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Proposal: Prioritizing CampTix Improvements for a Better Organizer and Attendee Experience

This topic was raised during the WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2025 Q&A session, where I highlighted the growing limitations of the CampTix pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. In response, Matt Mullenweg expressed support for exploring improvements to the tool and encouraged us to take steps toward making CampTix more effective for WordCamp organizers and attendees.

Overview

CampTix is the official WordCamp ticketing plugin used for events across the WordPress ecosystem, including WordCamp Europe (WCEUWCEU WordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event.). While it has served the community for years, its capabilities have not kept pace with the evolving needs of organizers or the scale of flagship events. As a long-time organizer involved in WCEU for over 9 years, I believe it’s time to prioritize improvements to CampTix to ensure it remains a reliable, central tool not just a payment gateway. Yes we use it mainly as a payment gateway.

This proposal aims to:

  • Raise awareness of the current limitations of CampTix.
  • Highlight use cases and pain points shared by many event teams.
  • Suggest practical short-term wins and long-term improvements.
  • Open a conversation around how we can collaboratively move the project forward.

What Is CampTix?

CampTix is a WordPress plugin designed to handle ticketing for WordCamp events. It enables attendees to purchase tickets, organizers to collect information, and teams to manage event registration and invoicing. It is released as open-source software. 

Documentation:


Why This Matters

CampTix is a coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. part of the WordCamp infrastructure, but its current feature set and development support are limiting its usefulness:

  • Many flagship and small WordCamps have turned to third-party tools (e.g., Eventora, Tito, Eventbrite) for attendee management, while using CampTix only for payments.
  • Organizers rely on manual spreadsheets, custom workflows, and one-off hacks to manage data that could and should be part of CampTix.
  • Features like visa letters, check-in tools, reports, and attendee role management are either missing, hard to use, or entirely externalized.
  • Data Protection: Currently anyone with Administrator access to a WordCamp website has the ability to download all ticket information which includes (but not limited to) names, nationalities, email addresses and confidential items such as dietary requirements, allergies and any custom fields added to the registration form.
    This CSV file can be downloaded anytime from current and previous WordCamp editions where users are still listed as Administrators, and could therefore breach privacy regulations (such as GDPR, CCPA).

We are missing a huge opportunity to improve efficiency, consistency, and data quality across events.


Common Challenges for Organizers

These are challenges echoed by many organizing teams over the years:

  • Visa Letters: No built-in option; handled manually or through third-party tools.
  • Reporting: No way to generate comprehensive reports during or after the event (e.g., demographics, ticket types, attendance breakdown, swag/T-Shirt sizing, catering requirements).
  • Attendee Management: Limited options for updating or assigning roles, checking in, filtering by ticket types, or seeing complete user history.
  • Shortcodes: Cannot filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. specific ticket types for events like Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/., Social Dinner, or Workshops.
  • Bulk Ticket Issues: Bugs when multiple tickets are purchased under one order but need to be edited individually.
  • Data In/Out: Poor integration with WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ accounts and no real data liberation. Tickets require a WordPress.org login, but the system doesn’t leverage or connect that data usefully.
  • Partial Refunds: Currently only full refunds are possible where a user purchases more than one ticket, resulting in having to re-purchase tickets again – this is a poor customer experience.
  • Payments: A number of additional gateways have been added as ‘standalone plugins’ to support various payment providers (countries where Stripe or PayPal is not common or supported), and most of these individual plugins are no longer maintained.

Why We Should Act Now

The plugin has no roadmap, active maintainer, or visible plan for growth. Yet CampTix remains a required component for WordCamps. If left stagnant, more events will abandon it entirely, fragmenting the ecosystem and increasing the workload for volunteers.

This is not a complaint, it’s a call to action.


Proposal

1. Short-Term Improvements (“Quick Wins”)

  • Add Visa Letter generation, similar to how invoices are generated.
  • Fix known bugs with bulk tickets and editing tickets associated with unknown email addresses.
  • Extend shortcodes to allow filtering by ticket type (Contributor Day, Social Dinner, etc.).

