Hello, people! I’m back with another exciting event blog!
In the past, I participated in many popular Affiliate Conferences, including Affiliate World Bangkok, Affiliate World Barcelona, Affiliate World Dubai, IAS Delhi, ad:tech Delhi, and more.
Recently, I got the opportunity to attend the highly anticipated WordCamp event in Bangkok, Thailand. I must say, it was an incredibly enriching experience for me.
In today’s blog, I’m going to share my WordCamp Asia experience and the insights I gathered from this event. I will also share some advantages of attending the event and who is this event suited for.
So sit back and enjoy the read! Let’s get started!
What is WordCamp?
WordCamp is a worldwide conference that brings the entire WordPress community together, including enthusiasts, bloggers, developers, designers, and experts.
This event is organized by WordPress volunteers from across the globe with the aim to network and collaborate with the WordPress community.
WordCamp began back in 2006 when Mat Mullenweg (CEO of Automattic) organized the first WordCamp in San Francisco. Since then, WordCamp events have been regularly organized in 1100+ cities spread across 375+ countries.
The WordCamp conference usually lasts about 1 to 3 days and presents numerous learning and networking opportunities for all the participants.
You can learn from speaker sessions, and attend workshops, games, panel discussions, networking events, after-party, etc at WordCamp.
My Experience at WordCamp Asia (Bangkok)
Reaching the Event Venue
WordCamp Bangkok was the first WordCamp event in 2023. It was organized at the True Icon Hall in Bangkok, Thailand. The event venue looked absolutely gorgeous and majestic.
It was a 3-day event, where Day 1 was designated for collecting the event passes. Whereas, the rest of the days were dedicated to the WordCamp conference.
Collecting the Event Pass
On entering the event hall, you could collect your event passes from the registration desk. The Attendee pass for WordCamp was designed in a mustard-yellow color. Whereas, the Staff pass was designed in a bright red color. Both of them looked elegant and bright with a visually appealing design.
Entry to WordCamp was only available through the event pass. This area also featured a map of the entire building with directions to important places, along with the event schedule.
Visiting the Networking Booths
In the Networking Area, popular WordPress-related brands had set up their booths. The most popular brands included Yoast, Jetpack, GoDaddy, WP Toolkit, Titan Mail, Hostinger, Google Site Kit, Cloudways, WooCommerce, etc.
The entire networking zone was buzzing with energy, activity, and flowing conversations. I even got to interact with and interview some of the WordPress brands which I have talked about later in this article.
Here, I met up with the WooCommerce team and inquired about their experience at WordCamp.
They said they were thrilled to meet their customers and clients in person and get to know their feedback. For them, WordCamp was an opportunity to grow their community and connect with them on a deeper level.
Relaxing in the Wellness Zones
On the 8th floor of the True Icon Hall, you will find different rooms for relaxing. The networking area looks quite comfy and ambient. You can sit down, relax, and have a casual chat with the other WordCamp attendees.
They also have a wellness room where yoga sessions are conducted. This is a peaceful and conducive environment for meditation and relaxation. Finally, we also have a quiet room where you’ll find a place to work in silence.
Free Collectibles at Swag Collection Centre
If you’re a fan of collectibles, WordCamp didn’t disappoint! The attendees of WordCamp could get cool collectibles for free. These included stickers, cards, badges, fridge magnets, t-shirts, and more. All of them looked really cool.
Along with that, some booths were also offering their branded t-shirts and stickers for free. For example, the FluentCRM booth was giving away free brand tees and stickers, which I really enjoyed.
Understanding the Stage Arrangement
The main stage looked very well organized. It was divided into different sections for staff, speakers, and attendees.
Overall, the ambiance and arrangement of the main stage were really impressive and on-point. I met up with Mr. Hari Shanker, who was also a speaker at WordCamp.
On being asked about his speaker experience, he commended the event organizers for putting up the amazing event and the team for being immensely supportive of him during the session.
Enjoying the Delicious Food
The one thing that I really liked about WordCamp was their personal attention to food.
Keeping the attendees’ preferences in mind, they had separately arranged vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. All of this was included with your event pass.
What really won my heart at WordCamp was that, unlike the AW Conferences, they served free beverages and snacks! They had coffee, orange juice, water, sweets and delicacies, and more.
Interviewing Professionals
Being a YouTube content creator, I was prepared to interview people at the WordCamp event.
First off, I interviewed Mr. Daugirdas Jankus, the CMO of Hostinger, and asked him about his experience at WordCamp. He said he had a great experience. He appreciated the venue and the energy of the attendees, and the number of clients he met at the event.
Next, I also had a chat with Darrel Wilson, who’s a content creator and online instructor who teaches people how to create WordPress websites.
On being asked about his experience at WordCamp, he expressed he loved everything from the event building to the exciting freebies being handed out! He also emphasized that meeting your clients face-to-face could contribute to a better relationship.
Finally, I also had a quick session with Mr. Robert Windisch, the CIO of Inpsyde. On being asked who should attend WordCamp, he gave a very impressive response.
He said that if you earn your living with WordPress, the question is not ‘Should you attend this event?’ but rather, ‘What’s the reason you’re not attending this event?’ He emphasized the importance of flagship events like these in exchanging meaningful ideas and connecting with people.
Chilling at the After Party
Post the event, they organized an after-party that was free for all the participants of WordCamp. I was mesmerized by the vibe of the party.
The music was ambient, and it was fun watching people relax, enjoy, and strike up interesting conversations.
Pros of WordCamp Asia
Crack Exclusive Deals
By attending flagship events like WordCamp, you can gradually improve your communication skills. You can learn how to form long-lasting networks with brands and even crack up exclusive deals and discounts with them.
Network with Professionals and Experts
WordCamp is an excellent opportunity to network with your favorite brands. You can strike up conversations with experts and get to learn from their experiences. Not only that, you can even partner with your fellow attendees and grow together!
Enjoy Freebies and Snacks
The best part about WordCamp was the free snacks and beverages. You could have coffee, orange juice, sweets, and snacks, all for free at the event! Along with that, they were also giving away cool badges, cards, stickers, and brand tees as freebies!
Learning Experience
Attending the speaker sessions could be an enriching experience. The WordCamp speakers are celebrated and influential leaders in the WordPress community.
You can learn their tips and strategies and implement them in your business for higher chances of success.
Should You Attend the WordCamp event?
This was my first time attending WordCamp. Honestly, it was one of the most fun-filled, energetic, and enlightening events I’ve attended so far. Not only did I learn a lot of new things, but I also ended up forming some really impactful connections with my favorite brands.
In my experience, if your work revolves around WordPress, attending WordCamp would be extremely valuable for you in terms of growth, exposure, and opportunities.
I would highly recommend all WordPress bloggers, designers, web developers, and enthusiasts attend this event in the future.
Conclusion
My experience at WordCamp was absolutely thrilling. I got to meet and interview so many influential personalities and learn important lessons from them.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be this good, but WordCamp Asia definitely exceeded my expectations and left me pleasantly surprised.
Overall, it was a delightful experience and I’m really looking forward to the next WordCamp event.
Have you attended any WordCamp events before? How was your experience at the event? Did you form any interesting connections or learn something significant that changed your life? Let me know all about it in the comments box below.
This is Kripesh signing off. Cheers, and keep learning. See you! 🙂
