The 4th edition of WordCamp Valencia 2023 took place from November 10th to 11th, the last WordCamp in Spain and Latin America. Once again, we gathered WordPress enthusiasts to contribute to one of the most popular open-source projects on the web. This year I had the opportunity to be a co-organizer, which was an enriching experience.
This time the team consisted of 8 co-organizers, led by Erica Aguado, in her second role as team leader. The objectives were focused on training new WordPressers, attracting new voices, having quality speakers, expanding the participation of the women’s collective, and finally the enjoyment of the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees. These objectives were to be carried forward by creating a local WordCamp to reach as many people in Valencia as possible. This was achieved because many people who did not know the WordPress project attended. The event was closed with the 300 planned tickets sold and with a surplus of 1.668,23 € that WordCamp Central will manage to sponsor other WordCamps.
We worked for several months on the setting of the biggest WordPress event in Valencia. We went through some setbacks, our own troll, last minute changes, all contributing to the desire to try harder. It was a big event with many details to consider, and the result fills us with pride. Personally, it was a pleasure to be part of the team and to have the opportunity to organize all of this together.
Organizers WordCamp Valencia 2023
WordPress is a project that brings together people from many backgrounds, some of whom have reinvented themselves. For our team of eight organizers, this is also a great truth. Erica Aguado, Gustavo Gelati, and Sergio Nieto have been very sure of their vocation and have always stayed in the IT field. But… not all of them have that story. Luis Francisco Bautista was a jeweler, Eva García Gallego is a nutritionist, Ricardo Vilar is a sculptor, and in the future, he will finalize his doctoral thesis in sculpture, in my case (Lena Iñurrieta) I am an art historian and curator. Of all these reinventions the most inspiring in my opinion is that of Erika Orlando, who was in the military for 10 years with two missions in Afghanistan and is now a WordPress developer. Maybe one day she will tell us her story in a talk.
Very important to mention our mentors Isotta Peira and Mariano Perez Caro always available to help us and clear our doubts.
As always in the WordCamps, all the work behind this setting is done voluntarily by organizers, speakers, and volunteers.
Volunteers
Volunteers are a fundamental part of the event. During the two days of the event, they help all the participants and they are the pillar to make the day run smoothly. They all supported and contributed with their skills and experience to make WordCamp Valencia 2023 possible. It was great to have Nilo Vélez, Néstor Angulo de Ugarte, Vicent Calatayud Esteve, María Fabián García, Marta Fabián García, Sara Casero de la Calle, Paula Hernández Villar, Eva Alcalá López, César Labadía Muñoz, Borja López Lázaro, Alfonso Rodríguez Hermano, Mario Ruiz, Bohdan Vasylyev, Víctor Pérez Muñoz, Esther Landete, Micaela Lafratta Ramos and Clara Fayos.
WordPress School Day in WordCamp Valencia 2023
An open-source collaborative project of the magnitude of WordPress.org needs the constant input of new people to stay alive and healthy. Currently, 42% of the web is built on WordPress, topping the list of the most used CMS, yet less than 1% of its users show up to help maintain it*. To keep the ecosystem active and dynamic, the inclusion of new people is essential.
In this sense, Erica Aguado’s idea of organizing the WordPress School Day excited us. It was structured in two levels: basic and advanced. The training was given by WordPress experts with a long history and involvement in the community. Thank you very much, Patricia Navarro, Teresa Saez, Fernando Puente, Flavia Bernandez, and Nuria Ramoneda for making it possible.
The WordPress School Day was held on the 10th and had a great reception. In the beginning, we thought about 60 seats. Finally, we added extra capacity for a total of 87 students from different high schools in Valencia, Labora, and some individuals. The participants were enthusiastic and satisfied with the training.
It was a difficult bet,” says Erica Aguado, “because a similar format had been tried in other places and had not worked. However, in Valencia, the response from the institutes and study centers with specific computer and web-related training was very positive and they enthusiastically welcomed the idea.”
Its success lies in promoting the knowledge of the software from within the community itself and in a space as prominent as the WordCamp. As a result of this happy reception in WordPress Central, a page was created where more details are explained. You can check it out at the WordPress School Day. In addition, WordPress School Day was mentioned in the State Of The Word 2023 held in Madrid and for the first time outside the United States.