2. Long-Term Improvements (Roadmap)

  • Partial Refunds: Allow for per-ticket or percentage-based refunds.
  • Data Liberation & APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. Access: Create an open, privacy-conscious method to import/export data for organizers.
  • WordPress.org Integration: Bidirectional sync with WordPress.org profiles (attendee history, contributor badges, etc.).
  • Better Reporting Tools: Dynamic reports that don’t require exporting to spreadsheets.
  • Organizer Sandbox Environment: Provide a sandbox/demo version of CampTix for testing and training.
  • Modular Roles: Assign roles (attendee, speaker, sponsor) from within CampTix, with better UXUX UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think ‘what they are doing’ and less about how they do it..
  • Better Permissions for Organisers: Only Administrators can edit specific areas (e.g. budget) but are automatically given access to all functions (speakers, sponsors etc) which is not appropriate for their role.
  • Improved API: Enable external tools and dashboards to interact with CampTix programmatically.

How We Can Make Progress

We understand that resources are limited and that there is currently no dedicated maintainer for CampTix. However, that should not blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. community contribution.

Here are some suggested approaches:

  1. Appoint a Dedicated Maintainer or Gatekeeper
    • Someone with access to review PRs and deployDeploy Launching code from a local development environment to the production web server, so that it's available to visitors. updates.
  2. Open Access to Contributors
    • Provide a sandbox or mirror repository for the community to submit improvements, roadmaps, and test features.
  3. Form a Community Working Group
    • Contributors from different WordCamps (WCEU, WCUSWCUS WordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event., WCAsia, local camps) can collaborate to identify and prioritize improvements.
    • Opportunity to have a specific dedicated table at Contributor Days at flagship events to proceed with further developments, onboard new contributors, etc
  4. Transparent Roadmap
    • Use GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ Projects or a Make blog post series to share upcoming changes, bugs, and ideas.

Closing Thoughts

CampTix deserves more attention not only because it’s central to WordCamp organization, but because it reflects how we as a community build tools for ourselves.

Let’s invest in it.

I am personally committed to:

  • Contributing to development and testing.
  • Engaging other organizers to identify priorities.
  • Helping build a roadmap with the Community Team.

Let’s stop reinventing the wheel for every WordCamp. Let’s make CampTix better together.

New Handbook Page for WordPress Campus Connect

A new WordPress Campus Connect handbook page has been updated with information about the event for event organizers and supports. As a reminder, The WordPress Campus Connect initiative is a community program aimed at supporting the next generation of WordPress users and developers by offering valuable, free, and easily accessible learning opportunities for all.

Since the official announcement in May, the community has successfully hosted two WordPress Campus Connect events (see WordPress Campus Connect Ribera del Duero 2025), and there are four more events in the planning stages for this year.

Program Managers and Event Supporters, please be aware that these events will follow the WordCamp process. Additionally, we are offering group mentoring for organizers in the #campusconnect channel in the WordPress.org Slack, so kindly direct anyone in need of mentorship to this channel.

What’s next for WordPress Campus Connect?

  • We are currently conducting a poll for a new logo!
  • Once the logo is selected, we will develop branded template assets for organizers, including:
    • Presentation Slides
    • Participation Certificates
    • WordPress Campus Connect theme for events and student site

Furthermore, an update to the WordPress Campus Connect handbook page for WordPress Student Clubs is underway. The WordPress Campus Connect Organizer form has been updated with the question, Would you like to create a WordPress student club site? to prepare for these requests.

We always welcome your feedback and suggestions as this program evolves. Please feel free to share your thoughts either in the comments below or on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..

🌍 WCEU 2025 Contributor Day: Community Team Recap

The Community Team had a vibrant and productive Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/. at WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2025! Over 50 contributors stopped by our tables throughout the day, sharing ideas, asking questions, and pushing forward the global WordPress community.

