About a week ago, we came back from WordCamp US 2024 that was held in Portland, Oregon, on September 17-20.
By all measures, it was a smashing success for Omnisend’s presence and contribution in the WordPress ecosystem.
Omnisend group photo with Matt Mullenweg, WordPress Co-Founder
But more than that, it served as the one-year anniversary of our deeper investment in the WordPress community: one year ago, we took a trip to WordCamp US in Washington, D.C., and fell in love with the strength, focus and collaborative spirit that the community embodied.
Since that event, Omnisend has sponsored every flagship WordCamp event in 2024: WordCamp Asia in Taipei, WordCamp Europe in Torino, and now WordCamp US.
Getting ready for WCUS
When we got ready for WordCamp Europe, we were so excited that we decided to come up with our own (AI-assisted) song to show the world that Omnisend was coming to Torino.
For WordCamp US, we wanted to give fellow WordCampers a behind-the-scenes look at how we were preparing for Portland.
In a classic “The Office” style mockumentary:
Our first WordPress side event for agencies
WordCamp US was the first time we organized our own side event for agencies with A2 Hosting.
The WP Agency Link: Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate was organized exclusively for agency owners and freelancers that help build websites or do marketing for clients, to help them network and create useful business relationships.
Even though it was our first WordCamp side event, the turnout could not have been better. We had more than 60 guests show up to network and connect about agency issues, challenges and solutions.
Marty Bauer, Director of Agency Partnerships, found the event extremely successful:
“While it’s only my first WordCamp, I couldn’t help but notice just how friendly and welcoming everyone that I met was. It really highlights something my other colleagues have said: that WordPress is all about relationships. That’s what the focus of our Agency event was, and it succeeded in that sense, that we were able to connect with and build stronger relationships with agencies and freelancers. Can’t wait for the next one!”
Marty with the Agency & Sales teams at Omnisend’s side event
The highlight of WordCamp US 2024: Showcase Day
Both of the flagship WordCamp events this year, in Asia and Europe, were held over three days: one Contributor Day and two Conference Days.
For WordCamp US though, they introduced a new day: Showcase Day.
This new addition gave WCUS attendees the opportunity to see the wide variety of possibilities that WordPress provides. This includes high-profile, large-scale projects, like the popular New York Post, Vox Media, Pew Research Center, and so much more.
In fact, while new to the WordCamp family, Showcase Day quickly became one of the best parts of any WordCamp we’ve attended.
For Vytautas Dilba, Tech Partnerships Lead, the reason for why it was so great is simple:
“For me, Showcase Day was squarely focused on putting WordPress back at the center of it all. It highlighted again all the amazing things that can still be done with this amazing open-source platform, and reminded us of the earlier internet days when everything seemed open and available and within reach.”
Vytautas and Rokas at the Omnisend booth
Contributor Day was smaller — but not less amazing
This year, Omnisenders made a point once again to attend Contributor Day to find more ways they can engage with and contribute to the WordPress community.
They were spread out through the Photo, Docs and Marketing teams.
Once again, I led the Marketing table, where we focused on moderating and writing up Showcase submissions. Much like the content on Showcase Day, Showcase submissions are case studies that show the world the small and big websites and brands that are powered by WordPress.
Bernard and his co-lead Emma Young (Hostinger) leading the Marketing table
Even though the attendance at WordCamp US’ Contributor Day was smaller than expected, the entire experience once again served to energize all those who attended.
Rokas Bražinskas, Tech Partnerships Manager at Omnisend, mentioned how much the experience meant to him:
“A memorable moment for me was sitting down at the Community Table on Contributor Day, and trying to find a reliable and complete open-source holidays API, to integrate it with .org so that future WordCamp organizers can always be sure to pick a date that doesn’t clash with any important holidays — religious, regional, national or other. Kudos to Taco from Yoast for moderating that so well!”
Rokas, Simona and Vytautas networking with agencies & freelancers at the Omnisend side event
For Adelė Grigūnaitė, Sr. Affiliate & Influencer Marketing Manager, contributing to the Photos table helped her see again the value of community at WordPress.
“As always, it was such a pleasure to see the number of new contributors coming in, being excited by the project. And those like me who see how much space there is to contribute and build up the community — it’s always so re-energizing!”
Adelė with YouTube influencer Luis R. Silva
Looking forward to WordCamp Asia 2025 — and all WordCamps in 2025
As you may have guessed, we’re heading to WordCamp Asia 2025, which is set to take place in Manila, Philippines on February 20-22, 2025.
Besides sponsoring the event and bringing all our energy, this will also be the second time that an Omnisender will be part of the organizing committee.
The first time was for WordCamp Europe 2024, where Milvydas Mažonas, Director of Creative Studio Director, was a part of the Design team.
This time, I am already helping out the Communications team to get the word out about WordCamp Asia 2025. It’s something you definitely do not want to miss out on.
If you’ll be attending WordCamp Asia, be sure to stop by our booth. We’ve got some swag and great email marketing & SMS marketing tips we know you’ll love!
Bernard is the Sr. Director of Communications & Creative at Omnisend, with a passion for good research, helping ecommerce businesses with their marketing automation needs, and beating absolutely everyone in Mario Kart 64.
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