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WordCamp Europe 2023

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Header for WordCamp Europe Recap Post
WordCamp Europe 2023

When

June 8, 2023 - June 10, 2023    
All Day
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The 11th edition of WordCamp Europe was an extraordinary journey filled with enthusiasm and deep appreciation. Passionate WordPress enthusiasts from around the globe converged for an unforgettable celebration. Together, we experienced captivating moments, exhilarating experiences, and remarkable highlights at the grandest WordPress event of the year. Let’s reminisce about the memories that made this event truly remarkable and cherished for all. 

The power of community took center stage at WordCamp Europe 2023 at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre, Athens, Greece. Attendees from diverse backgrounds, skill levels, and industries united under the common love for WordPress. The event fostered an inclusive environment, encouraging collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the forging of meaningful connections. 

Exploring the significance of WordCamps for the WordPress community 

WordCamp brings WordPress enthusiasts together, fostering learning, networking, and innovation. It’s an immersive platform to expand knowledge, exchange ideas, and stay updated on WordPress trends and connect with professionals, gain insights, and contribute to the evolution of WordPress as a powerful web platform.

The spirit of Wapuu shines 

Wapuu, the beloved mascot of WordPress, was named & introduced as WAthena & Gyros Wappu for the occasion of WordCamp Europe! 

With their distinctive appearance, both captured the hearts of the community. Their friendly character represented the spirit of WordPress, symbolizing creativity, inclusivity, and fun.  

  1. WAthena 

WAthena

In a nod to Greek tradition, this year’s Wapuu donned Athena’s helmet and held an Amphora, a traditional Greek vase. WAthena symbolized the Olympian goddess of weaving, pottery, crafts, heroic endeavors, war, wisdom, and good counsel – a guardian of towns like Athens. Let’s reflect on the vibrant Greek heritage and the multifaceted persona of Wapuu. 

 

  1. Gyros Wapuu 

Gyros Wapuu

Gyros donned on an avatar after a popular Greek dish, that tempts passersby’s with its aromatic blend of thinly sliced pork or chicken, infused with a medley of spices. Served in a lightly grilled pita bread, accompanied by tomatoes, onions, lettuce, french fries, and a generous dollop of tzatziki, this culinary delight satisfies taste buds far and wide. And of course, Wapuu couldn’t resist a stick of souvlaki, ensuring every delicious flavor was captured, all while keeping a napkin handy for any delectable dribbles. 😀 

Essential details and highlights of WordCamp Europe 2023:  

  • Location: Megaron Athens International Conference Centre, Athens, Greece 
  • Duration: 8 – 10 June 2023
  • Attendees: 2545 from 94 countries 
  • Contributors: 658 
  • Sessions: 68 
  • Speakers: 102 
  • Sponsors: 64 
  • Organizers: 112 
  • Volunteers: 250 
  • Media Partners: 21 

Bluehost: Fueling success at WordCamp Europe 2023 

WordCamp Europe this year exceeded our expectations, just like the previous edition. We had the pleasure of reconnecting with familiar faces and forming new connections with WordPress enthusiasts, developers, designers, and users who share our passion. The event provided a valuable platform for engaging in meaningful conversations, exchanging insights, and learning from the WordPress community’s collective wisdom. 

As an Admin-level sponsor, Bluehost played a prominent role in WordCamp Europe 2023. We are honored to be part of this prestigious event and contribute to its success. With a dedicated team of 14 representatives from varied departments, our presence left a lasting impact and led to fruitful outcomes. We also had the pleasure of being a part of the volunteer team. Micah Wood, Senior Software Engineer helped the organizers at event and workshop registrations.

Swag unboxing Bluehost Booth at WCEU 2023

Additionally, our Roblox and other swag items were a massive hit among conference attendees, garnering immense love and appreciation.  

Bluehost swag

At the Bluehost booth, we were thrilled to unveil our Wonderful new experiences, which will be launched shortly. The team took this opportunity to give multiple demos to the attendees and seek feedback to launch a successful feature that aligns with the requirements of the users.  

Bluehost, Yoast, and Yith: Powerhouse collaboration  

We embarked on a pin–tastic journey filled with fun and prizes alongside Bluehost, Yoast, and YITH during WordCamp Europe. Visitors flocked to our booths, enthusiastically completing surveys and quizzes to collect unique and customized pins.  

