Open Grid + “Unconference” format for BlogPhiladelphia

If you’re in Philadelphia, or have been looking for an excuse to visit us, you should think about coming to BlogPhiladelphia on July 12 and 13th. The focus is social media, specifically blogging, but the conference is open to anyone and is completely free. We’ll be taking over the Radisson Plaza Warwick Hotel in Center City Philadelphia, which has been recently renovated and sits right on Rittenhouse Square which will provide some beautiful outdoor space for conversations should the weather permit.

The event will follow a hybrid model, similar to Web2.Open, with pre-scheduled speakers and session leaders, along with a Barcamp-style open grid presentation venue. The general concept shared between both is “encourage conversation”.

I’m working on the organizer to include a wiki and some other mechanisms on the website, along with the current sign up form, to encourage more pre-conference interaction.

For the benefit of those traveling in (from the press release):

To make this informational conference as accessible as possible for bloggers and non-bloggers alike, there will be no fee to attend. Participants are only required to cover travel and accommodations. For [..] links to recommended hotel packages and Amtrak discounts; and details on Philadelphia attractions, visit www.blogphiladelphia.net.

My hope for this event is to generate awareness of a lot of the cool projects and talent that are in Philadelphia. This also goes hand in hand with the coworking initiative that has gained quite a bit of momentum, Independents Hall.

The event is being formally organized by Annie Heckenberger at the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), the creators of U Wish U Nu, a blog devoted to “citizen journalism” and spreading awareness of all of the cool things that go on in Philly, not just geared towards external tourism but for residents as well.

For more information about participating, reservations, ideas, or otherwise, contact myself, dangerouslyawesome at gmail dot com or annie at gptmc dot com.

Hope to see everyone in July!

Technorati Tags: barcamp, blogphiladelphia, gptmc, philadelphia, unconference, uwishunu