Run with VIP: WordCamp US social

We have an exciting event planned around WordCamp US 2023, and we wanted to invite you there to celebrate WordPress and connect with fellow product innovators, engineers, and creators.

Join WordPress VIP at our Run with VIP: WordCamp US social on Friday, Aug. 25 for a night of networking with the talent behind digital experiences that millions of users interact with every day. 

We’ll be serving food and drinks, plus holding an exciting raffle giveaway.

  • Location: Bar Harbor at Hyatt Place, National Harbor, Maryland
  • Time: 7:00 to 10:00 pm


Be a part of a unique opportunity to mindshare with the leaders and innovators of enterprise WordPress.

Register here.

We hope to see you there!

WordCamp Europe Happy Hour, Belgrade

While we’re in town celebrating all of the excitement in the WordPress community, let us gather as VIPs, partners and friends after WordCamp Europe on June 15th. Food and drinks will be provided.

Looking forward to seeing you in Belgrade!

More Gutenberg Dev How-To Videos

As the target date for Gutenberg approaches, we have our second set of how-to videos now available on vipgutenberg.com. Our goal is to iterate on these videos as Gutenberg functionality continues to evolve.

Here are the topics covered in the new videos:

Converting Custom Content to Gutenberg

  • Shortcodes to Blocks
  • ACF Fields to Blocks
  • CMB2 to Blocks

Access Control & User Permissions

  • Controlling access to blocks
  • Controlling access to blocks based on user roles
  • Creating Block Templates
  • Applying User Roles to Block Templates

These videos follow the first set we released, that introduce Gutenberg from a user and developer perspective. Those are still available, in the same place. And as a reminder, you can use TestGutenberg.com to easily introduce the new editor interface to anyone you work with who hasn’t had a chance to explore it.

This doc is our ongoing reference to all things Gutenberg at VIP, including links to additional helpful resources and tools.

We want to be part of your Gutenberg plans! In addition to our soon-to-be-released Ramp plugin designed to help with your testing and transition, we have lots of ways to support you.

VIP clients represent the highest expression of WordPress at scale and have highly customized workflows, mission critical outputs, complex integrations and large teams to consider. As your Gutenberg transition plan starts to take shape, reach out to us to discuss customized support and training.

VIP Workshop Ticket Sales End April 13

With ticket sales ending on April 13th, you’ll want to register soon for VIP Workshop, our annual enterprise WordPress gathering taking place May 14-17th. This marks the seventh year for a very special event that gets the whole extended VIP family together, including clients, partners, and community.

The speaker lineup is nearly complete, and it is shaping up to be a phenomenal three days in Napa, California. Topics run the gamut from big picture thoughts on organizational change, fostering diversity, and the future of digital, to the latest advanced topics with the Gutenberg project, to retrospectives, case studies, and best practices.

Throughout the week we’ll hear from VIP clients like TechCrunch, Nielsen, and FiveThirtyEight, agency partners Dekode, Alley Interactive, 10up, rtCamp, and XWP, and Automatticians Simon Wheatley, Miguel Fonseca, Tammie Lister, and Matt Perry.

And kicking us off will be WordPress.com President and veteran of The New York Times and National Public Radio Kinsey Wilson, and celebrated technology author and lecturer Howard Rheingold.

The schedule is split in to business and developer tracks, and includes ample opportunities for informal networking and conversations among the whole group. Session formats include joint-track full conference discussions, individual track case studies and featured topics, and flash talks.  Get the full details on speakers, formats, and topics, and all of the logistics on the Workshop site.

We keep the attendance deliberately small to make sure there are lots of opportunities for chance conversations and informal breakout discussions. Get your tickets soon!

Join us for BigWP in NYC on April 11!

The next BigWP NYC meetup will be on Wednesday, April 11 at USA Today’s offices at 1633 Broadway (btwn 50th and 51st).

The BigWP meetup is a networking event open to developers, product managers, and editorial teams who run large, high-traffic WordPress sites. There will be 4-5 flash talks of 10 mins. each with 5 mins. each for questions, followed by happy hour nearby. If you’re interested in attending on April 11, please RSVP here — space is limited.

We’re still looking for a couple more flash talks so if you’re interested and haven’t already been in touch, please email me with an overview of the topic you’d like to talk about.

Big thanks to David Parsons and the rest of the team at USA Today for offering their new digs for this meetup!