Community Day
The Community Day began at 3.00 PM on November 10. This is a space par excellence for learning and collaboration, where participants can understand how to be part of the community and help others. We have the collaboration of members closely linked to the WordPress community in Spain. We started the session with a talk by Vincent Sanchis about his experience within the community. Then we met at the traditional working tables. The design table was co-led by Ana Cirujano and Ohia for whom it was her first experience as table co-responsible. The community table was led by Luis Climent, the photo and video table by Nilo Velez, and the plugins table by Amadeus Arderiu. In addition, there were two workshops: one on Training by Angel Cabaleiro and one on Analytics by Carlos M. Diaz Honrado. It was great to have them join WordCamp Valencia 2023.
Talks WordCamp Valencia 2023
We arrived on November 11th, the day of the speakers, who with a lot of enthusiasm and a little bit of nerves shared their knowledge with the attendees. It is always a challenge to face a full stage. Fortunately, Luis Climent, a former theater director and actor, oversaw mentoring the speakers on the day of the talk.
WordCamps are inclusive events designed to welcome a wide variety of audiences. Everyone from casual users with basic knowledge to expert developers has their place. The talks were aimed at all audiences and special attention was paid to a medium audience, which is usually the majority at WordCamps. The inclusion of new voices among the speakers was considered, and the participation of women finally reached 48%. The topics of the talks were balanced between Marketing, Seo, WooCommerce, Web Development, Cybersecurity, Frontend, Legal, Agile Methodologies in project management (Scrum), and Community.
In all the presentations, we could perceive the excellence and dedication behind the speaker’s words, and we gained knowledge from each of them. Sharing with us were Andros Fenollosa Hurtado, Cristina Muñoz-Aycuens, David Ayala, Diego Nieto de la Fuente, Jaime Esquivias, Jaime Gármar, Javier Motos, Lorenzo Carbonell Cerezo, Lua Valeria Salazar Lira, Lucía Rico, Marina Brocca Bartolozzi, Marta Torre, Maylén García, Patricia Vazquez Moreno, Santi Alcoriza Pérez, Santiago Alonso, Sergio Somoza and Lena Iñurrieta (this is me).
Panel Discussion
Finally, the WordCamp closed with a round table on Artificial Intelligence with the title: AI-Powered WordPress: navigating the digital future. The panel included Fernando Tellado, Elena Tur, Eric Jorge Seguí Parejo, Jessica Quero Montés, and María Usán Porta, and was moderated by Eva García.
Very interesting, was the final debate initiated by the audience. Patricia Navarro asked to panelists if “they were not worried that these systems make us all the same, because we have a limited decision-making capacity, and these systems only show us what we like or are interested in.
After several answers in favor, against, and about the generational bias, Fernando Tellado leaves us a reflection where he explains that all generations must learn that personalization responds to the lucrative interests of companies and these facilitate the creation of a welcoming environment for our ideology or favorite music at that time, so we will never discover other philosophies, other books, other music.
The complete video can be seen in this link, starting at minute 35.
La Petxina Sports-Cultural Center
A WordCamp is a technological event, but there is also art in technology, in its surroundings and attendees. And in this sense, I want to mention again the Petxina Sports-Cultural Complex. This emblematic architectural complex belonged to the old municipal slaughterhouse of Valencia, considered a benchmark of Valencian civil architecture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is also the most important work of its author, the Valencian architect Luis Ferreres Soler. In 2003, after 34 years of closure, it reopened its doors to the public. The incredible restoration was in charge of the architects Carlos Campos and Carlos Payá.
During the last three editions of the WordCamps in Valencia, we have been accompanied by its industrial architecture. This includes the intense use of brick, large windows, high gable roofs, and an iron structure. Everything was arranged according to the functional needs of the building, originally the slaughterhouse. In short, a place full of history where tradition and contemporaneity are combined, open spaces, and easy circulation for an unforgettable event. At this moment La Petxina and its great industrial façade are undoubtedly linked to the WordCamps of Valencia and its hundreds of attendees.
Photographers at WordCamp Valencia 2023
Secondly, as part of the artistic expression within the event, I would like to talk about the photographic reports.