As outlined in our Contributor Day agenda, we focused on welcoming new organizers, unblocking ongoing projects, and brainstorming future events. To make the most of everyone’s interests and experience, we split into two main tables:

  • Rocío Valdivia (@_dorsvenabili) led a group focused on MeetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. and new community organizers. Discussions ranged from how to restart inactive groups to how to bring in fresh faces and create a welcoming environment for first-time attendees.
  • Juan Hernando (@unintended8) coordinated the table focused on WordCamps and other larger-scale events. Conversations touched on common challenges like finding speakers and sponsors, engaging new audiences, and delivering value to everyone.

We also discussed Campus Connect, a new initiative designed to reach future community members where they are, on campus, and how this could help unlock growth in new regions.

Some highlights from the day:

  • Interest was expressed in organizing a 🇸🇮 WordCamp Slovenia in Ljubljana
  • Interest was expressed in organizing a 🇪🇪 WordCamp Estonia in Tallinn
  • Proposal to host a hackathon-style event in 🇩🇪 Leipzig, Germany
  • Budget reviewed and approved for 🇮🇳 WordCamp Bengaluru
  • Budget also reviewed and approved for the 📸 Summer Photo Contest event
  • Websites launched for 🇪🇸 WordCamp Galicia and 🇮🇹 WordCamp Pisa
  • Interest in running a Campus Connect event in 🇪🇸 Málaga, Spain
  • New MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. group proposals from 🇦🇺 Australia, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇵🇱 Poland, and 🇹🇭 Thailand
  • Application submitted for a 🛍️ WordPress Day for eCommerce 2025 in 🇵🇹 Porto
  • Proposal sent for 🇵🇹 WordCamp Portugal 2026 in Porto

It was a great day of collaboration, inspiration, and real progress. Thank you to everyone who joined us, your energy and ideas are what keep this global community thriving.

To capture the spirit of the day, here are some photos from our tables and the amazing contributors who joined us. From deep discussions to spontaneous smiles, these moments show what makes the WordPress community so special.

(1) Photo by Chris Clarke (2) Photo by Chris Clarke (3) Photo by Chris Clarke (4) Photo by Marc Wieland (5) Photo by Paco Marchante (6) Photo by Marc Wieland (7) Family photo by Nilo Vélez (8) Photo by Thanh Nguyen. All photos from the official WCEUWCEU WordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. Flickr account, check all the images from the Contributor Day morning and afternoon.

#contributor-day, #wceu

Community Team Meeting Agenda for 12 – June -2025

The Community Team chat takes place on the first Thursday of every month in the #community-team channel on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..  This month it will be the second Thursday of the month, ie. 12th June 2025.

This meeting is meant for all contributors on the team and everyone who is interested in taking part in some of the things our team does. Feel free to join us, even if you are not currently active in the team!

Asia-Pacific / EMEA friendly meeting: Thursday, 12 June 2025 at 12:00 PM UTC

America’s friendly meeting: Thursday, 12 June 2024 at 21:00 PM UTC

You will find a preliminary agenda for the meeting below. 

If you wish to add points to discuss, comment on this post or reach out to one of the team reps: @adityakane, @Arthur, @Shusei, or @webtechpooja. It does not need to be a blog post yet, the topic can be discussed during the meeting nevertheless. We use the same agenda for both meetings.

Call for meeting host and notetaker
If anyone is available to host this month’s or next month’s Community Team meetings and/or write the recap notes, please reach out to one of the team reps: @adityakane, @Arthur, @Shusei, or @webtechpooja.

Check-ins: Program and Event Supporters / Contributors

  • What have you been doing, and how is it going? 
  • What did you accomplish after the last meeting? 
  • Are there any blockers? 
  • Can other team members help you in some way?

Highlights to Note

Here are a few things everyone should be aware of.

Open Posts

Check out these new and ongoing discussions needing review, feedback, thoughts and comments.

Announcements / Newsletters

Open Floor

This is your chance to discuss things that weren’t on the meeting agenda. 

We invite you to use this opportunity to share anything that you want with the team. If you currently have a topic you’d like to discuss, add it to the comments of this post and we will try to update the agenda accordingly.

Hope to see you on Thursday, either in the Asia-Pacific / EMEA (12:00 UTC) or Americas-friendly version (21:00 UTC) of the meeting!

