The WP World
WordCamp Toolkit
For Attendees
Introduction to WordCamp
What is WordCamp?
WordCamps are WordPress events that are held all over the world to come together to celebrate the WordPress software and community. WordCamps are organized by volunteer members of the community and are not paid for their efforts (unless sponsored to do this work by a third-party).
The purpose of WordCamps is to connect WordPress users, developers, designers, businesses, and enthusiasts around the world. (The WP World likes to call these people “Pressers” 😄)
Unpaid speakers are selected to share various topics and sponsors are invited to help fund the events. For this reason, ticket prices have historically remained low, allowing for the greatest span in attendee affordability.
Each year (since 2006), the community gathers in hundreds of locations around the world, including 3 flagship events that happen in North and South America (WordCamp US), Europe and Africa (WordCamp Europe), and Asia and the Oceanic region (WordCamp Asia).
Learn more at WordCamp Central
Why Attend WordCamp?
WordCamp attendees participate for many reasons. First and foremost, the speakers are selected from hundreds of submissions, ensuring that you hear the best of the best when it’s time to sit in a session. These speakers talk about various topics including the WordPress software, the community, specific case studies, and a whole lot more. These are bright people who genuinely want to share their knowledge with you!
Beyond the sessions, there are the networking opportunities. WordCamps are unbeatable in providing ways for you to connect, personally and professionally, with the greater community in ways that simply cannot happen over a Zoom call or Twitter exchange. There’s something about running into a speaker in a hotel lobby and grabbing a drink together that just doesn’t happen virtually.
In addition to speaking sessions and networking, there are the opportunities to learn about new tools and processes from fellow attendees, sponsors, vendors, and anyone in between. Your productivity is guaranteed to increase in some form!
Oh yea, and most WordCamps include a lunch and snack on each day in addition to an afterparty social event!
What you need to know
Preparing for Your First WordCamp
It’s your first WordCamp? That’s amazing! We can’t wait to see you there. Before you head out the door, though, make sure you have a few things taken care of. You’ll need to make sure you have the essentials packed and have a plan in place for how you’ll tackle the event.
Where to Stay
The best place to stay is where everyone else is staying. That sounds pretty conformist, but it means you’ll have the best chance to meet and greet organically. Whenever possible, stay somewhere near the venue. This allows you the shortest commute and the opportunity to run back for a snack, nap, or to grab something you forgot throughout the day.
What to Pack
What you need to pack is a pretty important step, as everyone will have to consider this. Depending on the location, you may need specific attire to stay warm or cool. WordCamps are pretty casual events – in general – so a tshirt with a WordPress brand (or your company logo!) is great along with a pair of comfy jeans. It’s a long day/multiple days, so optimize for comfort! Be sure to check the weather at your destination to see if you’ll need a jacket, rain gear, or sunscreen.
The Gear You’ll Need
When it comes to gear, you’ll most likely want your laptop (or pro tablet) to check out demos, take notes, or follow along with session examples. Be sure it’s charged for the day and ready to go. If you can, set it to “do not disturb” so you can focus, but at minimum make sure the volume is muted. Bring your phone and be ready to swap contact details. If you have business cards, bring them, but a lot of folks will want to connect on LinkedIn, Slack, or via phone number.
Leave Some Space…
If it’s your first WordCamp (especially if it’s a flagship one like US, Europe, or Asia), you’ll want to leave some room in your luggage for the return home: you’ll be filling it with branded goodies from sponsors and the camp! Over time, you’ll take away fewer and fewer of these items, but go nuts the first time and get all the things™! Just make sure you can get them home by saving about 20-25% of your luggage space for the return trip.
- WordCamp — Matt Mullenweg
- My WordCamp US Focus Mode — Ryan Neudorf
- How To Pack For WordCamp — Desiree Johnson (Bluehost)
- How To Travel To An International WordCamp — Topher DeRosia
Making the Most of WordCamp
Making the most of WordCamp requires a little bit of pre-planning. Some folks just “wing it” (and that’s okay too), but it’s good to have some idea of what you want to achieve and how you’ll get there.
