Te Papa: not too shabby as conference venues go ...

Wordcamp is a two day event being held in Wellington over the weekend of 19-20 February.

http://wordcamp.org.nz/

Technically, it’s an event for people who use – or want to learn about – the excellent open source blogging platform WordPress.

For me though, WordPress is the least interesting thing about the whole event. Yes, day 2 gets its geek on, with hands-on sessions where you can learn exactly how and where to stick that widget. But the real value of the event is the way it brings together some of the best digital people in the country – hell, some of the best communicators full stop – for two days of openness, sharing and discovery.

Take a look at the speaker lineup and you’ll see what I mean. Richard MacManus is the founder of ReadWriteWeb – making him one of the most influential online communicators on the planet. David Farrar from Kiwiblog pulls 500 comments a day... That’s engagement! Julie Starr launched The Telegraph’s online newsroom and is now changing the way editorial content is bought and sold.

I went last year and was astounded at the value for money it gave me. (Well, OK, gave my employer at the time.) The ticket price is ridiculously low: $85 for a two-day conference!

And that’s why I’m going to WordCamp. See you there!

http://wordcamp.org.nz/

Disclaimer: I’m speaking on day one. But not for long.