WordCamp Europe 2023: Recap & Highlights
Last updated on Jun 16th, 2023 | 3 min
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Just a little over a week after the biggest celebration for the WordPress community – the 20th anniversary of our favorite CMS – WordCamp Europe in Athens, Greece felt like more than a conference.
From a heartwarming welcome in the beating heart of Greece to the inspiring Contributor Day, to a versatile session lineup, productive meetups, and endearing Wapuus…
This is what happened from June 8-10!
WordCamp Europe 2023 made its mark not just on the city's historical backdrop, but also on the future of the platform.
This year, the event sparkled with an inspiring sense of unity, collaboration, and innovation.
As always, the power of community was at the heart of it all and we couldn’t be happier to be surrounded by the awesome minds that shape WordPress as we know it.
Thousands of participants from diverse backgrounds came together, turning WordCamp into a grand showcase of shared ideas and mutual learning.
Over 2,500 people attended this year’s WordCamp Europe with three full days of activities all planned out to the last detail.
The signature Contributor Day took place first where we had an opportunity to meet with some familiar faces and catch up before the event starts.
Day two, also known as “Let the networking begin”, marked the official start of the conference with a grand opening speech. Powered up and ready to mingle, we had a fully-booked day and back-to-back talks, workshops, and expert sessions lined up ahead of us.
Let’s not forget the after-parties and networking events that continued well into the evening where the official sponsors (proudly inserting ourselves here) had a chance to carry out more informal introductions and discuss future plans.
The third and final day (and a Saturday nonetheless), had a more casual atmosphere to it filled with lots of fun activities – games, giveaways, and the favorite photo of all the participants.
Matt Mullenweg, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, and Matías Ventura bid us an uplifting farewell before we all headed out for the closing party.
This year's event was particularly inspiring, with over 300 people directly contributing their skills to enhance the platform, making advancements in coding, design, documentation, and community initiatives.
Our whole team had the chance to contribute to WordPress – Core Performance, Marketing, Community, Support, and Polyglots.
What made WordCamp Europe 2023 remarkable was its breadth of inclusivity and diversity.
It wasn't just a haven for developers or designers but also a welcoming hub for marketers, businessmen, and all those captivated by the potential of WordPress.
The event skillfully curated a number of versatile topics, ensuring everyone found something relevant to their interests and career paths.
It was heartening to witness a significant representation of women in tech, a stride towards gender diversity in a typically male-dominated field with a highlight on the “Women in WordPress” gathering organized by Anne-Mieke Bovelett, women and non-binary folks of WP panel, and “Women in Tech” talk led by Amy Kamala.
WordCamp Europe 2023 also demonstrated a conscious effort to be accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities, a testament to WordCamp's guiding principle that everyone has a role to play in shaping WordPress.
The inclusivity theme echoed through the lectures and workshops.
Each session was meticulously designed to cater to diverse skill levels and interests, serving as an arena to discover fresh tools, and innovative strategies, and gain invaluable insights into the industry's evolving landscape.
It comes as no surprise that topics like AI, Accessibility, and Block themes had a prevalent role in this year’s WordCamp Europe. Earlier in May, we also had a chance to attend the Google I/O conference where we observed the same pattern.
The sessions were thoughtfully designed to keep attendees on top of industry trends. They offered invaluable insights into the ever-changing digital landscape, enabling participants to explore innovative strategies, learn about fresh tools, and challenge their ideas.
Where would we be without our favorite mascot Wapuu?
From the fun campaign on Twitter under the #WapuuWP20 to the WordCamp Europe conference – customized Wapuus popped up everywhere to spread joy and whimsy to the passersby.
Along with the plentiful networking opportunities, they embodied the spirit of the WordPress community - diverse, creative, and unified.
This year’s WordCamp Europe presented a lot of firsts for the NitroPack team.
There were nine representatives in total from our team and even with greater numbers, we feel it wouldn’t be enough to meet you all. There’s just so many amazing people!
The whole team joined the WordPress Performance panel with a focus on community perspectives and it was a blast.
This you might find shocking, but we gave out 1000 socks in a single day!
That’s right. If you happen to look down sometime, you might just see the NitroPack power-up bolt peeking through.
By now, we’ve lost count of all the talented developers, business owners, and designers we got to connect with. At the booths, between workshops, at after parties – there wasn’t a single moment without enjoying the company of people who share our passion for speeding up the web.
Some highlights were the perfectly organized WCEU Social for the organizers and speakers on the beach of the Aegean Sea, the Yoast Pride party, the WooCommerce meetup, and the WP Engine rooftop party with an amazing view over the Acropolis.
We felt at home!
The trip concluded with some tourist attractions around Athens – lots of ice cream, lots of architecture and history, and tasty souvlaki.
We want to extend our gratitude to those who made this event a success.
To the meticulous organizers who orchestrated the event with aplomb, the generous sponsors who fuelled this community endeavor, the dedicated volunteers who ensured everything ran smoothly, and, most importantly, the attendees whose love for WordPress echoed throughout the venue – thank you!
WordCamp Europe 2023 was indeed more than just a conference.
It was a celebration of the WordPress spirit, a testament to the power of community, and a stirring call to action for everyone to continue growing, sharing, and shaping the future of this remarkable platform.
Here's to coming together for the love of WordPress, and until next year, keep innovating!
PS: If you can’t wait till next year and you’re already planning to book a flight to the WordCamp US 2023 in Maryland in August – now’s the time! We’d love to meet you there (and maybe definitely give you a pair of our famous socks).
Lora has spent the last 8 years developing content strategies that drive better user experiences for SaaS companies in the CEE region. In collaboration with WordPress subject-matter experts and the 2024 Web Almanac, she helps site owners close the gap between web performance optimization and real-life business results.