONSORSHIP – KES 5,000

● Your name or website on our supporter list on the WordCamp Nairobi website.
● Link to the website.
● 2 ticket to WordCamp Nairobi.

Lunch and Refreshments Host – KES 100,000 (2 Slots Available)

WordCampers are a hungry and thirsty bunch. Keep us fed for the day and you’re sure to get on our good side! Food sponsors usually get the greatest

publicity from WordCamp attendees, so this is a great spot to have! In addition to pride, you’ll also get 6 tickets to WordCamp Nairobi.

Speaker and Volunteer Reception Host – KES 20,000

The Friday night before WordCamp the speakers and volunteers gather to get to know one another. Supporting this event will give you branding rights for this reception and tickets to this exclusive event.

After Party Host – KES 50,000 (2 slots available)

After a long day of learning, WordCampers are anxious to unwind and get a taste of the local nightlife. Host support for the afterparty slots usually include appetizers and drinks for the first 2 hours of the party. You’ll be rewarded
with some fun tweets mentioning your brand, and maybe even a late-night blog post or two.

Have a Great Idea?

We would love to hear your creative support idea, coupons, contests, and giveaways are always fun was to engage with the WordCamp crowd. In-kind donations will be graciously accepted.

All levels of support come with good karma!

It’s that time of the year again, where we are excited to open the Call for Speakers. We trust that we will, like in previous years, receive many interesting and deeply valuable talk applications for WordCamp Nairobi 2018. We have to admit it’s our favorite task to read all of your applications and select those who will be speaking at the biggest WordPress event in Nairobi.

What topic should you apply with?

We accept ALL topics related to WordPress and beyond, and encourage them. The charm of WCNAIROBI is that we welcome a diverse lineup of talented speakers to provide value to our broad audience.

One of our focuses for this year is to lineup more technical talks. We’re hoping to receive a wide variety of development-focused talks. If you are a developer or have a technical talk that you would like to share at WCNAIROBI, please apply, because it’s you our audience is looking for.

Besides development, we are of course looking for diverse topics and inspirational stories. If you’re not sure what to talk about and need some ideas, here are topics most asked about in our survey:

• Advanced development
• Design
• SEO
• Business
• Blogging

If you have a topic you’re passionate about or are an expert in something we haven’t mentioned, don’t hesitate to apply! We are accepting talks from all areas of expertise and are also hoping to attract relevant experts from outside the WordPress world.

How long should your presentation be?

We are planning the following session formats:

• Long talks – 40 minutes in total, breaking down to around 30 mins for talk & 10 mins for questions.
• Lightning talks – 10 minutes each, grouped with related topics.

We are planning to have two tracks. Each slot on the schedule will be an hour long. Content will take up 40 minutes of each hour, which gives attendees 20 minutes after each session to switch between tracks, grab a cup of coffee, and chat with other attendees.

Do I have to be an experienced speaker to apply?

WordCamp Nairobi in 2017 was the largest WordPress related conference in Africa and WCNAIROBI 2018 should follow the same path, so it is recommended that you have some speaking experience. Speaking in front of a large audience can be overwhelming even for more experienced speakers, which is why we want to lend a helping hand. This year, the Content team will be sharing resources and tips on how to put together a successful presentation as well as how to be more comfortable on stage.

When reviewing speaker applications, we will take your previous speaking experience into account. If you have a few WordCamps lined up to add to your speaking experience before WordCamp Nairobi, but after you send in your application, make sure you tell us that too.

What is our application deadline and process?

The Call for Speakers will be open until October 31st, so please make sure that you send in your application in time.

Here is what our application and selection process look like:

• Call for speakers is open now
• Call for speakers and workshops close November 5th
• We’ll be selecting speakers and workshops in the first week of November.
• Selected speakers will be informed early-November

Are you ready to speak at WordCamp Nairobi?

People come to learn from speakers and to get inspired. We love that we have been able to bring experts and motivational people to our stage year after year, and we encourage you to share your amazing talk ideas for WCNAIROBI 2018 with us.

Are you ready to speak on the biggest WordPress stage in Nairobi?

If you’d like to propose multiple topics, please submit the form multiple times, once for each topic.

We’re happy to announce that WordCamp Nairobi is officially on the calendar!

WordCamp Nairobi will be on 23rd & 24th November 2018 at The British Council in Nairobi.

Subscribe using the form in the sidebar to stay up to date on the most recent news. We’ll be keeping you posted on all the details over the coming months, including speaker submissions, ticket sales and more!