We kicked off 2013 with a mission to sponsor, attend, and speak at some of the world's most exciting blogging and technology conferences. We wanted to connect with you -- our users -- by making our team available for live questions and support. And we're always excited to hear more about all the innovative ways you are using WordPress. Today, we're happy to report that we accomplished this goal.

Going global in 2013

Over the course of last year we sponsored thirty-four events in twenty-five cities across eight countries. At many of these events we programmed a hands-on workshop, led a session, or contributed to a panel. Throughout the year we met a diverse group of bloggers, designers, and developers who share our interest in making the web a better place. We had an amazing time.

With great conferences comes great swag.

Our 2013 events lineup started with the Modern Language Association Convention in Boston and wrapped up at dotJS in Paris. Our calendar filled up quickly: we got animated with folks at SXSW in Austin, delivered some Happiness at BlogHer in Chicago, and served up some high-definition treats at the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle (just to name a few).

Exciting plans ahead

We're gearing up for another big year in 2014. We kicked off the festivities in January with Happiness Bars at NMX and LA Uncubed, and in March we'll be expanding our reach into conferences in Africa (CMS Africa in Nairobi, Kenya) and South America (JSConf in Montevideo, Uruguay). We look forward to engaging with users in more regions around the world!

Some of our upcoming 2014 events include:
February 10-14: Webstock in Wellington, NZ
March 7 & 8: CMS Africa in Nairobi, Kenya
March 7-16: SXSW in Austin, TX, USA
March 14 & 15: JSConf in Montevideo, Uruguay
March 14-16: Webcoast in Gothenburg, Sweden
March 18-19: Smashing Conference in Oxford, UK
March 31-April 1: Write the Docs in Budapest, Hungary
April 28-30: Ull Conference in Kilkenny, Ireland
May 5-6: Write the Docs in Portland, OR, USA
May 19-23: php[tek] in Chicago, IL, USA

Stay tuned, as there are more to come!

Beyond our sponsored conferences, you're sure to find Automattic CEO and Founder Matt Mullenweg listed as a keynote or speaker on the schedules of other outstanding conferences and events around the globe.

A full house at WordCamp Tokyo

Many Automatticians -- the people who bring you WordPress.com -- also plan and participate in WordCamps. These are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users. Everyone from casual bloggers to core developers are invited to show up, share ideas, and get to know each other. In 2013, there were no fewer than 71 WordCamps attended by over 19,000 people. We hope many new faces will join us this year.

We'll keep you posted about our sponsored events in 2014 -- it's going to be a year to remember!