#agenda, #meeting-agenda, #team, #team-chat, #team-meeting

Vote for the new WordPress Campus Connect logo!

With the call for designers closed, it is now time to vote on your favorite logo for WordPress Campus Connect. Thank you again to the three designers who raised their hands to the challenge.

You can vote on your favorite (max 3) through the following poll:

Please submit your vote by Wednesday, June 18th.

The winning logo will be revealed the following day.

X-post: Criteria for Creating or Migrating Repositories under the WordPress GitHub Organization

X-comment from +make.wordpress.org/project: Comment on Criteria for Creating or Migrating Repositories under the WordPress GitHub Organization

🌍 WCEU 2025 Contributor Day: Community Team Agenda

WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2025 is almost here, and so is Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/., one of the most energizing and collaborative moments of the whole week. If you’re planning to join the Community Team table, here’s what to expect and how to prepare.

Whether you’ve never contributed before or you’re a long-time organizer, you are more than welcome to join us. Our table is open to everyone interested in supporting WordPress communities around the world — from local meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. and WordCamps to new initiatives like Campus Connect.

🕘 Contributor Day Schedule

09:15 Opening and welcome
10:00 Contributing to WordPress – Community Team welcome and onboarding
12:15 Group photo
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Contributing to WordPress – Let’s keep collaborating
16:30 Teams summaries and wrap-up

💡 What we’ll be working on

We want this to be a practical and inspiring day. Bring your ideas, questions, and curiosity, and let’s turn them into actions together. Here are some topics we’ll be exploring:

  • Onboarding for new contributors: First time here? Don’t worry, we’ll help you get started, understand what the Community Team does, and find your place.
  • Campus Connect: Help us shape this new initiative to bring WordPress to universities and student communities. Got academic contacts or ideas? Let’s talk.
  • Women’s Day 2026: Let’s reflect on the 2025 edition and start planning how to grow the impact of next year’s events.
  • Reach new audiences: How can we connect with people who haven’t heard of WordPress events yet? Let’s brainstorm ideas and campaigns that can work globally, and locally.
  • GatherPress: Have you heard of this new tool for managing events in the WordPress ecosystem? Join the discussion and help us test it in real-world meetups.
  • Process Q&A and hands-on tasks: If you’re planning to organize a WordCamp, a meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook., or just want to understand how the team works: bring your questions!
    For more experienced contributors, there will be space to:
    • Vet Meetup and WordCamp applications
    • Triage HelpScout conversations
    • Answer questions from newer supporters and organizers

🤝 Want to help?

This year, the table will be facilitated by Juan Hernando, but we’d love to have more voices and perspectives. If you’re a Program ManagerProgram Manager Program Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule., Program SupporterProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook., or Event SupporterEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. attending Contributor Day, step up and help onboard people, guide discussions, or take notes.

📣 Note takers are very welcome! We want this day to end not just with good ideas, but with clear takeaways and action points. Think:

Come with an idea, leave with a team to help you make it happen.

#contributor-day, #wceu

Update on the GatherPress project – May 2025

We were invited to give regular updates about GatherPress.

Here are the advancements made by GatherPress since our initial proposal from January 2024 and our update from September 2024.

The GatherPress team has continued working toward the goal of testing GatherPress as a potential alternative for managing WordPress community events.

After several months of back-and-forth discussions with the MetaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. team, we’ve learned that integration with WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ services (like user accounts or event listings) won’t be considered until the tool has been tested with real-world events. The technical tests that were requested in June 2024 and ran until the autumn provided a useful foundation, but they were not enough for the Meta team to properly evaluate GatherPress in a live setting.

To unblock the project and continue progressing, the GatherPress team has adjusted the approach. The next steps will be:

  • Run a real-world trial with a few selected local communities hosting events via GatherPress.
  • Use a self-hosted installation of GatherPress (hosting generously provided by Robotstxt.es) while waiting for potential .org integration. BuddyPress will also be installed on that instance. It’s a continuation of the previous test installation and all existing testing groups are welcome to participate.
  • We will start this new test phase as soon as we release GatherPress 0.33.0 and a new theme is developed by GatherPress team members.

