Bathed in the brilliant Greek sunlight, historic Athens played host to WordCamp Europe 2023 from June 8th to 10th. The event attracted over 2,500 participants from 94 different countries, creating a diverse and dynamic atmosphere. WordCamp Europe’s agenda was packed with enlightening sessions and in-depth panel discussions on a wide range of topics that included accessibility, security, content creation, and web development.
The Megaron Athens International Conference Centre, one of the largest venues in Athens, served as the venue for the event. In addition to the conference activities, attendees had the chance to enjoy the city’s rich cultural heritage, including beautiful views of the Acropolis and the Aegean Sea.
#WCEU 2023: Contributor Day and Workshop for kids
The event began on June 8th with Contributor Day, attended by more than 650 WordPress enthusiasts who collaborated on various aspects of WordPress, including core enhancements, documentation, training materials, and marketing plans.
A significant announcement was made during the Contributor Day at WordCamp Europe 2023: the official establishment of a new Sustainability team within the WordPress Make Team. The primary aim of this new team is to focus on making both WordCamps and the WordPress platform more sustainable. This step is a notable move towards embracing environmentally-friendly practices within the WordPress community.
This year’s WordCamp introduced several innovative features, including a Workshop for Kids during Contributor Day. This gave children the opportunity to build their own websites using WordPress.
#WCEU 2023: WP Connect
WordCamp Europe has always been a hub for engaging dialogue and networking, especially at an event previously known as WP Café. Picture this: sipping your favourite drink, engaged in a lively chat about a topic close to your heart.
However, this year, the organizers of WordCamp Europe decided to raise the bar. They identified a few issues with the WP Café format that they believed could be improved. Firstly, they noticed that the term “Café” didn’t resonate well across all cultures and languages. It didn’t fully communicate the dynamic, communal spirit of these gatherings. Moreover, they realized that categorizing discussions by expertise levels, such as “Beginner” or “Intermediate,” could unintentionally exclude certain participants.
Thus, WP Connect was born! It remained the beloved community event but now had a name that better embodied its inclusive and participatory essence. WP Connect at WordCamp Europe 2023 showcased six sessions spread across the two conference days, and all attendees were invited to join these sessions and actively participate in open discussions, regardless of their experience or expertise level.
#WCEU 2023: Tips, Highlights and Key Happenings
As part of our cherished traditions, the Trem Knowledge team actively participated in WordCamp Europe, tweeting highlights from various sessions. Here are some key moments from the two-day event, complemented by links to the recorded talks.
WordPress Performance: community perspectives
Don’t sell WordPress like it’s 2016: the evolving landscape of WordPress marketing
Take your WordPress website to another level using AI translation
Content creation with the help of AI
State of WordPress security – insights from 2022
The blind guy who beat the developer at his own game
15 ways user experience impacts business success
Checkout or checkmate: the lasting effects of eCommerce customer experience
#WCEU 2023: Keynote
The keynote speech at WordCamp Europe 2023, titled “Variations on a Theme,” was presented by Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of the WordPress project, and Matías Ventura, the Gutenberg Product Architect.
One of the significant updates shared during the keynote by Josepha Haden Chomphosy was the successful reactivation of WordCamps. By the end of 2022, 23 WordCamps took place, and 25 WordCamps are on track to be organized in the first half of this year alone.
Matt Mullenweg reflected on the past 20 years of WordPress and brought attention to recent projects such as Openverse, Playground, and Gutenberg.
Ventura also provided an update about Gutenberg, informing the community that the upcoming WordPress 6.3 update would mark the completion of the first two phases of Gutenberg, the block-based editing system integrated into WordPress.
#WCEU 2024: See You All in Torino!
The upcoming WordCamp Europe is set to take place from June 13 to 15, 2024, in the beautiful city of Torino, Italy. If you’re interested in getting involved and contributing to the largest WordCamp event in Europe, apply here to become an organizer.
If you want to follow other WordCamp events worldwide, you can stay updated through the WordCamp Central website.