The excitement reached its peak as participants aimed to collect all the pins, unlocking the chance to win incredible prizes in our thrilling raffle. With the opportunity to score an iPad, Apple Watch, or AirPods, the stakes were high! It was truly a #WonderfulTogether experience that left everyone buzzing with excitement. 

Game at BH Booth Pintastic at WCEU

Victory unveiled: Here are the winners! 

Unite in Pride: WCEU’s colorful party 🌈 

We immersed ourselves in an evening of love and unity at the “Wonderful Together” Pride party during WordCamp Europe. Alongside Yoast, Codeable, and YITH, we celebrated diversity and inclusion in style🤩.  

Pride Party 2023

It was an unforgettable experience, filled with vibrant music, delicious drinks, and delectable snacks. We danced the night away, made lasting connections, and were treated to a surprise act that left us speechless 🌈🎉😃. It was an extraordinary celebration of togetherness that will be cherished in our memories! 

Empowering contributors: A day of collaboration at WordCamp Europe 

At WordCamp Europe, the first day was dedicated to Contributor Day, a highly anticipated event where WordPress enthusiasts gathered to explore the art of contributing to the WordPress ecosystem. It was a day brimming with excitement, learning, and a collaborative spirit. 

Contributor day EU2023 Contributor day table

The day buzzed with energy as passionate individuals, including Bluehost, joined forces, exchanging ideas and working collaboratively to enhance the WordPress platform. With their contributions, the vibrant atmosphere at Contributor Day fostered a sense of camaraderie and support, empowering everyone on their journey to becoming valuable contributors to the WordPress community. Together, they played a crucial role in shaping the future of WordPress, making it even more powerful and accessible for users around the world. 

⁠Jonathan Desrosiers from the Bluehost team was the lead at the core table once again. Our friends at Yoast also led the themes, marketing and community tables. Bluehost team that participated in the Contributor Day had only amazing things to share: 

Because of the great mix of experience levels, the Core tables at Contributor Day was very successful and leading the group was easy. Experienced contributors stepped up and helped to give more novice contributors code reviews, feedback, and a better understand the contribution process. Core Committers in attendance were also able to commit several changes from other contributors in attendance, which is always a fantastic outcome – Jonathan Desrosiers, Senior Software Engineer

Being a marketing person at heart, I naturally planned my first ever contribution at the marketing table. It was a great experience getting set up and seeing the extent to which marketing impacts WordPress. I contributed to some social posts and a photo which got accepted. I look forward to contributing to many more projects in WordCamps to come! – Minal Agarwal, Director of Brand Marketing

With FSE, you can build a full WordPress theme with all its template parts included WITHOUT a single line of code. And that’s exactly what we did at the Themes table on contributor day! – Abdulrahman Al Ani, Software Engineer

It was my first contributor day ever! I contributed to the Themes table. We worked on creating a new theme called Blue Note for the WordPress repository. It was terrific to sit with everyone from different backgrounds, cultures, and skill sets, working on a new theme. I learned a lot working with everyone and participating in the contributor day. – Keith Colter, Manager Support

I joined the Themes table at contributor day, and as a developer used to writing code, it was refreshing learning how to achieve complex designs in the Site Editor using a no-code approach. We took the Figma design for a completely new community theme and worked with each other to build that in the Site Editor. – Arun Shenoy, Software Engineer

If you’ve never contributed before, contributor day is a great opportunity to get started. And if you are an experienced contributor, it’s a great opportunity to mentor new people. The genius of contributor day is that it brings these two groups together. – Chris Miles, Senior Product Manager

Transformative sessions at WordCamp Europe 

The keynote addresses delivered at WordCamp left attendees feeling energized and motivated. Renowned industry leaders graced the stage, sharing their invaluable insights, experiences, and visions for the future of WordPress. Their thought-provoking talks inspired attendees to push boundaries, foster innovation, and embark on an exciting journey with WordPress. 

Catch the Live Stream Here: 

Cathi Bosco: 15 ways user experience impacts business success 

Cathi Bosco shed light on a few ways in which user experience impacts an online business. It not only helps to communicate better with customers but also increases long-term sustainability and customer base. 

