Story

Last year, more than 1,000 people descended on Portland, Oregon for the second annual WDS. It was an adventure like no other, complete with Bollywood dancing, hammock races, bungee jumping, cycling tours, and non-stop meetups.

Oh, and we also had a program... with great speakers and workshops. Pamela Slim beat up some guy on the stage. Leo Babauta did pushups and a very sexy moonwalk for everyone. John Unger played the harmonica. Danielle LaPorte, the original firestarter, started a real fire in the auditorium (true story).

One year later, we'll be scaling up... carefully. WDS 2012 sold out five months in advance with a waiting list of 800 people. At least two hundred people without tickets showed up from out of town just to hang out at unofficial events.

This time, we're prepared — and World Domination can no longer be contained to a single theater. Instead, we're taking over the whole city.

Our main stage events will be held in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, a 2900-seat venue that includes a key feature: thanks to two tiers of orchestra seating, no seat is more than 100 feet from the stage. Even with a large group of awesome people, it will still be intimate.

An expanded set of breakout sessions and smaller workshops will be held in nearby hotels. (Field trip!)

We'll have a Highly Sensitive Person Lounge with soothing hammocks and green tea for the introverts.

Speaking of hotels, we're renting out every room in two partner hotels—every guest will be a WDS attendee. Hostels and other shared housing options will also be available.

The city of Portland itself will be on full display, from food carts to craft stores. See hipsters and other people with no obvious means of employment in their native habitat.

Last year, attendees put together private activities that ranged from skydiving to mountain climbing to karaoke. This time, "unofficial WDS" will be expanded to include a dozen more activities, including yoga in the park, a 5k run, and our attempt to set some kind of Guiness world record.

The beer, cocktail, and chocolate tours will return, this time in self-guided form. In short, we're doing everything except build our own fortress — it's good to save something for another year.

Best of all, WDS remains a non-commercial, non-sponsored event. It's all about unconventional, remarkable people coming together for a weekend of adventure.

All that's missing is you. Are you in?