This Friday, April 21, 2023 took place the WordCamp Paris: a day intended to physically bring together members of the Francophone WordPress community. The rally was held at Halle Pajol and signed the much expected return of this flagship event for all enthusiasts and WordPress professionals.
Back on a day of exciting encounters and enriching exchanges.
Long time no see
For this edition 2023, it floated in the air a real wind of excitement. And because: the last WordCamp Paris was held in 2019. Meanwhile, the global pandemic had suspended any possibility of organising the next event scheduled for 2020. Four years later, the WordCamp Paris is finally back, sounding like reunions after a long break.
On the agenda of the day: a list of conferences and workshops on a wide variety of CMS topics. From pure development to SEO, through design or WordPress philosophy, there was (really) some for all tastes.
To attend a WordCamp is to put into practice the principle of the open source project: « giving back », i.e. contribute to enrich the WordPress ecosystem and make the community live. It is also an opportunity to meet with digital players, such as specialized hosting companies or extension publishers who come to present their offer as sponsors of the event.
So these gatherings are a mandatory passage for any professional WordPress, and this for our greatest pleasure.
Team Be API at the appointment
More than 20 team members had made the trip. Like WordCamp participants, all the jobs of the agency were represented – from the development team, to SEO, to design, marketing and communication.
We have come in groups to attend the various conferences, but also to support our four speakers this year
Amaury Balmer, CEO and founding member of the WordPress community in France, presented
« The detective's guide to WordPress troubleshooting« .
A lecture to learn how to recognize and diagnose different errors.
Antoine PaucettetHead of Design, and Stéphane Godel, UX Designer, presented Johannes, our « UX designer kit with Gutenberg ».
Ideal tool to optimize your design phases under WordPress, available in open source on Figma.
Bilal Sebaa, expert in acquisition, informed us about: "What more do you do when you think you've already done everything in SEO?”
A conference to discuss the additional steps on which to focus once the basic SEO techniques are integrated into its site.
Throughout the day, presentations were chained up, rhythmic in various formats – lectures, flash talk (10 minutes) or « parlottes » (discussions focused on defined topics, open to all).
Note the presence of new subjects of course very expected, like the place of the AI in WordPress, Gutenberg and its daily use or the integration of eco-design within a methodology.
The recipe for success
Quite unanimously, this WordCamp has been described as a true success, delivered by speakers, organizers, volunteers, sponsors and all participants.
The event highlights the veritable strength of WordPress what its community is and the values of inclusiveness and sharing that it defends. Whether you work in an agency or in a company, whether you are freelance, user or passionate, everyone is welcome to participate in a WordCamp.
Another key element of its success is that professionals are encouraged not to advertise their services during conferences. A cursor placed on the contribution and actors who played the game, guaranteeing a true "good vibes" atmosphere.
All this I lived as a beginner: and yes, it was my first WordCamp! I went there without any particular expectations and was not disappointed.
I have discovered the "secret sauce" of WordPress: a committed community, which works to continuously improve an excellent product. The promise of the state of mind "giving back" has been kept: It also means receiving in return, both professionally and humanly.
In brief
This WordCamp Paris has met expectations well and we invite all curious WordPress enthusiasts to participate in a WordCamp in their turn.
Let's take advantage of this. thank the organizing team and volunteers for their involvement and organization of this day in very short time – hat to Marjorie and his team!
For our part, we will meet you at the beginning of June 2023 for the WordCamp Europe in Athens, where we will take you to the heart of the event.
