Robert, J and Beyond ended just a few days ago... I had a wonderful time and everyone has been raving about what a great event it was. What were your impressions and favorite moments from JAB12?
It is a real family meeting, all attendees are happy and smiling. I don't have detailed numbers but from what I saw we have around 50% new attendees and 50% old people from last year's event. That's almost the same ratio as last year and means for me that JAB has a great future. My greatest moments: personally it is the kickoff and the closing session. There is so much energy at the start, and friendship and feeling connected at the end. That blows me away.
Can you give us a hint on where JAB13 might be held? Are plans underway already?
This year we were late with everything, so we decided to look sooner for the next year and we have already started. I think the Frankfurt area is a good choice, it makes it easy for people to attend, in terms of traveling. There are also a lot of options, so I think we will end up in the same area as this year.
The next big Joomla! event is the Joomla! World Conference can you tell us, what exactly is the JWC?
Like JAB, it is an international Joomla! Event. I'll try to focus more on community related topics rather than the development/sitebuilder focus JAB has. I would love to have all the Joomla Working Groups there, chatting about how we can better work together and push Joomla! to a brighter future. We will also have roadmap meetings and talk about the future from a development perspective. I am not sure how we can do this technically, but I would love to speak about a "Project Roadmap" or "Project Vision" from a community perspective.
When and where will the JWC be held?
The date is already set for the 16th-18th November 2012, that is the weekend before "Thanksgiving". We will meet in San Jose, California, USA at the eBay Town Hall.
Who is the intended audience?
It is a community meeting, so attendees should like Joomla! and work with Joomla! as a professional or hobbyist. It is not a speaker-to-audience one-way conference, we will encourage people to interact, to participate and contribute to the conference success. Anyone is welcome to speak about a topic around Joomla! and Joomla! business. When we publish the website, we will also have a call for papers section where people can submit talks.
Who would get the most out of attending?
Open-minded people who are willing to take the chance to interact, contribute and discuss.
What about the cost?
We try to make it as cheap as possible, the aim for this conference is not to make a profit. I think Joomla! is about people, and the enthusiasm and love people feel about this project. At the moment we are thinking about $199 US, but this depends on how many sponsors will support us.
Can I be a sponsor?
Oh sure you can, anybody can! :-) More information about sponsoring can be found on the conference website, and I hope we can publish the website by the end of this month or sooner. In the meantime, people can contact us via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Do you need help?
I am a big fan of small teams but we have some positions to fill:
- First line contact person
Responsible for any contact over our contact-email address or website
- Program manager
Responsible for the conference program organization and contact to speakers
If you have an interest in helping, please get in contact with me by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
