Summing up…

Our September 23rd event concluded 12 days ago, and after a break, it’s time now for a wrap up post about WordCamp Colombo 2017.

We are still gathering attendee feedback and have just finished balancing the budget. We will be publishing the budget details soon.

Here are the final statistics on attendance:

  • 205 tickets were either sold or handed out (including tickets for photographers, videographers and sponsors)
    • 123 were regular tickets
    • 66 were student tickets
    • 3 bought micro sponsorship tickets
  • 184 persons attended the event
  • 7 organizers worked together for 6 months to plan and prepare
  • 17 volunteers worked as a team during the event, and for two weeks prior

We had a total of 11 speakers, with:

  • 6 long talks,
  • 4 lightning talks
  • 1 panel discussion, and
  • The keynote speech, by Takayuki Miyoshi, developer of Contact Form 7

Out of the 11 speakers, 6 were from Sri Lanka, and 5 flew in from these countries:

  • United States
  • South Africa
  • India
  • Bangladesh
  • Japan

That makes for 54% local speakers.

A big Thank You! to all participants, sponsors, speakers, organizers and volunteers for making this event a celebration to be remembered!

The immediate feedback we received about our sessions, our punctuality, lunch, snacks and after party was very positive, but the organizers have identified imperfections and begun working on them.

As for statistics, we must remind ourselves of something important. Numbers are only a cursory indication of the response. The only factor that defines a good WordCamp is the quality of interaction that takes place during Q & A sessions, at lunch, at tea, at the after party and on Twitter. At the moment, we do not have a panel of judges dedicated to assess this. In fact, we participants are the judges ourselves!

Our immediate priority after WordCamp Colombo 2017 is to capitalize on the positive buzz and carry on building our community through a bottom up approach. This implies a lot of new and interesting meetups, and we want to bring more members on board.

Do join our meetup group to be part of the growth. If you are new to WordPress, you will discover a lot of knowledge and establish new friendships that could last a lifetime. If you are already knowledgeable, you could consider helping out and experience the joy of giving and sharing.

Goodbye for now, and hope to see you all again in upcoming meetups, and some day in 2018 for a newer and more exciting edition of WordCamp Colombo!

 

WordCamp Colombo 2017 is halfway through!

We began on schedule with the opening remarks, and it was wonderful to have attendees turn up at BMICH well ahead of the registration start time!

Organizers had to be on their toes to ensure everyone with a ticket was handed out their badges and swag as quickly as possible. Thank you, participants for your patience and love! You’re a promising lot.

WordCamp Colombo 2017 Morning Session in Progress

Our first session had Himash walking us through the WordPress REST API, and triggered decent questions and debates on the “mobile app vs responsive sites” subject.

The second session was Rahul’s account on selling WordPress to enterprises, helping us break widespread myths surrounding adoption at the enterprise level, starting from questions on security, and ending with advice for rising startups to look for our conferences frequented by representatives of enterprise customers.

Next, we had Samantha highlighting the immense promise that WordPress hold is helping achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. A key point in his talk was a reminder that this very WordCamp is helping achieve the 17th Sustainable Development Goal!

Next, we had Karen explaining why great support matters. Karen reminded us about the importance of deeply caring for customers with excellent insights reflecting her many years as a happiness engineer at Automattic.

Now, the afternoon sessions are in progress with lightning talks!

Everything about WordCamp Colombo 2017, in a nutshell

WordCamp Colombo 2017 will take on Saturday, September 23rd.

The organizers have put in months of preparation, and in the run up to the event, we have published several posts. This post collects everything into a nutshell.

Sections:

  1. Venue
  2. Registration
  3. Sessions & Schedule
  4. I’m feeling hungry
  5. Building friendships
  6. Pre-event inspiration
  7. Do’s and don’ts at the event
  8. After party
  9. Places to see after the event

Venue

The venue is Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), a major landmark in Colombo. After you enter BMICH from the main entrance, go to your left to reach the Committee Rooms, and then the Lotus Room.

View on Google Maps

Read more about BMICH

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Registration

Please arrive early at the venue, since registration starts at 8.30 am. The event will begin at 9.15 am with opening remarks by Chief Organizer Dasun Edirisinghe and we absolutely need your help and cooperation to start on time, so please be ready with your ticket acknowledgement emails on your smartphone screens or a printout.

You will be handed out attendee badges and swag. Please bring along a backpack for the swag.

NOTE FOR STUDENTS: You will need to keep your valid student ID cards ready, indicating the dates of validity. The student ID card should be from a government recognized institute only. If you forget your ID card, or you have mistakenly bought a student ticket, please pay the balance LKR 1,000 for a regular ticket to gain entry into the event. 

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Sessions and Schedule

There is one track for all attendees. All sessions begin at 9.30 am after the opening remarks.

Follow the link below for the complete schedule:

https://2017.colombo.wordcamp.org/schedule/

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I’m feeling hungry

You will be provided coupons for the snacks and lunch.

Read more about the food:

https://2017.colombo.wordcamp.org/2017/09/19/treating-your-taste-buds/

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Building friendships

There is a 10 minute buffer between long talks. This is a good time to say “Hi” to new and old friends, and also speak to our sponsors at designated tables to know more about their products and services.

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Pre-event Inspiration

Check out our interview posts with top influencers in the WordPress world:

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Do’s and don’ts at the event

Be nice. At all times. Make lots of friends, and ask good questions to the speakers during Q & A sessions.

Do not violate our Code of Conduct, and make anyone feel unsafe. Read our complete Code of Conduct at this link.

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After party

Those of you who RSVPed for the after party, please watch out for a double decker bus to take you to the venue. Keep your dinner tokens with you.

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Place to see after the event

There are lots of places to see, in Colombo and across Sri Lanka. Check out our mini travel guide.

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Hope you have a great time. 🙂

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