Juan Hernando (@unintended8) is now overseeing the project for the Community Team, following the departure of the previous contributors involved.

What this means

Pros:

  • We move forward with actual testing using live events.
  • We collect feedback and usage data based on real organizer and attendee experiences, as well as input and needs from the Community Team, to support future scaling to more groups.

Cons:

  • As integration with WordPress.org won’t be in place for now, an activity update about organizing or speaking at an event won’t appear on WordPress.org profiles. This is already the case with MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook., but one of the future goals of GatherPress on WordPress.org would change that and address invisible contributions for organizers.
  • Events won’t appear in the Events WidgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. in WordPress dashboards or on https://events.wordpress.org unless the Meta team is able to support discoverability in the interim. We’re open to collaborating on a solution, such as providing an APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. to support this. In the meantime, organizers can still publish their events on Meetup.com, linking to the ones on the new platform.

We hope that some minimal integration can still be explored to increase event visibility, even while the project remains self-hosted for now.

Latest version and features

The newly released version 0.32.x of GatherPress introduces a complete overhaul of the RSVP blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. system. This redesign allows organisers to design the RSVP block and its inner block such as modal per RSVP status with flexibility.

Screen capture of a GatherPress event addition in WordPress admin. Shows the list views and RSVP block modal is selected

Upcoming

In upcoming releases starting with 0.33.0, new options will include:

  • RSVP by email handshake: attendees enter their email, receive a confirmation link, and confirm attendance without creating an account.
  • RSVP via Fediverse: attendees can confirm their presence using their Fediverse identity.
  • Events will optionally be federated with the event format to appear on the Fediverse
  • Rewrite of the calendar block
  • RSVP management screen

Those options are designed to make participation simpler and more privacy-conscious, whether events are hosted independently or eventually on WordPress.org.

What’s next

We’ll be supporting a handful of groups as they start running their meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. on the self-hosted version of GatherPress. The results will help assess how the tool performs in practical use and inform any next steps for broader testing or eventual integration.

If your community is interested in taking part in this pilot phase, or if you have feedback or questions, please leave a comment or join the discussion in the #gatherpress channel on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.. Development continues to be led by a group of contributors. We welcome new developers, testers, and organizers, as well as feedback of any form. You can participate in our weekly huddles on Fridays at 15:00 UTC. The upcoming huddles are always listed on the homepage of our website.

You can follow progress or explore the tool on GitHub, or launch it in a WordPress Playground instance.

The long-term goal remains to provide a fully integrated, community-owned alternative for event management on WordPress.org.

If you are attending WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2025, you can connect with me (Patricia) for any question about the GatherPress project.

Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to and support the GatherPress project!

The GatherPress Team


Written and reviewed by @patricia70, @mauteri, @malgra, @javiercasares and @blitz128 from the GatherPress team and contributors.
Reviewed by @unintended8, @_dorsvenabili
Many thanks!

+make.wordpress.org/meta/

#meetups, #community-management, #community-events, #community-team, #learn, #meta, #meta-wordcamp

Women in WordPress: A Recap of Our International Women’s Day WordPress Events

The Women in Tech initiative started as a simple idea but turned into a powerful global movement, empowering women in the WordPress community to step into leadership roles. As part of the Make WordPress Community Team’s global initiative, this event aimed to celebrate and uplift women in tech through inspiring talks, engaging activities, and community bonding.

The Idea Behind the Initiative

The idea for this unique format was inspired by a conversation I had with Aditya Kane,  a friend & WordPress community team representative. Aditya shared a wonderful idea that was suggested by his sister, Arundhati Kane, to organize a local all-women’s meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. in Mumbai on International Women’s Day. While discussing this, Aditya suggested, What if we expand this idea to a global scale, where WordPress communities worldwide could host women-led events?
This concept took shape during our conversation, and with the support of the WordPress community team, I proposed this idea through a blog post on the community website. Soon, the WordPress Community officially supported this initiative. You can learn more about this inspiring movement at Hosting WordPress Events for Women on International Women’s Day.