Plan of Attack
Finally, be sure you have a plan for how you will make the most of your time. The sessions are usually posted on WordPress.tv after the event, so – unless you have a few sessions you really don’t want to miss – decide if you’re going to try to attend as many sessions as possible or network with folks in-person. If you’re headed to sessions, plan which ones you want to attend ahead of time and write out any questions you want to ask. (Many sessions have Q&A time at the end.)
If you’re focusing on networking, reach out to networking opportunities ahead of time online. (Sometimes, people even publish a meeting calendar so you can book a spot to speak with them!) You can also make a list of people you know will be there – either from social media, the camp’s attendees page, or the camp page here on The WP World. Make it a checklist and try to see how many you can meet and check off the list!
Save time to check out the sponsors and vendors. Many times, they have freebies (swag) to hand out and discounts on their products. It’s also a good way to learn about plugins, local agencies, and hosting features you didn’t know existed! They’re not that scary and WordCamps aren’t sales events, so you’ll rarely, if ever, get stuck in a sales pitch from a sponsor.
Whatever you do, make sure you have a goal in mind that will strengthen your business and find ways to accomplish that goal.
- How to Survive WordCamp: a Guide for n00bs — Carrie Dils
- Your essential guide to thriving at WordCamps: tips, tricks, and must-haves — Loise Dizon (Kinsta)
Post-WordCamp Actions
At some point, WordCamp will come to an end and you’ll be back at home wondering “now what?” Here are some things you can do after you return from WordCamp.
Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up
Don’t let too much time pass before you reach back out to the people you just met. You’re probably a pretty memorable person, but everyone just talked to a lot of people! If there were some potential business opportunities, start there. Send an email or a LinkedIn message to see if they have time to meet with you in the next week or so.
Next, reach back out to anyone that wanted to collaborate on a project. See if there’s anything you can do to push those projects forward. Hopefully you got some email addresses or DM them on social media.
Lastly, check in online with event recaps that people have written. These will give you a chance to learn from others for the next WordCamp, but also sometimes contain contact info and calls to action where you can jump in!
- My First WordCamp Experience — Justin Pine (Honors WP)
- A Dispatch from My First WordCamp — Marty O’Connor (WebDev Studios)
- GoDaddy at WordCamp Europe 2024
- GoDaddy at WordCamp Asia 2024 — Courtney Robertson (GoDaddy)
- GoDaddy at WordCamp US 2023— Courtney Robertson (GoDaddy)
Terminology: WordPress and WordCamp Lingo
Common WordPress Terms
CMS (Content Management System) – this is what WordPress is — a collection of files that helps you manage the content that is stored in a connected database. If you can create, read, update, and delete content (often abbreviated as “CRUD”) in your site, it’s using a content management system.
Plugin – a plugin is a group of folders and files that you can add to your WordPress site to extend the functionality of the site. For example, you’ll need a plugin if you want to add commerce, a store locator, or a contact form to your site.
Theme – a WordPress theme is a group of folders and files that allow you to have greater control over the look and feel (the design) of your site.
Gutenberg – the Gutenberg project started as an effort to transition the mostly text-based content editor in WordPress to a block editor. It is also the name of the plugin that you can download to extend WordPress to include these new content editing features. Some of these have already been merged into the CMS and renamed to “block editor” (referring to how you edit content with blocks) and full-site editing (referring to using blocks for page layouts). Learn more about the Gutenberg plugin.
Make Teams – there are (currently) 21 “Make Teams” that power the WordPress ecosystem. These teams lead the charge in various parts of the project, including the core software, plugin/theme reviews, community, learning resources, WordPress.tv, a stock photo directory, and much more.
Each team is represented by 2-3 team members who communicate with the other team reps to keep all the pieces moving forward together.
Capital P – while not technically terminology, it is considered taboo/amateur to spell WordPress with a lowercase “P” (ex: WordPress). Some people are more forgiving than others when it comes to this standard, but it’s best to simply capitalize the “P” in WordPress.
WordCamp Specific Terms
Contributor Day – as the name implies, this is a day of gathering together as a community and contributing to the WordPress project. Not all camps have these, but for those that do, each of the Make WordPress teams has a table and helps attendees learn how they can contribute to that team. You do not have to be involved with a team already, so it is highly encouraged that you attend and see how you can help!
