Unmissable Insights from WordCamp Europe 2024!

WordCamp Europe 2024 was held in the vibrant city of Torino, Italy, from June 13 to June 15, 2024. It was one of the cornerstone events that brought together a wide range of WordPress enthusiasts, developers, and business owners from all over the world. 

Like every WordCamp, this year’s event was also a hub of innovation, knowledge sharing, and networking. It represented an excellent sprint for all the people involved in WordPress. The event featured engaging sessions and innovative workshops, from sustainable open-source to security. 

Now, whether you attended the event live or just missed it, we have prepared a quick recap of WordCamp Europe 2024 for you. 

Here are the key highlights. 

A Glimpse of WordCamp Europe 2024: An Unforgettable Event

WordCamp Europe 2024 was one of the most significant events for the entire WordPress community. It was an event of celebration, learning, and community gathering. This year’s event showcased the highest number of attendees, powerful talks, and significant contributors from people who love WordPress. Here are some of the amazing facts that you need to know.

• 2584 Attendees
• 250+ Volunteers
• WordPress enthusiasts from over 70+ countries
• 60+ keynote workshops and presentations across 3 tracks
• 50+ speakers
• 40+ leading sponsors

The Most Exciting Moments of WordCamp Europe 2024

Here are some of the most unique things that we have observed in WordCamp Europe 2024. 

Nontechnical topics

In addition to the traditional topics, this year, there were many talks on non-technical topics, such as Pivoting Procrastination towards Progress, Re-humanizing the Web, and more. There was also coverage of many trending topics involving the latest changes in Google Search.

WordCamp Playground

The latest innovation that was observed at WordCamp Europe 2024 is WordPress Playground. It provided an interactive mobile experience where the attendees could collect the digital puzzle pieces to configure and install the plugin or website. 

WordCamp Connect

This year’s WordCamp Connect offered an excellent opportunity for all WordCamp attendees to engage, share ideas, and make their voices heard.

Speed Build Challenge

One of the most exciting things about WordCamp Europe is the speed build challenge. In this, the WordPress experts were allowed to create websites in real time, showcasing tips, shortcuts, and best practices. This event was conducted on the second day, June 14, 2024. 

Youth and Teens Workshop

To help everyone involved in WordPress, regardless of age, a brand-new session was held during Contributor Day at WordCamp Europe 2024. In this session, newbies were given a chance to create a WordPress website and learn about VR, Metaverse AI, the Internet, and Metaverse Safety. 

This session aimed to spark youth and teens’ curiosity regarding WordPress and other related topics.

Collaboration and Innovation on Contributor Day

The WCEU 2024 event kicked off with Contributor Day on June 13, 2024. This year, there were 726 WordPress contributors, comprising 25 teams, who contributed to the leading content management system.

This year’s event was remarkable, as people across the globe came together to Contribute to WordPress. With time and effort, they translated 79,059 strings for the WordPress user interface into 29 languages and updated the documentation for the next 6.6 release.

Key Speeches and Notable Talks

The conference day was June 14 and June 15, 2024.

Day 1

It started with the keynote session on “Sustainable Open Source in the Future,” by Joost de Valk and Juliette Reinders Folmer. There were also fantastic sessions on development, design, themes, and community. 

One of the most talked-about sessions was on WordPress Playground, a new platform that allows users to run and test WordPress sites without a host. 

Another popular session was on Interactity API, which is really beneficial for developers who want to enhance user engagement on WordPress. 

This time, after the session on business, there were also sessions on accessibility, design, and SEO.

Day 2

Similar to the previous day, this day even started with a session on “Diverse and Sustainable Future: How High School Teachers in Uganda are Nurturing a Young WordPress Community.”

Following this, Jamie Marsland held a session on Mastering WordPress Block Themes. Jamie Marsland has led WordPress innovation over the last 10 years and regularly shares knowledge about WordPress themes, plugins, blocks, etc.

Apart from regular sessions on designs, development, business, and community, there were also sessions on AI and security. The popular sessions include 

• Re-humanizing the Web by Fernando Tellado 
• Think Like a Hacker: Attack Your WordPress by M. Held

The day ended with a session by Matt Mullenweg, the Co-Founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic. He gave a major WordPress Summer Update in his session and even conducted a Q&A.

If you want to catch a recap of these sessions, visit the official WordPress channel.

Exploring the Variety of Events

We mean, who doesn’t want to have fun while attending the event? 

No one, right? 

Hence, WCEU2024 was packed with a lot of fun and exciting side events. These side events provided an excellent opportunity for the people at WordCamp Europe to network with like-minded people and talk about what they love.

This includes a pre-event picnic, networking event, WCEU after-party, and more. The best part is that the events were organized by popular platforms involved with WordPress, like Bluehost, WPEngine, SiteGround, etc.

Mid-Year Project Update 

All the people involved with WordPress were highly excited about Matt Mullenweg’s session, which became one of the most talked-about sessions by WordPress enthusiasts worldwide. He discussed various things, such as data liberation, Gutenberg Editor Update, WordPress 6.6 Release, etc. 

To learn more, check out our exclusive blog on Matt Mullenweg Essential Summer Update.

The Social Event and WCEU After-Party

A considerable number of people attended the social event and the WCEU after-party. Various sponsors, organizers, and volunteers gathered for 1 hour and 30 minutes of the Automobile Museum tour. This museum comprises the rich history of Italian Cars.

The after-party theme was “Cinema,” for paying tribute to the entire Italian film industry. The event was held to celebrate the leading Italian films that were loved by people worldwide over time.

Closing Speech

As the massive WordPress event was coming to an end, the event organizers expressed their gratitude to the entire WordPress community and the European Parliament for all the endorsements. 

The event’s focus on diversity, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology left a new standard for future gatherings. Attendees left inspired, equipped with fresh knowledge, and eager to implement the latest trends in their projects. Moreover, everyone gathered at the center for a beautiful group shot.

Looking Forward to WordCamp Europe 2025

The organizer team made an announcement for the WordCamp Europe 2025. The event is going to be held in Basel, Switzerland, from June 5 to 7, 2025. All the attendees were excited about the news, and they were ready to meet each other again at the WordCamp!