Early May 2015 will be the first ever LoopConf, a WordPress conference that's geared solely toward developers. Ryan Sullivan, the owner of WP Site Care, is hosting the conference that is to be held in Las Vegas.

LoopConf describes itself like this:

LoopConf is the greatest conference ever created for WordPress developers. LoopConf came about as we heard technically-minded folks talk about wanting to get together and dive deep into advanced engineering and development topics. We've assembled an amazing group of speakers to get this inaugural event started off on the right foot, and we're excited to share our excitement and passion for WordPress with all of you in an exciting two-day event. We hope that you join us to celebrate the software we love, enjoy each other's company, and learn from one another.

There are already six speakers confirmed:

Andrew Nacin: WordPress lead developer, works at Audrey Capital

Helen Hou-Sandí: Lead developer of WordPress 4.0, works at 10up

John O'Nolan: Founder of Ghost and former WordPress contributor

Syed Balkhi: Owner of Awesome Motive, the parent company for WP Beginner, List 25, OptinMonster, and others

Jenn Schiffer: Open web engineer at Bocoup

Joost de Valk: owner of Yoast and maker of the WordPress SEO plugin, amongst others

The initial speaker line-up is pretty fantastic. I'd love to learn more from each one of them.

LoopConf is not a WordCamp or associated with the WordPress foundation. It's an independent WordPress conference, and Ryan says it's the first in-person developer only WordPress conference he knows of. Most WordCamps are very catered to a diverse audience.

This could be a good way for people to have more developer centric conversations. I'm certainly interested to see how it goes, and would like to make it myself. They are seeking sponsors and speaker submissions now. I don't know how much the tickets will be exactly, but Ryan tells me he hopes for LoopConf to have a prestige and quality similar to An Event Apart events, but for WordPress — so I imagine the tickets won't be cheap.

As the WordPress conference ecosystem continues to blossom, I'm sure this isn't the only one we'll see like this. Non-WordCamp, niche events like PressNomics helped lead the way for those that are happening now, and I think generally it's been good to have a diverse array of options for people to attend and learn from one another.

You can keep up with @LoopConf on Twitter or via the website.