What a successful and fun event the inaugural WordCamp Wilmington turned out to be. We knew once we were accepted to plan a WordCamp in the Wilmington area that we were going to face some obstacles. For those of you who have never planned a WordCamp, they ask you have at least 4 – 6 months to plan the event. Once our application was accepted back around August we knew we would be competing with other area events. After a committee vote we decided to host WordCamp the first weekend in November. This gave our volunteers only 3 months to put together a successful event.
We could not have done it without the WordPress community
What made this event so successful was the community surrounding it. Thanks to our amazing volunteers, organizers, sponsors, speakers and of course attendees. Sure, we learned a lot about how we can make the 2017 WordCamp Wilmington even better. Considering this was the first one I think we nailed it but it could not have been possible without some major kudos going out to everyone involved. First and foremost, the WordCamp and WordPress community, specifically the mentors for the event and everyone on the WordCamp slack channel who pitched in to share their experience. Next up would be the sponsors, our sponsors made this event possible. Hosting such an event costs money and while no one profits from WordCamps, having sponsorships ensures we have food, beverages, venue and swag. I encourage everyone to reach out to thank the sponsors for their patronage. A WordCamp is only as good as its speakers and topics. I believe our committee made a great choice in separating the tracks and laying out the schedule. We want to personally thank each and every one of you for sharing your expertise and speaking at the event. Make sure to check out WordPress.tv to catch any sessions you may have missed. Lastly, the organizers – There were countless hours, long nights and planning sessions that made all of this come together. Being involved in the planning and execution of this event strengthened the ties between our own WordPress meetup group here in Wilmington but other Meetups and WordPress enthusiasts far and wide.
What can be expected next year
As I mentioned, we learned a lot from this first event. We learned the things that went smoothly and things we did really well. We also learned based on our survey about the things that could be improved. Now that we plan to make this an annual event, we plan to put enough time and resources behind next year’s event to ensure that we are always striving to provide the best experience for attendees, speakers and organizers. I won’t get into specifics about what could have been done better but instead I will direct you to our survey where you can share your thoughts and views on the 2016 WordCamp Wilmington. Overall the feedback we received from our event has been positive and we are taking each response into careful consideration in the planning of 2017 WordCamp Wilmington.
Until next time
We hope you learned a lot at this event. We hope you were able to network with other attendees and speakers and gain more insight on how you can leverage the power of WordPress. If you are interested in being a part of the 2017 WordCamp Wilmington you can always reach us through the websites contact form or on our slack channel