Table of contents
First of all: We want to express our gratitude to everybody involved in organizing and all of our co-sponsors of WordCamp Germany.
This year was extra special
In reality, the WordCamp Germany butterflies started at the first quarter of this year. Smack in the middle of the excitement about WordCamp Europe 2023 in Athens, where we had been accepted as a sponsor.
When we first heard of plans to organize this event, there was talk about Munich as a location. Something we were thrilled about, as that literally is our home turf!
The disappointment among all enthusiasts was immense, when it soon became clear that that the locations considered in Munich were above budget.
The night of the Social Event, at the beautiful Bolivar beach club in Athens during WordCamp Europe was memorable in more than one way. We got to meet fellow sponsors, speakers and the organisers in a great atmosphere. And then the news came that the new proposed location for WordCamp Germany had been approved! It was set to take place in Gerolstein.
Thomas had joined the design team, I had joined the marketing team.
We knew it was going to be a challenge, as we didn’t have as much time to prepare for a WordCamp as there usually is. It was quite fascinating to see how it all came together.
Highlights
We enjoyed meeting so many people in Gerolstein and being able to connect on so many levels with peers, users, and getting that sense again of what Community means in the world of WordPress. We look forward to years to come!
To keep things compact, I’d like to share 3 highlights:
The “engagement” between wildcloud and GREYD
I couldn’t have said this any better than Mark Weisbrod, our CEO, did in his post on LinkedIn: “It’s not often that you listen to a talk and think to yourself… Wow, this speaker sees the business the same way I do, he sees the world the same way I do, he thinks WordPress the same way I do….
We teamed up!
We combined the strengths of wildcloud and GREYD. Which means that we enable franchises and enterprises to scale their business and ensure a seamless brand experience across all their franchises. wildcloud’s multi-tenant architecture combined with GREYD’s Global Content feature allows them to manage hundreds of websites – both with content that’s controlled centrally by the headquarter AND content that can be edited locally by each franchise.
I got to be a speaker for the first time!
It was my first time as a speaker at a WordCamp and it was great to receive so much positive feedback. My topic was, freely translated: How to turn your WP plugin/theme into a sellable product. I shared that no matter how good your WP plugin or theme is – the best product is not automatically the one that sells the most. I shared both theoretical information, and my personal experience with GREYD, especially the learnings. You can watch this talk on WordPress TV (in German).
The Wapuu
Thomas got the honor to design the Baupuu, the Wapuu for this edition.
Conclusion
In spite of only four months of concrete time to prepare, the team managed to organize a great event. In spite of the challenges the location posed, as in logistics, everything went smoothly. The quality of the talks of my fellow speakers was excellent. I look forward to the next edition, and look forward to be part of that once more, in any capacity!
