If you’re new to WordCamps and have been reading some recent interviews from our speakers and sponsors, it’s likely that you may have observed almost everyone speaking highly of this “WordPress community” and talking about the friends one makes at WordCamps. I’m no different. I’ve been to almost twenty WordCamps in four years and have met so many incredible people. There are a few who really stand out as having impacted my life in meaningful ways. Adam Silver is very high on that list.

Since I met Adam at WordCamp Dayton 2015, we’ve become very close friends. We talk on an almost daily basis and have even taken family vacations together. There’s a lot I could say about the kind of person and friend he is but I’ll try to stick to why I think you should go out of your way to meet him and also attend his session.

Adam is a WordPress entrepreneur who’s involved in quite a few things. First of all, he is a business owner and provides high quality WordPress maintenance services to his clients. He also spends a ton of time and energy on training by organizing WordPress bootcamps and 101 sessions. Additionally, he gives a lot back to the community through the organization of a WordPress meetup and WordCamp Los Angeles. Lastly, Adam is well known for his deservedly popular WordPress podcast Kitchen Sink WP which I highly recommend.

If you bump into Adam, you can expect him to greet you warmly and listen intently to your questions and concerns. You can also expect some sage advice since he really knows his stuff as well as an inevitable joke because he’s a total riot. He’s a big fan of Headway Themes, A2 Hosting, the San Francisco 49ers, Apple (used to work there), surfing, Ferris Bueller and DesktopServer to name just a few.

When you talk to Adam, make sure to ask about the time he called a grand slam at Wrigley Field (he loves telling that story) and also the time I totally destroyed him in a rap battle.

We’re very excited to have Adam joining us at WordCamp A2 this year. All the way from Redondo Beach, California, he’s one of the longest distance travelers on our attendee list. I hope you get to see his session and chat with him in person.

Here’s a few videos featuring Adam so you can get to know him better:

All of Adam’s recorded WordCamp presentations

There’s no doubt about it! I’m really excited to have Thomas Stirling joining us at WordCamp Ann Arbor this year and to have him present about Creating the Perfect Client Experience. I’ve had numerous conversations with Thomas and we’ve hung out a couple times, just talking about agency life. He’s a really smart guy and I am confident that everyone who attends his session will walk away with some extremely valuable information.

Thomas is the founder of Stirling Technologies which is a digital agency based in Boston. He’s been doing this work for years and has learned all kinds of lessons along the way. Apart from his awesome company website, Thomas has really developed a pretty elegant process for onboarding new clients, managing clients and delivering amazing results. I have a ton of respect and admiration for him and his team and I encourage you to take some time to meet him and attend his session at WCA2.

Here’s a recent recorded conversation Thomas and I had if you want to learn a little more about him:

One of the coolest guys I have had the pleasure of hanging out with at a WordCamp and also one of the best plugin developers around is Mr. Sam Hotchkiss, who will be presenting Developing Large Plugins + AMA at WordCamp Ann Arbor this year. He’s a brilliant guy whom I’ve learned a lot from and respect very highly.

If you’ve never yet had an opportunity to see one of Sam’s presentations, I recommend you check out a few of them on WordPress.tv. Here’s his full list of WordCamp talks. And for convenience, here’s just a few that I think are particularly informative and engaging. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did:

Data First: How APIs are Changing the Internet

WordCamp San Francisco 2014

Free Plugins

WordCamp Maui 2015

WordPress as an API: The Power of Semantic Data

WordCamp Maine 2014

P.S. If you get a minute to chat with Sam, he really loves talking baseball.

This year we are extremely privileged to have the one and only Michelle Schulp be among our list of speakers for WordCamp Ann Arbor. Michelle is an extremely talented individual whom I’ve met on numerous occasions and have very high respect for.

If you’re not as familiar with who Michelle is, here’s a few video interviews that will give you a better look so you can be just as excited as we are that she’s coming here:

In the hallway at WordCamp Orange County

On the WP Round Table show back in 2014

Outside at WordCamp Orlando 2014

Interview with Torque Magazine about designing collaboratively

Chatting outside at WordCamp San Francisco 2014

Riding an escalator at WordCamp US 2015