Last year was my first ever WordCamp. I’ve been using WordPress for about 4 years now and last year I got to sit on a panel and share with the Halifax WordPress community what it was like running a business that was based mostly on building within the platform. I’d like to think that everyone learned something. I know that I did so I thought that I’d share a few unique things with you.

It’s Driven by People

Usually, when you look at an app or a platform you tend to think of the ONE person that’s behind it. It’s hard not to picture Zuck when you think of Facebook, Jack when you think of Twitter, or Elon when you think of Tesla.

But at the heart of great products and services are people and at WordCamp Halifax 2017 I got to meet a whole bunch of those people. Imagine sitting down to supper with the person who wrote MOST of the early documentation for the platform you use. Or finding out that the person that you’re chatting with at coffee BUILT one of your favourite plugins.

My first major takeaway from the event was;

“Oh wow. These are just really normal, really awesome people.”

There’s Something for Everyone

I am NOT, nor have I ever claimed to be, a coder. Most of my work focuses on the design and implementation of good content. So I was a little bit shy about speaking, or even attending, WordCamp Halifax 2017. What I realized is that it really is a platform for everyone.

Every room I walked into was filled with people in various stages of their WordPress experience. Some were developers who build every little thing I use. Some were bloggers that looked to me as a WordPress mentor. But every room I walked into was comfortable.

The various session tracks, focused on helping people choose what talks are right for them, what talks are a little too easy, and what talks might be a little too much of a challenge, help create a unique, individualized experience for every user, regardless of skill or experience.

Conferences Can Be Fun

I’m sure that some of you have been to some conference that your boss told you that you had to go to. You’ve been to PDF Fest…or AccountingCon…or SafetyPalooza. And I’m sure that you’ve been sitting there thinking;

“When will this day ever end…?”

Yeah. This isn’t like that.

WordCamp Halifax 2017 was more than just a learning opportunity. It was a chance to meet incredible people that were excited to do really cool things with a real neat platform. Their excitement about the platform and about the community behind that platform was exhilarating and it made for a very educational, very informative, and incredibly fun day. It’s like summer camp, for people that like plugins.

I hope that I get to see you all at WordCamp Halifax 2018. If you haven’t picked up a ticket yet, I absolutely think you should. I’d love to see you there.