What is WordCamp?
WordCamp is a conference that focusses on all things WordPress-related! It is a casual, locally organized event where contributors and enthusiasts from multiple backgrounds come together to network and share ideas. WordPress is a free and open source platform that powers over 40% of the web. And WordCamps are integral to growing and maintaining this platform.
WordCamps are attended by diverse groups of people ranging from bloggers to developers & designers – basically any WordPress enthusiast. Bluehost has been attending and participating in WordCamps since its inception, and we never want to miss out on a chance to be present and support the community.
Why is WordCamp an important event for the WordPress community?
While a WordCamp may look like any other event from the outside, it is in fact closely integrated with the WordPress community and unique in a lot of ways.
WordPress is a free and open source platform, which means it is built and maintained by those who love WordPress. A WordCamp facilitates this by gathering like-minded people who can share their ideas, knowledge, experiences and educate the community.
Moreover, unlike any other conference, you will not see brands blatantly selling their products at a WordCamp. Instead, you will see a dynamic and rich community, ready to help each other. You will see unofficial gatherings of individuals sharing their expertise and ideas. You will see everyone coming together to make WordPress a much better platform!
Bluehost at WordCamp US
After a two-year hiatus from in-person events, WordCamp US brought the WordPress community together for a weekend of networking and learning in San Diego, California. After an incredibly successful WordCamp Europe in June, we knew WordCamp US was going to be a great time and we were right! We saw many familiar friendly faces and made a handful of new friends as well.
The Bluehost booth was crafted with our new eCommerce product as our headline. We brought the eCommerce product to life through our boutique store, demonstrating to event attendees how we can help our customers bring their eCommerce stores to life as well. We also brought a ping-pong table that was busy the entire weekend with friendly competition.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the Bluehost Beach Party. This networking mixer was held in iconic Belmont Park, just a few steps away from Mission Beach. Although the weather was less than ideal (who knew that sunny San Diego rained??), we still had a great time reconnecting with friends and enjoying the nearby beach.
Micah Wood and Evan Mullins each gave presentations throughout the weekend to audiences who were eager to learn more about WordPress. The community had a great turnout on Contributor Day and we had multiple members of the Bluehost team contributing to various teams throughout the day, including the Community Team, Design Team, Support Team, Training Team, and Core Team.
Sessions at WordCamp US
You can view the full live stream of both days on YouTube.
Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of the WordPress project, held a Q&A portion at the end of the event, but did not give the regular State of the Word as has been the format at the previous WordCamp US. We think that they will stay with the format they adopted last year and give a separate State of the Word in December. If you missed the State of the Word from 2021, you can find it here.
Event recap at a glance
A quick recap of what happened during the WordCamp US weekend:
– The tickets were capped at 650 this year, which made the event a lot more intimate than the previous years.
– WCUS saw an action-packed schedule with 41 speakers and multiple sessions across both days.
– The contributor day was a huge success with a large group of attendees joining in person and virtually.
– 34 sponsors aided their support to the event with Bluehost continuing to sponsor at the platinum level.
A big thank you to all the organizers and volunteers who made WCUS possible in person after 2 long years! Overall, the weekend was quite a success! We’re looking forward to seeing all our friends in future in-person events soon!
