WordCamp: An Introduction
Ah! My first WordCamp. I’ve dreamed of going to a WordCamp since 2018 when it was in DC, and it only took six years to finally attend one! Good timing too, as my agency is really ramping up, and I’ve invested a lot of time networking on X. The event taking place in September made it even more significant for my planning. I was torn about whether to go or not, as it would be a cost, and I wasn’t sure if the ROI would be worth it. But after talking with my wife, who’s my biggest supporter, I booked my ticket, flight, and hotel! The date finally arrived, and it came quickly—off to Portland!
What is WordCamp?
WordCamp is a conference that celebrates everything WordPress, the free and open-source software that powers 43% of the web. Imagine a casual, locally-organized event where you can dive into a variety of topics related to WordPress, from basic usage to advanced development techniques. Whether you’re a blogging newbie or a seasoned developer, WordCamps offer a great opportunity to learn, share, and connect with others who share your passion for WordPress. These events are organized by the community, for the community, making them a unique blend of education and networking. It’s not just about the sessions; it’s about the people you meet and the ideas you exchange.
The Flight to WCUS
The flight to WCUS was eventful. My wife graciously drove me from our home city of Bloomington, IL to Chicago O’Hare, and everything went off without a hitch. We stopped at our favorite mega gas station, Wally’s, and grabbed sodas and a breakfast taco. So good! The total travel time to Chicago was two hours. Picked up some Chicago Home Run Inn Pizza, which honestly wasn’t that good.
Unfortunately, during the flight, something happened to my eye. They became extremely red and painful, which caused me to miss Contributor Day at WordCamp, something I was really looking forward to. I took a Lyft to Stanton Optical, which promised same-day, free eye exams with the purchase of buy-one-get-one glasses. Well, there was no eye exam, but I did get glasses within an hour! This helped clear up my eye issue very quickly. And of course, I made the rookie mistake of not bringing extra contacts.
Types of WordCamps
WordCamps come in different shapes and sizes, each with its own unique flavor. Here are some of the most common types:
- WordCamp US: This is the premier event for WordPress professionals in North America. Held annually in the United States, WordCamp US is a must-attend for anyone serious about WordPress. It’s a massive gathering of developers, designers, and enthusiasts, featuring top-notch speakers and endless networking opportunities.
- WordCamp Europe: If you’re in Europe, this is the event to mark on your calendar. WordCamp Europe brings together WordPress users from across the continent, offering a rich lineup of sessions and workshops. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn from some of the best minds in the WordPress community.
- WordCamp Asia: This event is a beacon for WordPress users and developers in Asia. WordCamp Asia is all about fostering connections and sharing knowledge across the region. It’s a vibrant conference that showcases the diversity and talent within the Asian WordPress community.
- Local WordCamps: These are smaller, community-organized events that take place in various locations around the world. Local WordCamps are the heart and soul of the WordPress community, providing a platform for local users to come together, learn, and grow. They might be smaller in scale, but they’re big on impact.
The Presentations
As this was my first WordCamp, I didn’t know what to expect from the talks. It was enlightening to see people I knew from X giving presentations, and it was fun to support them! As a newcomer, I didn’t understand the difference between Showcase Day and the other talks. I guess Showcase Day was all about demonstrating the power of WordPress and what they’ve built, while the others were supposed to be more educational. Some presentations did blend together a bit, and I’d love to see more distinction between showcasing and learning.
My favorite talks were from
- Miriam Schwab & Oliver Sild from Elementor/Patchstack on Enhancing Open Source Plugin Security: Establishing Robust Processes and Leveraging Bug Bounty Partnerships
- Brian Rotsztein from rotsztein.com on Innovative Pricing Strategies to Grow Your WordPress Business
- Karena Kreger & Gina Deaton from Open Sky Agency/ClockworkWP on Scaling Your Agency: Lessons Learned the Hard Way
But I also attended:
- Alexandra Guffey from Disney on Reach for the Sky: A Magical Transformation with Gutenberg
- James LePage from WPAI on Deeply Integrating AI with WordPress
- Linnea Huxford from Alley on The News Never Sleeps: How WordPress Powers The New York Post and From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs: How the New York Post Mastered Scalability
- Stéphane Boisvert,Thomas Stang,Anique Halliday from XWP & Vox Media on Reinventing Vox Media’s CMS: A WordPress Migration Journey
- Christy Nyiri on Highlights from the Automattic Special Projects Team
- Amber Hinds &Steve Jones from Equalize Digital on Uber for Nurses: The Power of WordPress
- Neil Peretz on How to Grow and Protect Your Brand
Local WordCamps are a great way to connect with the community and learn from others. It’s important to stay informed about upcoming WordCamps, including details on scheduled and unscheduled events, to make the most of these opportunities.
The Power of Networking within the WordPress Community
As someone who’s been deeply invested in WordPress for over 10 years, some presentations were a bit too beginner-level for me. I found the Hallway Track and socials much more interesting, even as an introvert (although I felt like quite the extrovert at WCUS!). Even the hotel elevator became a place to meet people, and the long wait times turned into a great conversation starter for most.