Making the Vision a Reality

Turning this vision into reality required dedication, collaboration, and persistence. The journey involved inspiring conversations, countless messages, and building trust within communities. I personally reached out to 30-40 WordPress communities worldwide, encouraging them to participate. It wasn’t easy—many communities had never organized a women-led event before, and some faced difficulties finding female speakers or volunteers.

Despite these obstacles, the response was overwhelming. Through continuous follow-ups, guidance, and support, we saw over 25+ events take place globally. This was a powerful testament to the strength and unity of the WordPress community and the determination of organizers to make this initiative successful.

Special thanks to Juan Hernado for his tremendous support in vetting events, creating the website, approving budgets, and ensuring the smooth processing of this initiative. His dedication played a crucial role in making this happen. Also, I would like to thank my amazing team for their support over the past two months to make sure everything ran smoothly!

Gathering all the information can be challenging, and I might have missed some details or cities. If your city isn’t mentioned here, please let me know in the comments!

The Impact

The Women in Tech initiative created a powerful and lasting impact on the WordPress community worldwide:

  • Women felt welcomed, valued, and encouraged to participate in future WordPress events.
  • Attendees expressed feeling special and thoroughly enjoyed the events.
  • The initiative provided a comfortable platform where women spoke openly and confidently without hesitation.
  • This initiative has paved the way for greater female representation in WordPress leadership roles, ensuring more women feel empowered to contribute, lead, and shine in the tech industry.

This incredible journey wouldn’t have been possible without the WordPress community’s collaborative spirit. Here’s to breaking barriers and empowering more women to shine in tech! 🚀✨

Some glimpse of the celebration worldwide 

Building momentum for the future

Organizing Women’s Day events across the WordPress ecosystem presented its challenges, but even more powerful were the stories of growth, connection, and transformation that emerged. Many events were led by women organizers for the first time. In WP LATAM, “four of the organizers were new, and during the planning process, we trained them so they can now organize events in their local communities.” The experience was marked by “transparency in every step and freedom to collaborate,” and the team praised the process for being “well-structured” and for giving everyone “a task and the autonomy to carry it out.”

This empowerment was echoed across continents. WP Nicaragua shared how the event “was entirely led and organized by women, most of whom had never led a community event before.” What made it so impactful was seeing “what’s possible when women are given space to step up, take the lead, and create something meaningful for their local tech community.”

From WP Bhopal came a celebration of diversity and inclusion, with sessions held in both Hindi and English “for better accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility).” The audience ranged from “students, entrepreneurs, journalists, homemakers, designers, freelancers, social activists, and more,” and even included “our youngest attendee, a 5th-grade schoolgirl!”

In WP Pune, the message was one of ongoing inspiration: “Our hope is that this event will inspire even more women to step into the spotlight, whether by organizing sessions, speaking at conferences, or leading teams in the tech industry.” Similarly, WP Dhaka acknowledged the long-standing imbalance: “The lack of female participation has always been a concern. Events like Dhaka Women WordPress Day 2025 aim to bridge this gap by inspiring more women to explore the WordPress ecosystem.”

Each of these events proved that when we create space for women to lead, collaborate, and contribute, we don’t just run events, we reshape communities. As more organizers reflect on these experiences, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t a one-time celebration. It’s the beginning of a stronger, more inclusive future for the WordPress project.

Thanks to @adityakane, @anandau14, and @unintended8 for helping with the review and the updates!

Calling Designers: Help Us Create the WordPress Campus Connect Logo!

Last week, we announced WordPress Campus Connect, a new initiative bringing the power of WordPress to university campuses around the world.

We’re looking for designers in the community to help us create the official Campus Connect logo. Several universities have already expressed interest in hosting this event, and we’re actively working on workshop materials, presentations, and a webpage—so we need a logo soon to brand all our assets.

If you’re interested in contributing, please join the conversation in the #campusconnect SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel and let us know!
The deadline to submit your logo designs is 2nd June 2025. We’d love your creative input.