photo credit: Andrew Villeneuve

WordCamp 2016 feels like it just happened, but amazingly, we’ve already got planning for WordCamp 2017 well underway.

It will be November 4th and 5th this year – at the same location as last year, the Washington State Convention Center Conference Center in downtown Seattle.

Add it to your calendar right now! I’m getting all fired up just thinking about it.

This year, in order to put on another amazing WordCamp that exceeds everyone’s wildest expectations, we’d like to involve the WordPress community as much as possible.

So we’re reaching out to ask for your input.

We’ll be opening up applications for speakers for the 2017 camp here in just a few weeks. But we want to get your ideas and input beforehand…

Are there any speakers and/or specific topics you’d really love to see at this year’s WordCamp?

Here’s what we need from you:

1. Please take some time to think about people in your network who might be good speakers. We all work in different circles so don’t assume that someone else will suggest people you know.

   Then, take a few minutes to fill out this super-quick WordCamp Seattle 2017 Speaker & Topic Suggestions form (anonymously) to share their name, email address or other relevant contact information, and their area of expertise with us.

2. Share this post on social media to help us spread the “Word” (pun intended).

We’re planning to personally reach out and invite everyone who is suggested to apply to speak once the application is open.

Personal invitations mean a lot to those who receive them and increase the chances of them applying, so this is a great way to pay someone an anonymous compliment.

There’s also a spot at the bottom of the form to suggest topics you’d really like to see at this year’s camp.

It’s going to be epic, and we can’t wait to see you there! 6 months will go by in a flash.

Oh…and P.S. – the new website is almost up, but you can already sign up to get email notifications about WordCamp 2017, so be sure to pop on over there and enter your email address so you don’t miss out on any of the juicy details.

Note: With the way the WordPress notification system works, it does not transfer email addresses from year to year, so even if you’ve signed up and received notifications in years past, you definitely want to sign up again this year so you don’t miss out.