We’re pleased to announce another great speaker to the WordCamp Whistler line-up, Quentin Muhlert. Quentin is part of 6S Marketing, which is one of our event’s sponsors.

Quentin’s talk will be focused on SEO and how it pertains to WordPress. Here’s some information about his background and what his talk will entail:

Quentin Muhlert is the lead Search Engine Optimization (SEO) researcher for 6S Marketing Inc, a Vancouver based Internet Marketing firm. Quentin will be sharing some of his experiences implementing SEO campaigns on a multitude of CMS and blogging systems. He’ll also be going over some of the features that make wordpress uniquely well-suited to quick and easy implementation of SEO best-practices, and some of the plugins and tools anyone can use to help their site function and rank well. 6Smarketing.com was also recently migrated from Expression Engine to the Wordpress platform and Quentin will be talking about why this move was made, and the lessons learned in the process from a marketing and admin standpoint. There will also be a brief Q and A session after the talk.

We’re looking forward to having Quentin on board (no winter-related pun intended!). Also, the early bird ticket price is only available for a few more days, so act now!

At WordCamp Whistler not only will you be surrounded by those who love and want to learn as much about WordPress as you, but you’ll also be networking, going to socials, watching amazing speakers (more to be announced soon) and hanging out at the fabulous Fairmont Chateau Whistler resort.

However, you need to act fast and purchase your tickets since our early bird pricing of $35 will end Janury 9th. Tickets will then be $40 until the 16th when they bump up to $50 for those who are waiting until the last minute. With ticket price you will receive all of the above as well a conference swag bag. Tickets can be purchased here and we’ll see you up in Whistler, January 24th!

First off, Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully everyone got to spend some time with their friends and family over the holidays.

WordCamp Whistler is only about three week’s away. Now is the time to pick up your tickets if you’re planning on attending, as tickets are only on sale for a short little while longer. We have a great line-up in the works, and will be announcing a few more speakers very shortly.

There are also a few more sponsorship spots available. We’re already pleased to have Molson, 6S Marketing and Automattic on-board as official sponsors. As a sponsor, you’ll get extra media coverage in our blog postings and future podcasts, and mentions on the day of the event. Plus it’s a great opportunity to be a part of the first ever WordCamp in Whistler, BC, Canada.

We hope to see everyone up in Whistler in a few more weeks!

We’re pleased to announce another WordCamp Whistler speaker, John Biehler. John is a really amazing photographer and lover of all things Apple. John gave a passionate talk at WordCamp Vancouver regarding photography and how to integrate photos into WordPress. For WordCamp Whistler he is going to expand on that topic, and show everyone how to push the boundaries of WordPress with regards to photos and videos.

For more information about John’s topic and his background, please visit the speakers page. You can also check out John’s blog, and his twitter stream.

We’re pleased to announce yet another WordCamp Whistler speaker, Dale Mugford. Dale is flying in from Hamilton, Ontario to attend WordCamp Whistler, and will be speaking on the past, present and future of mobile blogging, with emphasis on the iPhone. Dale helped develop the popular WPtouch iPhone theme for WordPress last year, which has helped to revolutionize the mobile experience on WordPress.

We’re obviously very pleased to have Dale come out to Whistler, and are looking forward to whatever wisdom he can impart on the masses. You can read more about Dale’s background and his WordCamp Whistler topic on the speakers page.

Also make sure to check out Dale over at BraveNewCode, or over on Twitter.

Busy night here in WordCamp Whistler planning land. We’re pleased to finally release the signup link for the Fairmont Chateau Whistler accommodations. The Fairmont has extended us a group rate of $269 per night, which is an amazing rate given that it’s one of North America’s most prestigious hotels right in the heart of skiing/snowboarding season. While some people will most likely drive up for the day and leave in the evening, we expect many people will want to stay for a few days and possibly get in a few days on the hills.

If you’re interested in booking a room, please use the following link so that the rooms are properly allocated to WordCamp Whistler. The Fairmont has also agreed to extend the rate for three days pre-conference, and three days post-conference. If you are interested in booking for a longer duration than the link above provides, please contact the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and use the booking code “WordCamp Whistler”.

As Whistler is 90 minutes North of Vancouver along the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway, there are a few options for getting to WordCamp Whistler either from downtown Vancouver or YVR (Vancouver International Airport).

Limo: A great ride-share (in style). Here are some companies that will give you a lift from downtown Vancouver, right into the heart of Whistler for a flat rate. Star Limousines, XPLimousine, and Vancouver Limos are a good start. (Cost: Around $375 but can be split up to 10 ways)

Shuttle Bus: There are several bus companies that can pack you up to Whistler and back on a budget. Perimeter Whistler Express, Whistler Bus Express (from YVR to Whistler), Pacific Coach, and Greyhound. (Cost: $50-$150)

Train: Whistler Mountaineer from the train station in North Vancouver. (Cost: $199 & up)

Carpool: Feel free to use the comments section of this blog post to find people who may be able to carpool to Whistler. If you need a ride or will be driving and have some passenger room, please let us know and be sure to check the road report before heading up.

The event will kick off with a keynote at 10:00am (registration and welcome from 9:00-9:45) so there is plenty of time to drive in from the city in the morning should you chose to stay home Friday night and join us the day of the conference.

It’s with great Canadian pride that I announce WordCamp Whistler’s newest sponsor, Molson. Molson has a great community blog (based on WordPress!) where they highlight events and also reach out to various members of their community. Only a few months ago Molson treated the social media scene in Vancouver to a private tour of the Brewery, as well as a food and beer pairing. The event was called Brew 2.0, and it was a lot of fun.

Molson has been helping us with ideas for the evening social on the night of January 24th, and has provided finances that will go towards picking up the first few rounds during the event. This is yet another great reason to come to WordCamp Whistler, as it should be a really great time.

We’re still finalizing the location for the social, but thanks to Molson’s help, it’s already looking like it’s going to be a lot of fun. I encourage everyone to sign up for the event as soon as possible to make sure you have a ticket for the day’s events.

I also want to thank Bryan Cox and Tonia Hammer from Molson for helping making this possible, and for supporting WordCamp Whistler!

We’re very pleased to announce another sponsor for WordCamp Whistler, 6S Marketing.

6S Marketing Inc. is a leading Internet marketing company based in Vancouver, BC that provides search engine marketing services including paid search marketing campaign management, organic search optimization, analytics solutions, email marketing and usability analysis.

6S Marketing is experienced in integrating CMS systems including Wordpress, Expression Engine, and Drupal into cohesive and actionable marketing campaigns. 6S is a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant, Authorized AdWords Company and a Google Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant.

We’re enthusiastic about the response we’ve received so far, and are excited 6S Marketing is on board. We are still looking additional sponsors, so if you’re interested in being a part of WordCamp Whistler, please visit the sponsorship information page. Also, make sure you follow WordCamp Whistler on Twitter for timely updates.

We’ve just finished putting together a promotional area where media, confirmed speakers and registered attendees can get a few graphical assets to help assist with promotion. Feel free to head on over to the promotion page and grab an image or two for your website.

Also, if you’re a photoshop wizard, feel free to send us one of your own creations, and we’ll gladly add them to the page. As soon as we confirm a few more sponsors, we’ll add dedicated sponsor badges as well that our sponsors can use.

A big thanks to everyone in advance for helping to promote WordCamp Whistler. We’re all looking forward to seeing everyone up on the slopes!