For anyone outside of the WordPress bubble, WordCamps are informal gatherings for WordPress enthusiasts. The best thing about WordCamps is that you don’t have to be an expert on anything. You can be a regular guy, completely outside the WordPress bubble, and still have lots of fun and learn many new things.
WordCamp Asia – The Flagship WordCamp for Asia Region
For those who may not be familiar, WordCamps are informal community-organized conferences held worldwide for WordPress users, developers, designers, and enthusiasts. WordCamp Asia is one of the most significant events, and it attracted 1250+ attendees from all over the globe.
As someone who attended the conference, I can confidently say it was an unforgettable experience and probably one of the best WordCamps I have ever joined! WC Asia offered many opportunities to learn, network, and have fun.
The conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand’s beautiful and bustling city. Almost 1300 attendees had the opportunity to explore the local culture and cuisine. The event was spread over two days and included many talks, workshops, and activities.
My Journey to WordCamp Asia
WordCamp Asia was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 17-18 February 2023. I was thrilled to receive the invitation as a speaker. I was excited to represent my country at this global event. I had never been to Thailand before, so as the days got nearer, I felt more butterflies in my stomach!
I was thrilled to get the invitation to speak at WordCamp Asia. I was excited to attend WordCamp Asia as a speaker and learner, to connect with other industry experts, and to get inspired.
The Visa Conundrum
Once my presentation was ready, I started preparing for my trip to Bangkok. I had to get my visa, book my flights and accommodation, and ensure everything was in order. This was a new experience for me, as I had never traveled to Thailand before, but I was excited to explore a new country.
However, I had a very love-hate situation with the Thailand Embassy. It took almost 30 days to get an update on my VISA application, whereas others had their VISA approved by 10 working days. Nevertheless, I was glad at the end of the day to receive the VISA 5 days prior to my flight.
Finally, the day arrived when I flew to Bangkok. I was filled with excitement and anticipation, looking forward to the experience of attending WordCamp Asia. The conference was held at ICONSIAM, which was a huge venue that hosted a large number of attendees.
My Experience at WordCamp Asia
The conference was an incredible experience for me. As an attendee and speaker, I felt close to the WordPress community and made new meaningful connections — all while having fun through the 3 days of the madness of WC Asia!
The Contributor’s Day
Like all big WordCamps, WordCamp Asia kicked off with the Contributor’s Day. All events of WordCamp Asia took place in the majestic ICONSIAM
All the Make.WordPress teams were there where registered Contributor’s Day attendees contributed to different teams.
The Before Party
I was fortunate to get invited at the WordCamp Asia before party, which was truly awesome. WordCamp Asia facilitated a big open floor with a very fun and social atmosphere. We met new people and made new connections. The before party had some great food and a very relaxing environment. We stayed till night. During the whole time, we had a glass of Coke to accompany us ????
WordCamp Asia – Day 01
Several tracks were running simultaneously, each covering a different aspect of WordPress on the first day. The attendees had a lot of options to choose from, and they could attend the sessions that were most relevant to their interests. My session was on the second day, so I took this day to enjoy and indulge in the madness of WordCamp Asia fully.
We arrived at the venue early in the morning with the weDevs team. You may had already noticed us in the venue. This time, all weDevians wore a bright orange t-shirt. (You can’t miss us!)
Early in the morning, I collected my speaker badge, speaker tshirt and other swags from the entry booth.
The day started in full swing early morning. Every stall was full of audience collecting swags, learning more about products, making connections, doing business meetings and more!
Right after breakfast, there was a session of one of our own weDevian, Sabirah Islam where she shared about Neuroscience and neuromarketing.
During the whole time, I roamed around the whole ICONSIAM floor and personally met many people whom I had only known online. It was an amazing experience to finally make those online connections offline.
Here’s a collage of meeting many different people on the first day of WordCamp
During the later part of the day, there was another session of my very close friend, Tarun Sikder (who is an expert on crafting content for humans), spoke about Learning the Art of User Intent Content.