I spent a lot of time at the socials with great people like Aaron Edwards & Keisha Edwards from DocsBot, Josh Dailey from WP Engine, and Tyler Postle, who I knew from WPMU DEV. They brought me into their group, as they all previously worked at WPMU DEV, and we found we had a lot of common interests! You really get to know people by doing an escape room at Growing Greens and listening to a Taylor Swift laser show at OMSI!
The side events were fantastic. I went to the Cloudways side event, the WP Engine & Nitropack event, the WooCommerce event, and the official after-party. There was so much good food and drinks! I even got to tour the USS Blueback submarine! My voice started to get hoarse from all the talking.
It’s rare to come across people who are as passionate about WordPress as I am, and it was amazing to be surrounded by others who get just as excited about it.
I met so many great people, and while it’s impossible to list them all, here are a few I really connected with:
Timothy Monner – BigScoots
Patrick Cornell – Cornell Design Group
Sarwar Hossain
Parvez Akther – ThriveDesk
Mossaddique Ahsan – Beyond Innovations & Technologies
Sandeep Kamble – SecureLayer7
Eduardo Telaya – heydru!
Jamshid Sultanzada – PomTech ICT Solutions
Adam Pickering – Gravity Forms
Mike Smith – Gravity Forms
Cameron Barrett – SchoolPresser
Katie Keith – Barn2 Plugins
Muhammad Khan – Cloudways
Brent Owens – Cloudways
Matthew Tuning – Cloudways
Jason Coleman – Paid Memberships Pro
Tony Florida – Tony Teaches Tech
Business Impacts
All expenses for the trip, including flights (premium economy), the WCUS ticket, hotels, Lyfts, and food, came to about $2,300. It was a little bit more expensive While I didn’t close any direct business deals—expected since many attendees were competitors—relationships were formed. As I shared with a few folks, we’re in the process of becoming a plugin company. Our Secure Forms plugin was approved by the repository two weeks ago, and we’re ramping up marketing for it. I also spoke with Gravity Forms about opening an integration with them, and with their advice, I have a solid plan to make it happen.
Additionally, we put in an offer to acquire two WordPress plugins with over 100,000 installs. We’ve submitted a letter of intent and are waiting to hear back. If this goes through, it will integrate well with our offerings and position us uniquely in the market.
So, I’d say the ROI was worth it, even if I don’t have direct numbers to prove it yet.
Key Takeaways
- Scaling requires clarity—get organized before you grow.
- Double down on your strengths.
- Productize your services.
- Experiment with relative-value pricing.
- Determine your prices by examining unique scenarios and opportunities.
- Increase or decrease the price accordingly.
- I say experiment because this isn’t always the best way to grow or scale.
- The end product is everything. Make a great user experience a given.
Advice to First Time WordCamp Attendees
- Take a look at the schedule and pick out the topics that interest you. Don’t feel pressured to attend every single time slot; make sure you leave time for sponsor booths, lunch, and networking. Especially the networking!
- Don’t pay for dinner or food. Each and stuff up at lunch & the side events that happen every night.
- Portland was gracious enough to give us free public transit passes, which I used once. But, don’t be afraid to take an Uber, as it can be safer.
- Brand yourself. Literally. Bring & wear your company t-shirt or apparel to wear & only wear that
- Talk to everyone that you feel comfortable with (which will be many people)
- Bring comfortable walking shoes and a water bottle
- Many people take pictures of the slides on the screen during the talks. Don’t forget to digest them once you get home. Don’t let them use up storage on your phone and sit there. Use it and put them into practice!
Controversy from Matt Mullenweg
We were all seated in the Oregon Ballroom, expecting a lighthearted keynote from Matt Mullenweg—perhaps some Gutenberg or WordPress adoption stats. Nope. Instead, he read his blog post verbatim while soft jazz played overhead, as if it were a bedtime story. His blog post was vague, but no one was shocked. Then, he put up a slide with the WP Engine logo, followed by the managing director of Silver Lake’s contact information. His main gripe was that Silver Lake Venture Capital was extracting from WordPress more than it was giving, which would eventually lead to problems. He pointed out that WP Engine makes close to $500M in annual revenue but only contributes 40 hours a week to WordPress Core Development. He praised GoDaddy, BlueHost, and Google, but compared to their revenue, they’re in the same boat, if not worse.
During the keynote, I was upset with both WP Engine and Matt. Since then, Matt has diluted his logic, and his argument has lost weight. I felt so bad for the WP Engine employees, who didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of that. I heard that words were exchanged between Matt and WP Engine employees at their booth, which made the situation even sadder.
Conclusion
Whew! My first WordCamp round-up. Hopefully, it was a good read—it was certainly a good event to attend, but it was a long week! Glad to be back home, where we’ve had a record number of tickets come in. But I’m engaged, excited, and ready to keep moving forward with ClikIT.
