I’m the official media partner for PressNomics, which starts on Thursday (or Wednesday night for some). This is the third edition of the WordPress business conference, and it’s looking to be as good as ever.
Those of you that don’t already have a ticket, I’m sorry. The event is already sold out. But that doesn’t mean you have to completely miss out. I’ll have various takes on the event, and I’ll be sure to come back with some great insight from the various speakers and business folks I meet with.
For those of you that are attending the conference, I think you may notice that while there are speakers from the WordPress ecosystem, there are also a lot that are not. I’m really excited about what we’ll be able to learn from those outside our bubble.
In addition to some of the folks we know and love, here are a few that I’m really looking forward to hear from:
- Danny Sullivan: one of the most influential folks in the vast world of SEO. Danny runs Search Engine Land, and generally has the scoop on what’s going on in Google’s brain. His insight and his ability to grow and maintain his audience for so many years is inspiring. I’ll really love hearing from him to see what insight I can gain to dominate my niche like he does his.
- Selena Larson: Described as a journalist “covering the intersection of technology, culture, and social justice,” Selena balances topics that are forefront on the minds of many in our industry. I’m really interested in how journalists like Selena are establishing a bit of a “new normal” for journalism in its changing state. I look forward to see how she approaches her work.
- Brad Jannenga: The CEO of WebPT.com, Brad and his wife Heidi have built a 250+ person team to bring medical records online. My family is largely in healthcare, so I hear a lot about it, and I’m excited to hear about how Brad and his team are attacking such a slow-moving industry with modern technology. This space is guaranteed to be massive in the decades to come. I think we’ll learn a lot about running a modern business in the non-tech world from this one. I also want to ask Brad why his website is on Drupal 🙂
- Ben Chan & JR Farr: Two execs from two competitors. Ben is the Director of Growth & Revenue at Envato (so he’s probably doing alright), and JR is the co-founder of the MOJO Marketplace, which was acquired by hosting behemoth EIG. While both these guys are pretty directly in the WordPress space, they aren’t the type of folks we can hear from often. Their perspectives are sure to be unique and telling.
Of course, I’m looking forward to every speaker, but these five are some folks that I don’t know much about, and can’t wait to learn from.
Thankfully, PressNomics is a single-track event. I’ve only been to one other WordPress-centric conference that was a single track, and I loved it. It is so much more focused and fun, with a lot lower tendency to sit in the “hallway track” the whole time, which is really a good thing for the speakers that invest to much in their presentations.
And then there are the social elements. Connecting with others in the industry has been pivotal for me in my career, and PressNomics is an excellent chance to connect with industry leaders and business owners.
PressNomics will have cocktail hours, golf, and plenty of time to get together. For those of you that want to work out, let’s get a 7:00 a.m. group together on Thursday! Hit me up if you’re interested. For the evening crowd, I’m sure there will be a #cigarcamp. Though I’m more a pipe kind of guy, so I’ll be bringing mine.
Finally, if you’re going to be around Sunday morning, you should definitely register for Chris Lema’s add-on workshop about mergers and acquisitions. He’s speaking at PressNomics, but this will be a more focused, intimate opportunity to talk business.
My first PressNomics
This is my first PressNomics. The reviews of the first two have been excellent, but this is the first time the stars aligned for me to be able to make it. I can’t wait to hang out with you all there. If we haven’t met, please say hi! Also, I’ll be covering the event through the blog and Twitter, so be sure to stay tuned!
I think you accidentally linked to wrong site for WebPT.com.