Why We're at WordCamp Europe

Breakdown - A Gravity Forms Podcast

If you’re listening to this on your way to WordCamp Europe, or you’re just watching the livestreams from the comfort of your home, I wanted to let you know that our team is back supporting yet another WordCamp.

Find us in our booth located in the Sponsors section of the venue and say “hi!”

There’s lots to learn about Gravity Forms’ latest add-ons, features, new products like Gravity SMTP and what that means to you and your WordPress business. Come check out a demo of Gravity Flow our systems automation product that helps customers automate actions after forms get submitted into your WordPress database.

Oh, we can’t forget our awesome new t-shirts — a whole new version is out! Customers say we have the best tee’s in the biz, come grab one before they’re all out!

We also are giving away some cool stuff in the booth including:

• A LEGO NASA Artemis Set
• A Gravity Mission Pack (A backpack filled with some awesome Gravity Swag you can’t get anywhere else)
• Or a Gravity Forms and Gravity Flow License Combo!

There’s one stipulation, you have to be present at the booth on Saturday the 15th at 215PM where we’ll announce the winners. If you’re not there, you won’t be able to grab your prize.

It’s come to the attention of the WordPress Community that attendance for new participants at WordPress events are down.

Obviously COVID and the a global pandemic shifted how events are accepted throughout the world, and while we’ve seen a bounce back in participation, it isn’t nearly as high as it once was.

So I wanted to take a moment to share my experiences with WordCamps and advocate for you to attend the next one in your area. By the way, the next major WordCamp I’ll be at, along with the team from Gravity Forms is WordCamp US in Portland Oregon on September 17th - 20th.

Here are my top 3 reasons for attending a WordCamp:

One: The best bang for your buck event in our space

Even with the price point of major WordCamp tickets rising to the $50 level, and general WordCamps hovering around $30 for access — you simply can’t beat this deal.

Another hot event I know many other WordPressers attending, Cloudfest, comes with a general admission price tag of around $525 US dollars for standard access, which ramp up to well over $2,000 if you want access to everything.

When you match the low cost of access to the high value of being in a venue filed with other WordPress users to talk, train, and collaborate with — that $30-50 is going a long way to helping you with your WordPress business or acumen.

Two: All things WordPress

Even if you’re not running a WordPress business, but you’re part of a team tasked with maintaining a WordPress site, WordCamps are a fantastic place to have that aha! Moment.

When I started attending and speaking at WordCamps around 2015, it was the place to learn the software.

Heck, maybe the only place aside from WordPress.org.

Tutorials and blog posts were no where near as accessible as they are today. And as a content creator, there’s nothing more I want than someone listening to my podcast or watching my videos, but that in-person learning is much more magical.

At WordCamps you can show up and learn more about using the software, attend a hyper specific talk ranging from how to blog with our favorite CMS or learn the latest and greatest development standards.

There’s a healthy mix of content available to help elevate your WordPress game!

Three: Community

At the end of the day one of the most valuable aspects of WordPress the software, is the community behind it.

If you’re new to WordPress and WordCamps, getting into the community should be a welcoming experience. Simply being with others on the early start of their WordPress journey can help you break the ice and feel less stressed — as if you’re the only one missing the bigger picture.

As time marches on and you become more involved in the community, you enter the next phase where connections with others can ramp up your professional life within WordPress.

That could be finding other freelancers or agencies to parter with, finding a full-time job in the space, or making connections with potential customers. WordPress has a massive footprint across many digital businesses, sometimes you’ll find WordPress living in the most unique environments — not just a blog or marketing website.

Being involved in any of these phases helps WordPress thrive.

At first you’re a little lost, then you meet your tribe, fully grasping what open source WordPress can for you and for others. A year later, you too are advocating for your friends and colleagues to take part in their local WordCamp too.

Heck, maybe you even apply to speak at your first WordCamp. But, that’s a topic for another podcast.

If you’re interested in learning more about WordCamps and where the next one is in your area, head to wordcamp.org and join the mailing list.

WordCamp Central will list out all upcoming events, and if there’s not one in your area, you can reach out to the organizing team to see if there’s opportunity to start one in your city. At the very least, you could start with a local meetup to get the ball rolling.

WordCamps are one of the best places to experience WordPress and truly grasp the value of open source within this thriving digital landscape.

It’s why we at Rocketgenius and our family of products continue to support them every year. We hope to see you in our booth in Torino this weekend and in Portland Oregon at WordCamp US this September.