What a successful and fun event the inaugural\u00a0WordCamp Wilmington turned out to be. \u00a0We knew once we were accepted to plan a WordCamp in the Wilmington area that we were going to face some obstacles. \u00a0For those of you who have never planned a WordCamp, they ask you have at least 4 – 6 months to plan the event. \u00a0Once our application was accepted back around August we knew we would be competing with other area events. \u00a0After a committee\u00a0vote we decided to host WordCamp the first weekend in November. \u00a0This gave our volunteers only 3 months to put together a successful event.<\/p>\n
What made this event so successful was the community surrounding it. \u00a0Thanks to our amazing volunteers, organizers, sponsors, speakers and of course attendees. \u00a0Sure, we learned a lot about how we can make the 2017 WordCamp Wilmington even better. \u00a0Considering 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. \u00a0First 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. \u00a0Next up would be the sponsors, our sponsors made this event possible. \u00a0Hosting such an event costs money and while no one profits from WordCamps, having sponsorships ensures we have food, beverages, venue and swag. \u00a0I encourage everyone to reach out to thank the sponsors for their patronage. \u00a0A WordCamp is only as good as its speakers and topics. \u00a0I believe our committee made a great choice in separating the tracks and laying out the schedule. \u00a0 We want to personally thank each and every one of you for sharing your expertise and speaking at the event. \u00a0Make sure to check out WordPress.tv<\/a>\u00a0to catch any sessions you may have missed. \u00a0Lastly, the organizers – There were countless hours, long nights and planning sessions that made all of this come together. \u00a0Being involved in the planning and execution of this event strengthened the ties between our own WordPress meetup group here in Wilmington<\/a> but other Meetups and WordPress enthusiasts far and wide.<\/p>\n As I mentioned, we learned a lot from this first event. \u00a0We learned the things that went smoothly and things we did really well. \u00a0We also learned based on our survey about the things that could be improved. \u00a0Now 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. \u00a0I won’t get into specifics about what could have been done better but instead I will direct you to our survey<\/a> where you can share your thoughts and views on the 2016 WordCamp Wilmington. \u00a0Overall 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.<\/p>\n We hope you learned a lot at this event. \u00a0We hope you were able to network with other attendees and speakers and gain more insight on how you can leverage the power of WordPress. \u00a0If 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\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What a successful and fun event the inaugural\u00a0WordCamp Wilmington turned out to be. \u00a0We knew once we were accepted to plan a WordCamp in the Wilmington area that we were going to face some obstacles. \u00a0For those of you who have never planned a WordCamp, they ask you have at least 4 – 6 months … Continue reading 2016 WordCamp Wilmington Wrap Up<\/span> What can be expected next year<\/h3>\n
Until next time<\/h3>\n