Session Track – a session track is a single set of speaker sessions in a room or location. It is common for there to be two or even three tracks happening at the same time, depending on the size of the event.
Hallway Track – this is the term that has endearingly been given to the networking that happens between sessions and around the food areas. This “pseudo-track” is all about getting to know your fellow Pressers around the venue.
Swag – typically distributed by sponsors, vendors, or the camp itself, swag refers to all the free goodies that you can collect during the event. This often includes tshirts, mugs, stickers, pins, notebooks, and pens/pencils.
Speaker Lounge – exclusive to the speakers at the event, this is an area where you can get away from the crowds to put the finishing touches on your talk, mentally prepare to be on-stage, or unwind after you’re done speaking. Speakers generally don’t hang out in there too long though, opting instead to be available for attendees to ask questions before/after sessions.
Social Networking Event (Afterparty) – usually held on the final evening of a WordCamp, the afterparty is a networking event with snacks, music, entertainment, and drinks (sometimes alcohol). These are intended to be a fun hangout on the last night and not necessarily focused on work discussions.
Wapuu – the Wapuu is the official mascot of the WordPress project. This yellow, pokemon-like character was conceived at a WordCamp in 2011 and has been a fan-favorite ever since. Under the GPL-2 license, anyone is free to customize the mascot as they like, leading to hundreds of company and WordCamp-inspired designs!
Must-Watch Videos
First WordCamp Tips and Tricks
Inside Look at WordCamp Europe 2022: A Documentary by Yoast
The Wordcamp Asia 2023 Experience
Hostinger x WordCamp Europe 2023 Highlights
Maximizing Your WordCamp Experience: Tips for WP Product Owners
How to survive a WordCamp (or any conference) as an introvert
How to make the most of your WordCamp Experience
How To Prepare for a WordCamp
Audio Resources
Tips for Attending WordCampUS with Marcus, Katie and BobWP
WordPress Briefing Episode #81: It’s your first WordCamp? Welcome!
The KitchensinkWP Podcast - 5 Tips For Attending a Conference
Let’s Talk WordCamp US 2024 with Julia, Aaron, Katie and Bernard
🔥 Tips and Tricks for Attendees
Before the Event
- Browse the official event attendee list and The WP World to find out who’s attending. Make your own list from those of people you want to make sure to meet.
- Reach out to attendees ahead of time (via social media or Slack) to set up meetings. Some will have calendars you can use to claim a time slot!
- Research the speakers and sessions and choose 2-4 that you’d like to attend. The rest will be on WordPress.tv later and you’ll want to make sure to spend plenty of time networking.
- Pack what you need for the event, leaving space in your luggage for swag to take home with you. (Feel free to grab 2 or 3 of a few items for the kids! The sponsors do not want to take swag home.)
During the Event
- Get familiar with the venue early (even the day before if you can) to make the best use of your session and “hallway track” time.
- Don’t be shy! Most other people are there to network, so sit with others at meals and breaks and get to know them!
- Jot down questions for speakers ahead of time and make use of the Q&A. Speakers are unpaid, so they truly are there to share their knowledge because they want to!
- Not interested in a talk 10 minutes in? That’s okay! Feel free to (quietly) get up and head to a different session or back to the hallway. Speakers know that not all content is for everyone. They won’t be offended!
- Visit sponsors and ask them about their products. You never know if you’ll find just the productivity tool you were looking for.
- Make friends with the big-budget sponsors (often the hosting companies). You’re likely to score a free meal or a few free drinks that way 😉
- Follow speakers and fellow attendees on social media. You’ll be glad you have a way of reminding yourself of their names later.
- Go to the parties/side events! These are great for meeting people in a low-pressure setting. (Plus, free food and drinks!)
After the Event
- Follow up with new contacts a few days after camp. Most people need a few days to decompress, but you don’t want to wait so long that they forget the conversations they had with you.
- Find and join your local WordPress meetups. This is a great way to plug into your own community and, who knows, that meetup may grow to a WordCamp and you’ll be set to help organize it!
