Title: WordPress Meetup Trends Author: Isotta Peira Published: July 18, 2024 Last modified: July 25, 2025 --- [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/) [Isotta Peira](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/) 9:45 am _on_ July 18, 2024 Tags: [community engagement ( 3 )](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/community-engagement/), [meetup ( 22 )](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetup/), [meetup-organizer-resources ( 5 )](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetup-organizer-resources/), [meetup.com ( 13 )](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetup-com/)    # WordPress Meetup Trends **Scope of the Analysis** This analysis examines global trends in WordPress 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](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/). events from January 2023 to June 2024, focusing on both in-person and online events with at least 50 RSVPs, while excluding canceled events. The goal is to understand WordPress Meetup trends globally and identify commonalities with other tech groups active on Meetup.com.  ​​**Note**: I focused on events with more than 50 RSVPs to identify the types that generate the highest interest among our worldwide meetup members, **but this does not mean that I consider events with fewer than 50 RSVPs unsuccessful**. Our 750 + groups range from fewer than 20 to over 5000 members. **TL;DR:** The Learn WordPress Online Workshops, led by full-time sponsored contributors, emerged as a significant trend, with sessions on modern web layouts and JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser. [https://www.javascript.com](https://www.javascript.com/) being particularly popular. In-person events saw the highest engagement in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, India, while online events drew attention to SEO, 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), and AI topics. The WordPress Accessibility Meetup, an online-only volunteer-run group which cover accessible navigation and writing, also received substantial interest.Regionally, Asia, especially India, showed strong engagement in in-person events. This could be tied to a higher population rate compared to other regions. Online learning events attracted more interest than their in-person counterparts, and accessibility remained a high-interest topic across the board.General Meetup trends for other Tech groups indicate seasonal declines in attendance and a post-COVID shift towards virtual events. Popular topics for online events included AI and 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. design, while in-person events focused more on gaming, security, and AI development.**Next steps:** Looking ahead, I’d love to develop further regional analysis to understand the types of events that are most successful in each area. Community feedback and participation in this endeavor are encouraged. **Please leave a comment or reach out to me on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/)(@ peiraisotta) if you want to join me.** For those who enjoy delving into the numbers, please read the extended analysis below. **Table of Contents** * [Overview](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#overview) * [Premise](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#premise) * [Top Trends](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#top) * [Regional Trends](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#regional) * [General Meetup Trends](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#general) * [Key Insights](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#key) * [Observations](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#observations) * [Call For Interest](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#call) ## Overview **Key Statistics:** * **2023:** We had 3890 total events (2223 in-person and 1667 online). Of those, 110 in-person and 189 online events had 50+ RSVPs. * **2024 (as of June 26):** 1207 in-person and 659 online events, with 52 in-person and 72 online events having over 50 RSVPs. **Average Attendance:** * In-person events: 17 RSVPs * Online events: 24.5 RSVPs ## Premise: The Location Challenge for Online-Only Meetup Groups Meetup.com requires you to pick a location before creating a group, even for our online-only groups. The 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 the WordPress dashboards shows upcoming events based on the selected location. This means that online-only events are not automatically visible to everyone. The WordPress Accessibility Meetup group and other theme-based, online- only 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](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/). would benefit from appearing in everyone’s WP events dashboard widget, not just the arbitrarily designated city. For instance, the WordPress Accessibility Meetup group and the Learn WordPress Online Workshops are registered in San Francisco, US, and the Quedadas Online en Español (WordPress Gatherings in Spanish, with organizers and members both in Europe and LatAm) are registered in Madrid, Spain. ## Top Trends 1. **Learn WordPress Online Workshops:** 2. * Hosted 374 events with an average of 47.5 RSVPs per event. * Top events included developer-focused sessions like “Building modern web layouts with WordPress blocks” and “JavaScript for modern WordPress development.” It is important to highlight that the [Learn WordPress Online Workshops](https://www.meetup.com/learn-wordpress-online-workshops/) group is led by full-time sponsored contributors. 