It?s ?Destination Evanston? as more than three hundred web designers, developers, bloggers and web focused thought leaders prepare to convene in Evanston for the seventh CMS Expo Learning & Business Conference ? Tuesday, May 14th through Thursday, May 16th at the Hilton Orrington Hotel.
CMS stands for ?Content Management System? and refers to computer software programs, or ?platforms?, that allow users to publish and edit content, as well as manage workflow, on websites.
Joomla, Drupal and Jahia may sound like intergalactic creatures from a Star Wars movie, but in fact, are platforms of keen interest to the international group arriving in Evanston in mid-May. Users of these platforms and others will be immersing themselves in three days of sessions ? all geared to the different aspects of website creation and optimization.
Linda and John Coonen founded the CMS Expo in 2008, and have been the event?s organizers and hosts from the beginning. Linda says that the conference is unique because everyone is a participant. ?We have a very interactive model where our speakers are there to say ?this is how we?ve done it ? now tell us how you?ve done it?,? she explains. ?It?s always a two-way exchange with everyone bringing something to the table.?
The Start of Something Big
The CMS Expo Learning & Business Conference happened almost by accident, according to John. In 2007, he was using the Joomla platform to build websites for various non-profit ventures. Since Joomla is free to the public (known as open source software), and, at that time, lacked any ?how-to? instructions or ?user manual?, John reached out to fellow participants on a Joomla message board ? hoping to get a few users together to share tips and shortcuts.
To his surprise, twenty-three people showed up at the first meeting ? and, in the months that followed, fifty to sixty people were gathering Downtown Evanston to share Joomla strategies.
Linda got involved to help create a structure for the meet-ups, and, by 2008, the group decided to hold a one-day Joomla conference.
The Coonens were astounded by the response. Over two hundred and fifty people from five continents registered for the first CMS Expo. ?I couldn?t believe someone was willing to come all the way from Costa Rica for a one day event,? Linda says. ?We never in our wildest dreams saw this coming.?
?It was truly a ?build it and they will come? experience,? John explains. ?There was such a hunger for this information.?
From the early user group meetings organized by the Coonens to the current internationally renowned CMS Expo ? Chicago-based Arc Technology Group has been a steadfast sponsor. ?We are excited, every year, to meet people who are leaders in the CMS world,? says Robert Jacobi, President of Arc. ?We always look forward to learning how they?re implementing the latest technology.?
Topics
Over the years, the Expo has expanded beyond just Joomla to include platforms such as Drupal, WordPress, Jahia, SageFrame and OpenText. While past CMS Expos have focused on how to navigate the software itself, this year?s conference will be more focused on content, according to Linda. ?With more user groups out there, we?re starting to go beyond the tools,? she explains. ?Now we?re focused on helping our attendees make the most of content and work flow.?
According to John, the CMS Expo is evolving into a more business-oriented conference ? with sessions that include topics such as: Search Engine Optimization (SEO); Building site traffic; Mid-tier business survival in an economic downturn; and the COPE (Create Once/Publish Everywhere) Theory for re-purposing content.
The Coonens do a lot of scouting for new and exciting speakers to add to the mix at the Expo. ?We bring in presenters who are cutting edge and can give our attendees an idea of what?s coming down the pike,? John explains. ?We like to feature speakers who are pushing the envelope.?
A visit to the CMS Expo website provides a rundown of speakers on this year?s docket, including: Lisa Sabin-Wilson, co-owner of WebDevStudios and author of WordPress For Dummies; Paul Caluori, Global Director, Digital Services for the Associated Press; and Liz Strauss, CEO of the SOBcon Business Conference who was recently named to Huff Post?s ?Top Ten Influencers Alive? list.
Shining A Light On Evanston
The Coonens, who live in the Northwest suburbs, have appreciated having Evanston as their base for CMS Expos since 2009. ?Evanston has made us feel very welcome from the start,? Linda says. ?Our attendees can get a taste of the city without all the craziness of Downtown Chicago ? and it?s easy because we can walk everywhere.?
Each year, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl addresses the group at the CMS Expo?s ?welcome party? followed by a night on the town ? with attendees going from establishment to establishment for food, drink and music. ?It means a lot that the mayor comes out and addresses our group,? John says. ?We try to shine a light on Evanston, and the City, in turn, shines a light on us.?
Mayor Tisdahl says she?s happy that Evanston is, once again, playing host to the conference. ?I?m delighted that the CMS Expo will be back in town, and that it continues to grow,? Mayor Tisdahl says. ?We welcome tech firms to Evanston.?
According to the Coonens, the Hilton Orrington Hotel has been an important part of their success ? catering to restricted diets with ease and making sure everyone is well satisfied. ?The Hilton Orrington staff just goes above and beyond providing amazing service and the healthiest, most delicious food,? Linda says. ?Our attendees just can?t say enough good things about the whole Hilton Orrington experience.?
Empowering For Participants
Linda describes the CMS Expo Learning & Business Conference as ?win-win? ? designed to empower everyone who attends. ?One woman came to the Expo to learn how to start her own web business,? Linda says. ?Now she?s selling bridal veils online.?
John says the CMS Expo has become a place to, not only, learn, but to get new business and discover new talent as well. ?The networking has become as important as the educational piece,? he says. ?Drupal and Joomla guys on opposite sides of the room are coming together to make new business starts by the end of the conference.?
Kim Testa, Director at The Bureau of Internet Accessibility in Providence, RI, especially appreciates the networking. ?Several people I?ve met at the Expo have become not only new friends, but new customers,? she explains.
Many of the international attendees come for the whole month of May because of the Expo, and use Chicago as their base to conduct U.S. business, according to Linda. ?People attend from France, India, Nigeria ? from all over the world,? she says. ?It helps to create an electric atmosphere at the conference.?
In summing up the CMS Expo Learning & Business Conference, John says it?s about coming together to share new ideas and play off each other?s strengths. ?If you have a problem, we can help you solve it,? he says. ?The message of this Expo is that you can do it?it?s possible?let us show you how.?
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For more information on the CMS Expo Learning & Business Conference,
please visit:?www.cmsexpo.net
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Article Contributed By: ?Carolyn Brandt
Feelance writer, lifelong Evanstonian, and on-air co-host for WTTW Membership Drives
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Pictured Above: The 2012 CMS Expo Executive Panel, photo credit by Melissa Emory.
Source: http://www.evanstonedge.com/2013/05/09/cms-expo-evanston-bound/
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