Announcing the 2018 VIP Workshop

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Save the date (and don’t forget to register)! We are excited to announce the next WordPress.com VIP Workshop is coming May 14-17, 2018.

As the leading provider of enterprise WordPress solutions, we’re proud to host the premier event focused on the needs of enterprise WordPress users. For the past couple of years, the Workshop has had two tracks, one focused on the interests of VIP product owners and the other on developers. In 2018 we’ll continue to follow that format and add additional refinements to make this year’s Workshop the best yet.

Register now

 

The VIP Workshop provides a unique opportunity to learn from the WordPress.com VIP team in person, as well as exchange ideas and experiences with other WordPress.com VIP clients and partners. The event’s format and setting offers lots of opportunities for both informal and structured knowledge sharing, including networking lunches and dinners, in-depth curricula and exercises, and focused, collaborative conversations.

A quick peek at the itinerary – details & agenda will be continually updated on the WordPress.com VIP Workshop site powered by WooCommerce.

  • Monday, May 14th — Arrival Day. Check-in, special guest keynote and welcome dinner.
  • Tuesday, May 15th — In depth business and engineering sessions.
  • Wednesday, May 16th — In-depth product sessions and hands-on development workshops. We’ll wrap the day up with a best of WordPress.com VIP year in review!
  • Thursday, May 17th — Departure Day.

Space is limited for this event, so register now and take advantage of early bird pricing! Early bird pricing is $3,500 per person until February 15. After which, the ticket price will be $4,000 per person.

Header image by CM Howard from the 2015 Automattic WordPress developer summit at the Carneros Inn in Napa, CA

WordCamp US Happy Hour, Nashville

While we’re in town celebrating all of the excitement in the WordPress community, let us gather as VIPs, partners and friends after WordCamp US on Friday, Dec 1st!

Who: WordPress.com VIP Team

Where: Acme Feed and Seed, 101 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201, USA (website)

When: Friday, Dec 1st from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Why: Yay, WordPress!

RSVP: https://wordpresscomvipwcushh.splashthat.com/

Questions: Email Tamara@a8c.com

Looking forward to seeing you in Nashville!

2017 Summer Happy Hour, NYC

Friends! Please join the WordPress.com VIP team in New York City for our annual summer happy hour. Together, we will raise a glass to the season and to all of the great work being done by our clients, partners and friends. Details are below and please RSVP here.

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Who: WordPress.com VIP Team
Where: Printer Alley, NYC – 215 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018 (website)
When: July 20, 2017 – 6:00pm -> 9:00pm
Why: ‘Cause, summer!
RSVP –> https://wordpressvipsummer2017.com

Look forward to seeing you on July 20th!

VIP Workshop 2017 Update

We’re closing in on the final month before the Workshop so we wanted to give a short update and also remind you to register now if you haven’t as the registration deadline is April 5.

Register now

Like last year, we’ll be having sessions for both developers and product/business leads focussing on the latest challenges, solutions, and landscape of enterprise WordPress implementations. The full schedule is being finalized and we’ll have updates on speakers coming this week.

A part of the schedule we’re pleased to share is that Automattic’s own John Maeda will be kicking off the Workshop and getting us all set for a great week in Napa.

John recently joined Automattic as Global Head of Computational Design + Inclusion and previously served as Design Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), a world-leading venture capital firm. An internationally recognized speaker and author, his books include The Laws of Simplicity, Creative Code and Redesigning Leadership. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering + Computer Science from MIT, an MBA from Arizona State U, and a PhD from University of Tsukuba in Japan.

Maeda was the recipient of the White House’s National Design Award, the Tribeca Film Festival’s Disruptive Innovation Award for STEM to STEAM, the Blouin Foundation’s Creative Leadership Award, the AIGA Medal, the Raymond Loewy Foundation Prize, the Mainichi Design Prize, the Tokyo Type Director’s Club Prize, and induction into the Art Director’s Club Hall of Fame.

Maeda serves on the Board of Directors for wireless hi-fi innovator Sonos and the global advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy. He is also a member of the Technical Advisory Board for Google’s Advanced Technology + Projects Group and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on New Growth Models. Prior to his work in industry, Maeda was a tenured research professor at the MIT Media Laboratory and 16th President of the Rhode Island School of Design.

John can be found on Twitter discussing technology, business and design at @johnmaeda, one of TIME Magazine’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds.