As an open source company, we want to give back to the WordPress community. We decided to attend WordCamp in Lisbon, Portugal – traveling being safe once again after the pandemic, it was about time Seravo attended WordCamps again! WordCamp Lisboa 2023 took place from 19-20 May, and Seravo was along to sponsor the event.
With almost 300 community members and a WordPress 20th anniversary celebration, the event was also a great warm-up event before WordCamp Europe (WCEU) in Athens later in June. It was also Seravo’s first trip to Lisbon, although Seravo has attended and sponsored many WordCamps and other WordPress community meetings and events in the past.
Day 1: Contribution Day
As usual when attending WordCamps, the first day was spent contributing on WordPress.org development. The contribution day was also suitable for newcomers, as the different tables offered a tour of the different aspects of what the WordPress community is working on. Such an opportunity was invaluable for newcomers, and it turned out WordCamp Lisboa 2023 had attracted many WordPress enthusiasts living in or near Lisbon. Seravo met many who were perhaps only thinking about entering the IT industry, or were taking the very first steps of learning the ins and outs of WordPress. The pace at which new WordPress.org accounts were created on contribution day also reflects the popularity of the event: WordPress.org had to temporarily limit the incoming web traffic!
A key factor in the success of the contribution day was the willingness of the facilitators to be inclusive and welcome everyone to the community. The best part of the day was giving and receiving help and advice as a WordPress specialist, and of course networking along the way. A big thank you goes out to all contribution team leaders!
Day 2: The Programme
At Seravo’s sponsor booth we got to present our hosting and upkeep, and especially what our very own Seravo Plugin has to offer directly in the WordPress dashboard. The table was packed with visitors right from the morning, and we were happy to meet both new acquaintances and community members who already knew Seravo!
Seravo also conducted a survey, in which we asked WordCamp attendees to describe the most important feature about WordPress hosting. Responses highlighted in particular the speed of WordPress, its security and good customer support. We already offer all of these as part of our hosting and upkeep, but the survey provided many valuable insights into how to improve our services.
By taking part in the survey, one could also enter a prize draw for a year’s worth of hosting and upkeep for a WordPress site. The winners have been drawn and informed by email. Congratulations to all winners, and thank you for everyone who took part in the survey!
Talks, Panels, Workshops – You Name It
The schedule of WordCamp Lisboa 2023 included a wide range of topics. Thanks to this, WordCamps can be recommended to almost anyone interested in WordPress, development or IT in general, as it’s guaranteed there is a chance for everyone to deepen their knowledge or learn something entirely new.
The WordCamp Lisboa programme offered presentations on topics such as front-end performance, social media, testing, AI, diversity, command line, among many others. The programme also included panel discussions and workshops.
It was also possible to keep up with presentations in Portuguese or for example Catalan, in case the presenter’s slides contained information in English. Socialising and networking were particularly important during the breaks, when it was possible to talk to the speakers and thank them for their contributions.
See WordCamp Lisboa 2023 on WordPress.tv
As with other WordCamps, the presentations heard in Lisbon are available on WordPress.tv. Here is a direct link to all the recordings!
The WordPress Community
WordCamp Lisboa 2023 culminated in an after-party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of WordPress. Bob Dunn also gave a presentation on the importance of the community and the two decades WordPress has existed. The positive atmosphere of the event in Lisbon was delightful, and Seravo thanks all the organisers who made the event possible (and the entire WordPress community)!