The first-ever WordCamp Sylhet is just a couple of days away. The preps are on fire, organizers have a lot on their plate, and the anticipation hits the fever pitch! We can’t keep calm and hopes high for a massive blast.
A lot of us have had the opportunity to attend WordCamps before; be it WordCamp Dhaka 2019, or the ones organized abroad. But for many of the attendees, this is going to be their first WordCamp experience.
As the whole world came to a stand-still during the pandemic and no WordCamps were possible to be organized with WordPress enthusiats’ physical attendance, no WordCamps were held since September 2019. And that’s where all of us missed the opportunity to celebrate our love for WordPress- a WordCamp in this region.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be a stranger to the WordCamp experience. As the day gets closer, we have talked to some of the WordPress maestro to share their WordCamp journeys with our readers. We suggest you take a cup of coffee, sit tight, and learn from the veterans what to expect from a WordCamp.
Ganga Kafle
I had the opportunity to volunteer at WordCamp Nepal in 2014. It was my first time participating in and attending a WordCamp. In short, I began to officially contribute to WordPress.
Since then, I’ve engaged in and organized a lot of local, national, and international WordCamps as an attendee, speaker, volunteer, and event organizer. With that, you can probably guess, how happy I am with the WordPress community.
I must say, Volunteering in a WordCamp turned out to be a life-changing moment for me. I had the pleasure to speak with WordPress developers, entrepreneurs, and users from all grounds.
And the best part, I really did land a job at WordCamp. All thanks to the beautiful networking opportunity that I got there. On top of that, everyone in the WordCamp is supportive. I had the chance to connect with like-minded individuals and exchange knowledge, experience, and ideas.
Today, I am able to build a beautiful connection with other attendees, make new friends, and find possible collaborators. In addition, I am currently a full-time sponsored contributor to WordPress from Rank Math. It’s certainly the grace of attending WordCamps and contributing to open-source over the years.
I must admit that I aspire to attend as much of WordCamp as I can.
Ahmed Kabir Chaion
WordCamp Dhaka 2019 was the first WordPress event that I ever had the opportunity to participate in. I have been an organizer, volunteered and attended over 25 online WordCamps during the pandemic.
WordCamp Asia took place between the dates 17 and 19 February 2023. Being an Organiser for the first ever flagship WordCamp representing the WordPress community has been a big deal for me. We had to work really hard as the previously announced WordCamp Asia 2020 had to be canceled due to the pandemic.
The build up to the event had a live webinar series that I got to host for the Contributor Day Team along with participation from members of the community. Officially announcing the Contributor Day with the inauguration of WC Asia 2023 has been a dream come true and I would relive the moment over and over again. I cannot wait for WordCamp Asia 2024 to happen.
Tanaz Masaba
My journey with WordPress started when I created my first website as a student at university. Back then, I had very little experience in web designing and definitely did not realize that behind-the-scenes of WordPress, there was a huge community full of energetic, passionate people who were contributing to the open source project and making the platform better every day.
All of that changed after I started my career at WPDeveloper. I learned all the different ways I could contribute to the community and started attending WordCamps and local WordPress meetups to connect with others who shared my love for WordPress.
From being someone who only used WordPress for blogging, to becoming a Speaker at WordCamp Nepal 2022 and, later on, a Volunteer for WordCamp Asia in 2023, it has been quite an adventure! I have made meaningful connections and even friendships with people who share my love for WordPress by attending WordCamps, and I honestly cannot imagine a better way to get involved than by connecting with the community.
Rahul D Sarker
WordCamp & WordPress Community is like my extended family. I learned a lot from the community, made countless friends, found my mentor here. In the lowest phase of my life, I got huge support from my community friends. They are all GEMS. I can’t thank enough to the community for everything. It’s a big part of my life.
I would highly suggest everyone to come and join the community, take an active part, start contributing in any way possible and join the TRIBE.
WordPress is not just a platform anymore, it’s a happy community with people from diverse backgrounds. And WordCamp is the bridge between all WordPress enthusiasts from all across the world despite age, gender, culture, and profession to dream big!