Again this year, we have Nilo Velez, who for the last three years has been documenting many of the WordCamps in Spain. He started in 2020 with Chiclana, the Contributor Day in Málaga and others; then in 2021 Seville, the only one that year due to the Covid pandemic situation; in 2022 he photographed them all. Perhaps we could call him “the photographer of the Spanish WordCamps”. In the photos of the WordCamp Valencia 2023, a large part of Nilo’s photography was interested in how the event took place in general terms, showing the symbiosis of space-people-event. He has a third-person perspective, as a omnipresent narrator, who knows everything and sees everything. It shows an open context where multiple details of the moment can be appreciated. This, allows viewers to get involved in the event as if they were physically there and imagine the situations of each of the participants linked to space and architecture. In its pictures space and architecture take a relevant dimension. A reportage where we can appreciate the attachment to the landscape genre in this case linked to architecture.
Nestor Angulo de Ugarte, a photographer turned cyberanalyst, also collaborated. After a decade he returns to photography documenting for the first time the WordCamp Valencia 2023. His photos are a combination of portrait and reportage genre. He focused primarily on people. He approached them through his lens to show them in a close way as if he were accompanying them or participating in their experiences. In this way, he recorded specific moments of their movements within the WordCamp. The attendees were captured interacting with others, tired, working, and worried. Some people noticed the camera and were able to smile in time, mainly he captured a wide range of emotions. The framing is articulated in a scene-specific manner not allowing the viewer to see the whole or the general. He closes the scope of the background to guide the spectators. They must identify the protagonist figure and interpret a certain moment, or a story that captured Nelson’s attention, and that thanks to his photos becomes relevant.
Hundreds of photographs have been left for the memory from the personal look of Nilo and Nestor, thanks to their work we will not forget the fourth edition of WordCamp Valencia 2023. All the photos in this post are theirs.
Visit the following link to see more pictures: Photos WordCamp Valencia 2023 Nilo Velez and Nestor Angulo.
Sponsors WordCamp Valencia 2023
All this event, all the possibilities of knowledge sharing and networking were possible thanks to the sponsors. With their cooperation they facilitated the organization of the WordCamp and democratized the attendance to the event, financing a considerable part of the ticket price.
Many thanks to the global sponsors: WordPress.com, GoDaddy, SiteGround, Bluehost, WEGLOT, WooCommerce. These are corporate sponsors of WordPress community events on an ongoing basis.
Many thanks to the rest of the sponsors, and local companies whose support has been decisive for the success of this WordCamp Valencia 2023.
To the Gold Bunyol: LucaHost, Arsys, Piensa Solutions, Nicalia, WebEmpresa, Wedos.
To the Silver Bunyol: Axarnet, Iukanet, Raiola Networks, Slimbook, Yith.
To the Bronze Bunyol: Dato Media, Iem, Modular Ds Motive, Vadavo, Wetopi.
To the Carbassa Bunyol: DOOWEBS, TANDEM, SOLUTIONS, Collac, Sirvelia, ReanimandoWebs.
Finally:
The WordPress Community of Valencia gathered once again and we had the opportunity to share, contribute, network, and once again work to build the future of the web together. The event met its goals. The 300 scheduled tickets were sold out, and we have left a surplus of 1.668,23 € that WordCamp Central will manage to sponsor other WordCamps. From the team of organizers, we are satisfied with our management and we will continue working so that in the future more people join the WordPress open-source project and the Spanish community continues to grow.
If you would like to know more about the budget of WordCamp Valencia 2023 check this link.
We will be back in 2024!
Do you want to know about the first WordCamp of Spain in 2024? Read this article about WordCamp Zaragoza 2024.
More post about WordCamp Valencia 2023
Is there anything else left to say? Yes, there is.
-To learn more about the event, I invite you to read the excellent article by Erika Orlando, co-organizer of WordCamp Valencia 2023 published by WordPress Central Spain.
-Also, you can watch episode 236 of A Ticket to Chattanooga, the Podcast by Ana Cirujano and Pablo Moratinos. Here you can see a review of the WordCamp Valencia with a lot of documentation and photos from Ana Cirujano who transmits her impressions in first person making us feel as if we were there.
-An opinion from the perspective of Wetopi, one of our enthusiastic sponsors on their website.
–WordCamp Valencia 2023 Videos
Thank you for reading! Now leave a comment!
Cita: *Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Episode 13: Cherishing WordPress Diversity. https://wordpress.org/news/2021/07/episode-13-cherishing-wordpress-diversity/
