WordCamp US San Diego

Last week, I attended this year’s sold-out WordCamp US event in San Diego.

It was a smaller event than previous years and the first one since the pandemic, which meant that it was around a quarter of the size of WCEU that I visited a few months ago. But the smaller size made it easier in some respects to meet and talk to others that were attending, which was great for me as I was representing Filter on my own this time around.

As usual, the conference was filled with great talks such as Beka Rice of GoDaddy who provided some great insights while speaking about the benefits of a good online sales strategy and multi-channel selling.

Other notable mentions include an insightful talk about the importance of creating an inclusive culture with Cami Kaos of Automattic, learning about ‘a New Era of WordPress Themes’ with Rich Tabor of Extendify and ‘The Future of Themes’ with independent UZ Designer and Front End Developer, Michelle R Schulp.

The key benefit for me though was the chance to network with others in the community and from WordPress VIP and WPEngine partner companies. Through the age-old tradition of sponsor parties, and beers by the pool, I had great fun chatting with new and old friends from Inpsyde, Fooz, XWP, 10up, Plank and more!

And whilst I was in San Diego, I of course took full advantage of the chance to go sightseeing, taking in the park, the USS Midway carrier, the seals at La Jolla, and the amazing beaches. Dinner in Little Italy and cocktails in La Jolla were highlights of a wonderful couple of days.

The conference itself closed with a Q&A from WordPress Co-Creator, Matt Mullenweg, where he revealed that next year’s conference will be a longer event, starting with a community summit. This will take place in August 2023 at National Harbor, Maryland – and, thankfully, it means a shorter flight!… 😉