Meeting someone whom I admired for more than a decade ❤️
WordCamps connect people in a big way. This is probably the only event where you could meet the person behind the software you may have used for decades. This fanboy moment happened when I finally got to meet Mr. Syed Balkhi, founder of Awesome Motive.
This was a very special moment for me. As a kid, when I was setting up this site during the 2012s, I learned many technical aspects of WordPress from WPBeginner. Looking back now, I think where I am right now, WPBeginner had a lot of credit behind that. Back in the day, there weren’t many resourceful WordPress websites.
WPBeginner had all the answers whenever WordPress threw the most peculiar erors to me.
weDevs team at WordCamp Asia
The weDevs team also joined me at WordCamp Asia. It was a fun experience to learn so many people use our products. Also, we got some live feedback from many of our users directly when I met them. I was surprised to meet with other founders who love our products, praised the quality of our products and user experience, and complemented weDevs’ commitment to quality.
The Second Day
The second day, I woke up early in the morning as my session was in the earlier part of the day. My session on “Secret Life of Fonts” was just after Matt’s Q&A panel.
Here’s a wonderful recap by David Bisset of the WordCamp Asia Q&A session with Matt. Also, here’s another blog with a transcript of everything that happened during the Q&A
My session on “Secret Life of Fonts” was well-received by the audience. I talked about the different types of fonts, a short background of different types of typography, and some fun usage of different fonts in modern design and our culture.
If you know me, you know I try to make my slides impactful. Here’s a link to my WC Asia 2023 session’s slides.
Also, here are a couple of cool GIF made by GIF king David Bisset
I also shared some tips and tricks for using fonts effectively on many mediums, including WordPress websites. The attendees were engaged and asked many questions, making me feel special. One of the questionnaires was Piccia Neri, who asked an important question about typography in Southeast Asia and how different cultures impact typography differently.
For example, Times New Roman is the defacto font in the west. But what’s the defacto font for a country like Thailand or Bangladesh? We both agreed that there needs to be more research done in this regard
– Excerpts from discussion with Piccia
Apart from my session, I also attended several other sessions by other speakers. I was impressed by the depth of knowledge and expertise that the speakers had. There were various sessions on website design, plugin development, content creation, and more. Each session was informative and engaging, and I learned a lot from them.
In addition to attending sessions, I also got to network with other attendees. I met several WordPress developers, designers, and marketers worldwide. It was fascinating to hear about their experiences and learn from their insights. I also got the opportunity to connect with other product managers and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the industry.
One of the highlights of the conference was the after-party.
It was an excellent opportunity to relax and socialize with other attendees. However, I had some pain in my right foot later in the day. That’s why I skipped the after-party. However, from the pictures, I missed a lot! The after-party was entertaining! There was a lot of food and drinks, and the atmosphere was lively and fun, just like the whole event.
My best moment at WC Asia 2023
The best moment was when I received a direct message from Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress. It was an incredible moment for me, and I could barely contain my excitement. I had always dreamt of speaking at large conferences like this. I grew up watching Apple Keynotes with Steve Jobs. This event still feels surreal to me. (Thanks to my dad! He’d have been proud!)
Matt Mullenweg is a well-known figure in the WordPress community as the co-founder of WordPress, the founder of Automattic, and, most recently, the new CEO of Tumblr. I got the DM just after finishing my session
Receiving a simple acknowledgment from Matt was a validation of my efforts. This was a very memorable and meaningful experience for a WordPress enthusiast, as it represents recognition and appreciation from one of the most influential figures in the WordPress community. A true inspiration for me for the future
Happy WordCamping
Overall, WordCamp Asia was an unforgettable experience as it brought together the best minds of WordPress enthusiasts, developers, designers, bloggers, and business owners worldwide. It was a unique, once-in-a-year, fantastic experience. It offered a unique opportunity to learn, network, and share ideas with like-minded individuals passionate about WordPress.
All WordCamp speakers were presented with a special hand-written “Thank You” note with organizer’s signature. This was very unique, and I loved it.
Whether you’re a seasoned WordPress professional or a newcomer to the platform, WordCamp Asia 2023 was an event that had everything for everyone.