GeeUp

Get excited about working the web. Leiden, 19–20 June 2014.

GeeUp 2014 was a conference about ExpressionEngine®, Craft and running a business on the web, with instructive workshops and engaging talks.

Conference

20 June at Scheltema

08:30 – registration in the foyer.

09:30 – Lodewijk “Low” Schutte, your friendly neighbourhood conference organiser, welcomes you to the conference with some opening remarks.

09:45 – Carl Crawley has been working online in some capacity since the mid-nineties and with ExpressionEngine since 2006. During his talk he’s going to trawl through some of the best (and worst) examples of EE he’s seen in his 8 years working with the platform.

10:30 – coffee break.

11:00 – When Désirée Battjes, co-owner of Leiden-based EE shop Kees™, started in this business, she thought that selling stuff was about bargaining, bluffing your way in and wearing a shiny necktie. Today she knows sales is about finding out how she can help people with things she and her colleagues love to do. She ended up liking sales, and would like to share how you can, too.

11:45 – In early 2011, John D Wells published an article demonstrating how to use the “partials” technique when building an ExpressionEngine website, sparking a breakthrough in DRY template development. He’ll dig into how partials are accomplished in EE, discuss common use cases, pitfalls & workarounds, and debate when it’s the right—and wrong—fit for you.

12:30 – buffet lunch provided in the Ketelhuis.

13:30 – Add-ons are a key part of ExpressionEngine’s flexibility. Craft’s plugins provide the same breadth of options, but how do they compare? From real, live examples, Joel Bradbury will deconstruct the highs and lows of EE Add-on development and how those concepts map to Craft Plugin development.

14:15 – Your client project has launched! Now what? Marrije Schaake will talk about how to deal with Phase Two: requests for new features, the boredom of regular maintenance, and Emergencies When You Are on Holiday. Keep your clients happy while maintaining your own sanity, and a healthy bottom line.

15:00 – coffee break.

15:30 – Your CMS has far more potential than simply allowing you to manage the content on your site. Ben Croker explores the further reaches of the CMS by demonstrating how both ExpressionEngine and Craft can be used as platforms for user interaction and gaining critical insights.

16:15 – Leslie Doherty will explore creativity in development, or more specifically, in the developer community. By looking at other disciplines, we can redefine what it means to be a developer and open up its community to a wider reach; one that includes a variety of people and different minds, all valued for what they contribute.

17:00 – Stretch your legs while we set up the closing panel.

17:15 – Q&A Panel, where all speakers will join in to answer your questions on development, design, business, and the ever-changing CMS landscape. Ask your questions via email or Twitter!

18:00 – 20:00 After-party enjoy a drink and snack in the Theatercafé.

The schedule is approximate and subject to change.

Workshops

19 June at Scheltema

8:30 – registration in the foyer.

9:00 – 18:00, Theaterzaal
Find out what sets Craft apart, and learn everything you need to know to start building websites with it, in this 8-hour workshop led Brandon Kelly, owner of Pixel & Tonic. We’ll be covering Twig, Matrix, assets, relations, localization, and more.

You’ll Need a laptop with a fresh install of Craft 2 up and running. Please take the time to install Craft at least a day or two before the workshop. Feel free to contact support@buildwithcraft.com if you’re having any trouble with it.

9:00 – 18:00, Expo 0
Lodewijk “Low” Schutte will explain the thought process behind building an ExpressionEngine add–on. What choices have to be made, what resources can be used and how to write clean and efficient code. You’ll build an add–on from scratch, covering the not just the basics, but more advanced topics as well.

You’ll Need a laptop running a local web server (like MAMP PRO or XAMPP) and make sure you have an EE sandbox site ready, with some dummy content. Basic PHP knowledge is a prerequisite.

16:00 – 18:00 (ish), Foyer
Ben Croker will be hanging around in the Foyer to answer all your questions about Craft plugin development and other advanced topics. This is freely available for all workshop and conference attendees.

A buffet lunch will be provided in the Ketelhuis for all workshop attendees, as well as plenty of refreshments during the day.

The venue

Scheltema

Scheltema Complex

Marktsteeg 1, Leiden. The old industrial Scheltema building in the centre of Leiden was the birthplace of the EECI conferences. GeeUp revisits this venue for both the workshops and the conference day itself. It is only a short walk from Leiden Central station. The entrance is in the middle of the Marktsteeg alley.

The city

Leiden, the Netherlands

This. Is. LEIDEN!

Historic Leiden is a pleasure to explore. The birthplace of Rembrandt boasts the oldest university in the country as well as numerous renowned museums. Everything in the city centre is conveniently walkable, and Leiden itself is only a 20-minute train ride from Schiphol airport. Enjoy the windmills, churches, multitude of hofjes, and a drink by the canal at one of the many sidewalk cafes. For foodie tips, check out leidenforfoodies.com.

Where to stay

Sponsors

A big thank you to…

Focus Lab Focus Lab are branding and ExpressionEngine experts based in Georgia, USA.

Craft Craft is a young CMS that offers flexibility, simplicity, and control like no other.

Arcustech Arcustech offer solid and blindingly fast hosting solutions for any system.

Solspace Solspace make some of the most powerful and widely used ExpressionEngine add–ons available.

Expresso Store Expresso Store is the leading ExpressionEngine ecommerce platform.

Electric Putty Electric Putty are an award winning web agency and creators of the Better Workflow add-on.

About Us

Gee up: to excite in order to achieve a desired result.

GeeUp is brought to you by Lodewijk “Low” Schutte.