Afshana Diya: Don’t sell WordPress like it’s 2016 – the evolving landscape of WordPress marketing 

She spoke about the changing landscape of WordPress and tips for marketing: “Gutenberg has changed the way people used to think and perceive the WordPress ecosystem. Making new product discoveries through product-led growth is essential. Dig deeper into competitors and embrace innovation.” 

Panel Discussion: Women and non-binary folx of WordPress  

Panelists: Francesca Marano, Chaya Oosterbroek, Thelma Mutete, Anne McCarthy, Jessica Lyschik, Rian Rietveld 

The panel discussion on women and non-binary folx of WordPress brought together a diverse group of women. The panelists discussed their achievements from being a part of WordPress releases to being organizers at WordCamps. They also spoke about how representation on stage is essential for voices. 

Ana Cirujano: How to ask for web design feedback

Ana emphasized the importance of WHEN to seek feedback at various stages of the design process, “ From the initial briefing and research phase to the crucial moments of wireframing, prototyping, and development, and ultimately culminating in the final stages of launching and testing, feedback remains a vital component for success.” 

Oliver Sild: State of WordPress security – insights from 2022 

In his enlightening talk, he shares three valuable insights on securing a WordPress site: “Minimize plugins and choose stacks based on what you actually use to build your website. Secondly, a WordPress-specific firewall is crucial for detecting vulnerabilities. Thirdly, when selecting a hosting service, prioritize providers that keep you informed about vulnerabilities.” 

Panel Discussion – AI In WordPress  

Panelists: Sujay Pawar, Gabriella Laster, Daniel Kanchev, Shane Pearlman, Constanze Kratel 

The panelists discussed challenges in website creation and the role of AI. They mentioned AI’s current use within the WordPress ecosystem for support, documentation, and content generation.  One can anticipate a future where users no longer start with a blank canvas, thanks to AI’s advancements. 

Tim Nash: The art of the code review 

In his astute observation, Tim Nash emphasized that there must be a well-documented standard or coding style one must adhere to. The review process must be automated, as the computer can perform it faster and more accurately. 

Unveiling wisdom with Matt Mullenweg 

In the discussion, Variations on a theme: 20 years of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, Josepha Haden Chomphosy and Matías Ventura, reflected on 20 years of open-source innovation and disruption: 

The trio spoke about the variations in WordPress through the years. The new WP Playground makes trying a new theme or plugin risk-free, instantly from your browser. A pilot program is also being launched to help with the mentorship of underrepresented groups in WordPress. 

Catch him at the Bluehost booth here 😉 

Dynamic discussions with WP Connects 

At this year’s WP Connect, attendees enjoyed an exceptional discussion space where they had the opportunity to connect, chat, and share ideas over coffee. On Day 1, from 4:00-4:45 p.m. (EEST), notable speakers Hari Shanker, Afshana Diya, Emanuel Blagonic, and Courtney Robertson captivated the audience with their insights on “Five for the Future: Sponsored Contributions and Corporate Support to the WP Project.”

WordPress community: Inspiring voices 

We had the privilege of capturing fun stills featuring Michelle Frechette, Raquel Karina, & Rian Rietveld where they share their thoughts on what WordPress means to them in ONE word, emphasizing the significance of the WordPress community.  

WordCamp Europe 2023: A heartfelt Thank You! 

As we conclude WordCamp Europe 2023, Bluehost extends its sincere gratitude to the incredible WordPress community. The event served as a catalyst for renewed inspiration and collaboration within the WordPress community.  

Team Newfold at WCEU

Without the collective efforts of organizers, volunteers, and sponsors, this event wouldn’t have been possible. We’re honored to have played a part in supporting WordPress and sponsoring WordCamps worldwide. Your warm welcome made us feel at home, and we’re immensely grateful for your continuous support.  

The team announced the upcoming 2024 edition of WordCamp Europe! Save the dates – June 13th to 15th – for this incredible event taking place in the beautiful city of Torino, Italy. Until then, keep thriving and embracing the power of WordPress! 

Farewell for now: Until we meet again… 😊    

WCEU 2023

More articles about

  • Minal Agarwal

    Minal is the Director of Brand Marketing at Bluehost. With over 15 years of business experience in the technology industry, she strives to create solutions and content that fulfill a customer's needs. She is a dog mom and a stickler for calendaring.

    Education
    Masters in Marketing Management
    Previous Experience
    Strategic Partnerships, Customer Success, Events and Community