We had it all planned out. Jessica was going to Portland to attend WCUS and to present our showcase. She would represent Greyd throughout the event.
Then things got moving fast. Guildenberg, whom we partnered up with recently, had hit the ground running by introducing us to potential partners. As we already were talking to agencies in the US, Mark, our CEO, decided to fly out to Portland seeing WCUS as a good moment to meet face-to-face.
Between the excitement of sealing deals with new partners, and other steps to expand further into the US market, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Contributor Day and Showcase Day
Contributor Day
It was fascinating to see the differences between WordCamp Europe, which we know intimately both as sponsors and attendees, and WordCamp US. Both are great, but each has its own vibe. Contributor Day is a huge event in Europe, those hundreds of tickets sell out faster than we can blink. At WCUS this was a smaller event. Nonetheless, it was good. Being used to Contributor Day at WordCamp Europe, it took a bit getting used to the smaller size of the one in the US.
Hats off to Jessica, who was Table Lead at the Themes Table. She is a long-standing contributor to the WordPress Project, and was co-lead for the Twenty Twenty-Four Theme. As she was also going to present our Showcase the day after, we know she put a lot of time and energy in preparing for both events.
Showcase Day
Showcase Day was where things really started to shine. Disney’s case study was a standout. Seeing how such a massive brand is leveraging Full Site Editing (FSE) and Gutenberg to create powerful, complex projects was inspiring. It’s a great validation of what WordPress can do on a large scale, and we’ve already started drawing parallels between Disney’s success and what we’re achieving with Greyd.Suite.
We had the opportunity to present the Mrs.Sporty project, built with Greyd.Suite by Forte Digital in Berlin, which was well-received. We’re always excited to show how Greyd.Suite can empower agencies to take on big projects without needing a huge team or tons of resources.
The presentation of the Mrs.Sporty project is available to watch on YouTube.
The real highlight of the event was Showcase Day, where I was particularly impressed with Disney’s presentation. Their team, which, I believe, was an all-women engineers team, showed how they’ve been successfully using Gutenberg and Full Site Editing (FSE) to handle complex web projects. Seeing such a major brand leverage WordPress in such a powerful way was a huge validation for the platform.
For Greyd, it was a fantastic opportunity to introduce our Greyd.Suite to more people. There was some surprise from attendees when they realized we’re not an agency but a product company. And our tools are designed to make large-scale projects manageable for teams of all sizes. These tools were initially created based on our previous experiences as an agency. I ended up doing multiple demos of our multisite capabilities, and it was exciting to see more people understanding the impact we’re making in this space.
Throughout the event, I had some fantastic conversations with people who were genuinely interested in what we’re doing at Greyd. It was especially rewarding to hear from multiple people that they were referred to us by others, reinforcing that our product is gaining traction and credibility within the WordPress ecosystem.
– Jessica Lyschik
The value of connections
One of the most rewarding aspects of WordCamp US was the people we met. We had some great conversations with attendees, and it was especially exciting to connect with new agencies and discuss how Greyd.Suite could fit into their workflows. Jessica’s presentation has also garnered a lot of attention, with several people approaching us afterward, intrigued by what we’re doing. It’s always a good sign when people come up to you and say they were referred to us by others. Our message is clearly spreading.
In addition to that, we reconnected with some old friends in the community. Meeting up with Remkus de Vries (Scanfully), Adam Warner (GoDaddy), Aurelio Volle (WP Umbrella) and others was a highlight. So was entering the partnership with Guildenberg, to which we will soon publish more. And of course, meeting with people we had only been in touch with online until now, was great. Mike McAlister from Ollie Theme (a great FSE theme that works wonderfully with Greyd.Suite, by the way), Mark Szymanski and Brendan o’Connell, for example. It reminded us how tight-knit the WordPress community really is, even across continents.
Looking forward: new ideas for the future
WordCamp US also gave me a chance to brainstorm with others about what could make future WordCamps even better. One idea that really resonated with me was the concept of a dedicated pitch area for startups. Right now, if you’re a small company with a plugin or a new product, there’s no easy way to get on stage. A pitch area would give these young companies a chance to present their ideas to potential investors or partners in a more structured setting. It’s something I’d love to see at future events.
– Mark Weisbrod
Final thoughts
WordCamp US 2024 was a great experience. We went in unsure of what to expect of this event, but we left with new connections, valuable insights, and a renewed excitement for what we’re building. The event reinforced that Greyd.Suite is positioned to help agencies of all sizes tackle complex web projects, and it was clear that more people are starting to recognize that.
We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation and building on the momentum we’ve gained. Here’s to the next WordCamp, and to everything we’ll achieve in the months ahead!
Would you like to see how Greyd.Suite works?