WordCamp On a Stick

WordCamps

September 20, 2018 by Harry Jackson

This last weekend was WordCamp Minneapolis, hosted at the McNamara Alumni Center, part of the University of Minnesota. The lead organizer of this camp was Tessa Kriesel, who did a phenomenal job from start to finish, along with her entire supporting team. It was obvious that a lot of work and meticulous planning went into the entire WordCamp, which allowed for the event to run perfectly smooth and organized.

This camp was special to me as this is my home WordCamp. This made me ponder about the reason that WordCamps exist in the first place, and what makes them truly special – and the answer is community. Every week there is a WordCamp and a team of people behind them dedicated to not just the WordPress user, but in direct support of the local WordPress communities. This is what makes them so special.

I started in the Open Source community in Joomla. This led me to start attending JoomlaDays, which are very similar to WordCamps. It’s at the Joomla events where I started meeting people that I now as lifelong friends. The only issue is I had to travel for each of these events – that is, until Ryan Boog and myself started JoomlaDay Minnesota!

One thing that makes WordCamps especially stand out from many events – even open source events – is that they are extremely focused on the local WordPress community. Although I have had the privilege of traveling and attending many different WordCamps around the world, they all have that one thing in common – they are there primarily to support of their respective local communities.

Being able to attend such a community focused event where you can meet and interact with people who all do the same things you do who also live in your own local community is very powerful. It allows companies to find new talent, for people to see and learn from what their peers are doing in their market, and for everyone to form long lasting friendships.

WordCamp Minneapolis this year helped focus on the local community in all aspects. You can even see the focus on the choice on venue, at the East Bank Campus of the University of Minnesota. This allows people ample bars, restaurants, and coffee shops to connect before and after the WordCamp itself. The venue was also directly on the Metro Transit Light rail line which gave people easy access from Saint Paul, Bloomington, Downtown Minneapolis, and the north metro via the Northstar rail line.

The spirit of all the speakers, sponsors and volunteers was that of true Minnesota Nice. Everyone was helping others anytime it was needed. The camp flowed in a way and had an energy that was alive the entire time. After the camp, they helped organize groups to go to the Minnesota State Fair and Mall of America, allowing people to connect on a more personal level.

If you don’t live near Minnesota that is ok. Go to WordCamp Centraland find a camp close to where you live. BoldGrid will be at theCMS Summit in Orlando, FL, and WordCamp Los Angelesnext. If you are near either, stop by and say hi!

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