Useful Tools and Resources
FAQs
WordCamp events are usually pretty casual. You’ll often find speakers, sponsors, and other attendees wearing a company-branded t-shirt and jeans. Depending on the culture or climate, some folks may be wearing jackets, hats, or culturally appropriate clothing.
In general, you should dress how you feel most comfortable. So, if you enjoy wearing a suit and tie, feel free to wear that!
With few exceptions, WordCamps are very kid-friendly events. In fact, it’s encouraged that you bring your little one with you and get them plugged into the community early!
In fact, there are sometimes “kids camps” that are held separately or alongside WordCamp events, specifically geared towards your young WordPress enthusiast. These are best suited for kids about age 6 to 14.
Disclaimer: it is not against the policies of a WordCamp for a speaker, attendee, or other guest to use “harsh language”, but this is generally avoided for events — even by the usual worst offenders.
When it comes to organizing and volunteering for an event, it’s best to start with participation in a local meetup or organizing a small local WordCamp before taking on a larger role.
For more information on becoming an organizer, visit WordCamp Central
To become a speaker, however, you just need to apply when a WordCamp opens up its “Call for Speakers”. Don’t worry about your level of experience; sometimes the best talks come from someone who has something new to share with the community!
There are many ways to continue to be involved with WordPress after a WordCamp event! The best way to stay in touch with the community is by joining the Make WordPress Slack and following up with folks that you just met.
Here are some other recommendations:
- Join one of the Make WordPress Teams
- Sit in on a team meeting in the Make WordPress Slack
- Find some outstanding Trac tickets that you can contribute to
- Get involved with a local meetup group
- Watch, listen, or participate in a WordPress podcast
- Reach out to connections you made at WordPress to see how you can help their efforts
Contributor Day is a separate day, set aside from the main camp days, to gather as different teams within the ecosystem to decide how to push each individual piece forward.
Make sure to get there early, as the first portion of each day includes the team representatives sharing a bit about their team and what they want to accomplish. This will help you choose where to jump in.
If you’ve never attended a contributor day, it’s very low pressure! Come see if you can help a team and, if that team is not for you, you can find another one. No feelings will be hurt, I promise!
Note: Not all WordCamps include a Contributor Day. Usually, these are reserved for larger regional or flagship events.
A laptop is not mandatory, but can often be quite helpful – especially during a Contributor Day or product demos.
If a laptop will cause you too many distractions, you can optionally bring a tablet or simply your smartphone.
At minimum, try to bring a device that you can use to capture helpful notes.
Schedule changes are an inevitable part of WordCamps. Sometimes speakers have to back out at the last minute or rooms get moved because of A/V technical difficulties.
By and large, the schedule page of each camp stays pretty up-to-date for most camps. If you have any questions, start there.
Most camps will also share schedule changes on social media (specifically Twitter/X), so be sure to follow camp handles!
Finally, The WP World has always-up-to-date schedule calendars that you can subscribe to for each flagship camp 🎉
There absolutely is a code of conduct for WordCamps and it’s a large part of what makes these events fun to attend and inclusive of everyone!
You can learn more about the terms of the Code of Conduct here.
Generally speaking, lunches on the day(s) of the event are included in your WordCamp ticket. Coffee and other small snacks may also be available.
For those with dietary restrictions, WordCamp organizers try to do their best most times, but may not always be able to accommodate all requests.
For breakfast, dinner, or anything in between meals, you are on your own. The WP World includes recommendations for many camps, so check your event’s page for great places to eat!
Every WordCamp ticket registration asks if you have certain accessibility needs. Make sure you check “yes” there and the organizers will reach out to work with you.
Accessibility is important and almost all events will work to find was to work with you so that you can enjoy the WordCamp with everyone else.
Final Thoughts
All in all, WordCamps are a fantastic way to grow in your WordPress knowledge, expand your network of resources, and contribute to the project. There are very few, if any, downsides to attending a WordCamp and, usually, the only barrier is the cost. Start small by attending local meetups, then move up to a local WordCamp and then a flagship experience.
You not only learn about the WordPress project at a WordCamp, you get to influence it!
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