WordCamp US is coming back and is scheduled to take place on October 1st, 2021. It will be a virtual event with free admission. This year’s event will be one day with opportunities to network, participate in workshops, and interact with sponsors. The organizing team plans on publishing a call for speakers, sponsors, and volunteers next month.
Hopefully, we can get back to attending in-person WordPress events this year through Meetups and next year with WordCamps. As my co-host Malcom Peralty shared in episode four of the WP Mainline podcast, I think people are burnt out on watching virtual events.
I watched a few virtual WordPress events this year. It definitely was not the same as attending a WordCamp and I think I’m kind of burnt out with live streaming. I hate to say it, like, I feel bad. I was super interested in some of the topics for WordFest Live but I didn’t watch any of them because guess what? They’re streaming. If I’m going to do these kinds of events, I kind of want to be in the same physical space. It’s like the difference between, you know, listening to a song on YouTube and going to the concert live.
Malcom Peralty
I have not watched any WordCamps this year or any virtual WordPress event for that matter. My biggest problem is that it’s incredibly difficult to pay attention to a live stream when I have multiple tabs and programs open that want my attention. I have a much easier time staying focused and grasping the subject being discussed if I’m in the same room as the speaker.
These issues with virtual events are personal but it doesn’t make them less effective. I’m hopeful that in the future, there will be more of a mix of virtual and in-person events. Prior to the pandemic, many of the large WordCamps offered this combo but I’d like to see it spread out to even more events.
How many virtual WordPress events have you attended this year? Are you burnt out on them? Will you be the first in line to attend the first in-person WordPress event that’s nearby?