3. **Most Popular Events:** 4. * **In-person:** Top events were held in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, India, with at least 165 RSVPs. * **Online:** High RSVP events focused on SEO, accessibility, and AI. 5. **WordPress Accessibility Meetup:** 6. * Hosted 46 events with an average of 74.5 RSVPs per event. * Popular topics included accessible navigation and writing accessible website copy. The [WordPress Accessibility Meetup group](https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-accessibility-meetup-group/) is a successful volunteer-run online meetup focused on a clear niche. ### Top Trends Excluding Learn WordPress Online Workshops: * **In-person events: **3430 events with an average of 17 RSVPs. * **Online events: **1952 events with an average of 20 RSVPs. * **Top in-person events: **Mostly in Asia, particularly India. * **Top online events: **Focused on accessibility and AI. ### Regional Trends Excluding the Learn WordPress Online Workshops group, which is registered in the US/Pacific time zone, but including the WordPress Accessibility Meetup group, also registered in the US/Pacific time zone, the following is the regional activity of WordPress Meetup events, both in-person and online, from January 1, 2023, to June 26, 2024. | **Region** | **Total Groups** | **Total Events** | **Total RSVPs** | | Africa | 47 | 256 | 2954 | | Asia | 138 | 1030 | 26060 | | Australia/Pacific | 10 | 106 | 1597 | | Europe/Canary | 199 | 1770 | 31291 | | LatAm | 44 | 221 | 4302 | | US/Canada | 134 | 1999 | 31553 | **Number of Events per Group** Below is the average number of events each group organized between January 1, 2023, and June 26, 2024. * US/Canada: 14.9 * Australia/Pacific: 10.6 * Europe/Canary: 8.9 * Asia: 7.5 * Africa: 5.4 * LatAm: 5.0 [⌊Meetup total events and RSVPs per Region⌉⌊Meetup total events and RSVPs per Region⌉[ **Note:** Among our groups, some meet consistently one or more times per month, while nearly half haven’t had any events in the past three months. These disparities impact the averages. **Want to help reactivate the inactive WordPress Meetup groups in your region? Join the [Reactivation initiative!](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/06/28/reactivating-inactive-meetup-groups/)** ## General Meetup Trends I asked our point of contact at Meetup.com Customer Success about worldwide trends for Meetup events within the [‘Tech’](https://www.meetup.com/topics/#:~:text=Women%27s%20Support-,Tech,-.NET) categoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. to make the analysis as relevant as possible. It is important to note that Meetup.com’s popularity as an event and community platform varies by country, and the following feedback refers only to Meetup.com trends. Therefore, it might not represent global trends within tech communities that do not use Meetup.com. Below is the feedback and information received. In general, Meetup.com observes: * **Seasonal decreases** in activity due to summer vacations and winter holidays. * **General decline** in attendance at in-person tech events post-COVID-19. * **Shift to virtual events:** 40% of RSVPs for tech events are online. For non- tech events, the percentage of online events VS in-person events is 17%, showing a stronger preference to online events for tech events compared to event types. Below are some potential reasons identified that explain the shift to virtual events: * **Remote work culture** has changed professional dynamics and networking habits.( People seem less likely to go to the city for an event if they’ve been working from home all day, some have moved away from city centers, others got more used to online networking, etc.) * **Content accessibility:** Event recordings and online resources reduce the need for real-time attendance. * **Changed priorities:** Increased focus on personal time and family, which results in decreased meetup attendance and engagement. **Popular General Meetup Topics:** * **Online:** AI, API, Design. * **In-person:** Gaming, Security, AI, Development. ## Key Insights * **In-person WP events:** engagement appears to be stronger in Asia, especially in India, compared to other regions. It could be useful to understand whether this is primarily related to the high population rate or if there are specific organizational characteristics that other communities could learn from. * **Online learning events** seem to attract more interest than in-person learning events. * **In-person social events** seem to be more popular than in-person learning events. * **Accessibility** seems to be a high interest topic among community members. ## Observations  There is a noticeable disparity in activity levels among WordPress Meetup groups, with some groups being very active, while many others organize less than two events per year. **This highlights the importance of initiatives like the current [Meetup Reactivation](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/06/28/reactivating-inactive-meetup-groups/) effort, which aims to invigorate inactive groups.** Such initiatives are crucial for fostering an active and engaged community, ensuring that more groups can benefit from regular events and increased participation. By reactivating these groups, the WordPress community can enhance collaboration, knowledge sharing, and overall engagement across different regions. If you want to get involved, please reach out to [@devinmaeztri](https://profiles.wordpress.org/devinmaeztri/) or [@courtneypk](https://profiles.wordpress.org/courtneypk/), or drop a message in the [#community-team](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X) channel on Slack. The above analysis focuses on WordPress Meetup trends worldwide, comparing countries of different sizes, population rates, WordPress Groups, and members. To gain a real understanding of regional trends, it would be interesting and useful to analyze the activity of each region and each country separately. Feedback and additional insights from the community are welcome to enhance this analysis. ## Call for interest I intend to analyze the regional activity of our Meetup groups to determine which events are most successful in each region, providing organizers with valuable insights into the types of events that attract the most interest in their area. **If anyone is interested in joining me, please leave a comment under this post or reach out to me via Slack (@ peiraisotta) before Friday, July 26, 2024.** _The following people have contributed to writing this post: [@peiraisotta](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/), [@juliarosia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/juliarosia/), [@unintended8](https://profiles.wordpress.org/unintended8/), [Marie-Lou Gauthier](https://www.meetup.com/blog/author/marie-lou-gauthier/)_ [#community-engagement](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/community-engagement/), [#meetup](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetup/), [#meetup-organizer-resources](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetup-organizer-resources/), [#meetup-com](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetup-com/) ### Share this: * [ Threads ](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?share=threads) * [ Mastodon ](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?share=mastodon) * [ Bluesky ](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?share=bluesky) * [ Facebook ](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?share=facebook) * [ X ](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?share=x) * [ LinkedIn ](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?share=linkedin) * [Login to Reply](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmake.wordpress.org%2Fcommunity%2F2024%2F07%2F18%2Fwordpress-meetup-trends%2F%23respond&locale=en_US) 1. