Hello, September! Julie Yamamoto and I are just a few weeks away from our WordCamp Portland presentation, “From Personal Blogger to Professional Marketer,” and we’re getting excited. We have our outline completed and we’re putting together some very concise, short, concise, (did I mention short and concise?) slides for the group. Don’t worry. They’re short.

I know the life of an event producer is extremely glamorous and lucrative hectic and occasionally thankless, but Aaron Hockley, photographer and blogger and one of WordCamp’s producers agreed to answer a few questions about event production, giving us the behind the scenes look at why anyone would want to produce events at all. (Besides the riches glory first pick of the morning’s bagels and cream cheese.)

What do you hope attendees will get out of the event?

My goal for WordCamp Portland has always been to bring together bloggers from a variety of backgrounds, businesses, interests, and skill levels. Put all of those folks into a room and everyone is bound to learn from each other and hatch crazy new ideas.

The life of the event producer seems glamorous. What’s something people don’t know about event production?

Glamorous? Hm. Probably the biggest thing that folks don’t realize is the amount of work that isn’t directly related to the speakers or the program that goes into an event. With WordCamp, we put together a lineup of some awesome speakers, but there are all sorts of other logistics and organization that must take place so that attendees get to enjoy the speakers and have a pleasant experience. Ticketing and registration is a big effort. We need to secure a venue that has space for the conference. We need both equipment and expertise for audio/visual issues. We need to have coffee, snacks, and meals for our participants.

We need to cover our expenses. WordCamps are kept affordable and ticketing fees only cover from 25 to 35 percent of the event’s budget, so we depend on some great local sponsors to cover most of the expenses. Someone has to make those connections.

Yes, there’s an accomplished feeling once an event wraps up . . . but (especially for a volunteer-run event like WordCamp), the event can happen only after a lot of work and money from a lot of people.

There are people who would love to start speaking at events. What should they know when applying to be a speaker that would give them an edge above the competition?

Everyone has to start somewhere (heck, I just started speaking at events in the last few years). From a topic/content standpoint, find something and demonstrate your expertise and passion. Before speaking, start blogging, podcasting, or otherwise demonstrating that you know your stuff. When you’re ready to speak, start by finding a small group with a low barrier to entry. We have a couple speakers this year at WordCamp who were chosen after giving great presentations to small user groups of just 15 to 20 people.

Another important tip is to pay attention to the rules and what is asked for in a speaker proposal. Supply all of the information that is requested. I had one speaker submit a page of information when I asked for a “one-line biography.” Speakers who can follow directions are more likely to be selected.

What are you most looking forward to at the September 18-19 event?

I can’t wait to have so many folks who are energized about blogging and social media all together in one room. We always attract a diverse and smart crowd. On a more personal level I’m glad that several friends from around the region and country are planning to attend; it’ll be good to catch up with them while they’re in town for the conference.

Want to learn more about blogging and WordPress? Check out WordCamp Portland!