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/de28dc6cd860dfba5e870bc8581b6dfe90719545a70690e109dde31b77687efc? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 2. [Amber Hinds](https://profiles.wordpress.org/alh0319/) 6:34 pm _on_ July 22, 2024 3. Thanks for this summary, [@peiraisotta](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/). 4. I opened a [trac ticket with a proposed modification to the Events and News widget](https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/61585) to address the issue with Learn’s and WP 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) 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](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).’ s events only showing up for people in the Bay Area. 5. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/de28dc6cd860dfba5e870bc8581b6dfe90719545a70690e109dde31b77687efc? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 6. [Amber Hinds](https://profiles.wordpress.org/alh0319/) 7:34 pm _on_ July 22, 2024 7. As an additional thought about activity level and interest, I’m curious what resources are available for organizers about how to market their events outside of Meetup. com. 8. A large part of why the 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) 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](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/). is as successful as it is is because I do a lot of promotion of the meetup while speaking at other events (including non-WordPress events), giving podcast interviews, and in various Facebook groups and SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/) channels. We also got the meetup approved for continuing education credits with the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, so they include our meetup events in their email newsletter. FYI, our actual attendance this year( counts from Zoom) averages 88 people per event. The average Zoom registration count is 160 per event. 9. When I was organizing a city-based meetup, we frequently reached out to local marketing agencies, dev bootcamps, universities (computer science, marketing, communications, and design faculty), the chamber of commerce, and other relevant business or marketing 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](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/)./ groups to make sure people knew about our meetup. It’s a lot more motivating to organize a meetup when a good group of people comes to each event, and organizer burnout is reduced when they don’t have to think of a topic every month/can share speaking responsibilities with other people. 10. It seems like meetup organizers would benefit from more resources on how to market their events in their community and guidance on how to build a community that provides value so people want to keep coming back and share their own knowledge. 11. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/adc68503a4b4cf183e6206d9f15d87a7e75194b06962b8e81b1d441549271f6e? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Isotta Peira](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/) 1:37 pm _on_ July 26, 2024 * [@alh0319](https://profiles.wordpress.org/alh0319/) Thank you so much for opened the tracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.[https://core.trac.wordpress.org/](https://core.trac.wordpress.org/). ticket and for sharing your thoughts. I was planning to reach out to you and Paola to ask how you promote the WordPress 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) 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](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/). outside our community. * Currently, we have a page in the Meetup Organizer Handbook about [Promoting your Meetup](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/promoting-your-meetup/), and it would be great to improve that page with new suggestions. * I intend to do the same with all the other organizers who run in-person and online events with high RSVPs and attendance rates, so we can collect all your advice and create new resources for organizers. If you’d like to participate or share feedback once we draft the resource, please let me know. 12. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/adc68503a4b4cf183e6206d9f15d87a7e75194b06962b8e81b1d441549271f6e? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 13. [Isotta Peira](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/) 8:07 am _on_ July 31, 2024 14. Thank you, everyone, for sharing your thoughts and volunteering to analyze regional trends. A working group has been formed, and we’ve started working on it. We will provide updates before the end of August. 15. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/55f2aa73f83d9d27467fccf2aa46f60f76000df252f5e8051ec15a646c213881? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 16. [feest2](https://profiles.wordpress.org/feest2/) 9:10 am _on_ December 6, 2024 17. What innovative marketing techniques have successful 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](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/). organizers used to attract attendees from diverse backgrounds and interests outside their primary focus? ### Leave a Reply 󠀁[Cancel reply](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wordpress-meetup-trends/?output_format=md#respond)󠁿 You must be [logged in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmake.wordpress.org%2Fcommunity%2F2024%2F07%2F18%2Fwordpress-meetup-trends%2F&locale=en_US) to post a comment. # Post navigation [← WCEU Contributor Day – summary of discussions at the Community tables](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/18/wceu-contributor-day-summary-of-discussions-at-the-community-tables/) [Venue Policy Update →](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2024/07/23/venue-policy-update/)