What is a WordCamp?
WordCamp is the WordPress conference. The WordPress community organizes many WordCamp events all over the world. So, if you are passionate about anything and everything WordPress, WordCamp is the place to be. On November 10, WordCamp Sofia 2019 took place. This year marked the 10th WordCamp event in Sofia. Consequently, the event is already well-known within the community. It attracted over 400 visitors that came to TechPark Sofia to attend the event.
Why was ICDSoft at WordCamp Sofia 2019?
We have been providing quality hosting services for almost 20 years, and over 30% of our clients use WordPress. So we know a thing or two about WordPress, and we decided to take part in the event as one of the sponsors. It was our first time sponsoring such an event, and we were not sure what to expect. We put weeks of preparation in, and when we finally got there, we felt that the preparation really paid off. We brought some really attractive swag with us - free power banks, T-shirts, and bottle openers. However, visitors were more impressed by what we had to say about our services and tools.
What happened at WordCamp Sofia 2019?
It was only 8 AM, but the coffee line was already enormous. No wonder. There was a long day ahead with some pretty interesting things going on. One needs to stay sharp to soak it all in. For the first time, the event had a single track of sessions. Hence, visitors were able to attend all sessions if they wanted to. There were a total of 10 sessions covering a large span of topics.
Morning sessions
WordCamp Sofia 2019 officially kicked off at 9 AM with a quick word from the organizers. A session on Web Design Trends for 2020 by Svetlana Tsoneva immediately followed the intro. At this point, the hall was already at full capacity. A session on e-commerce by Aleksandar Savkovic followed. This session provided some interesting insights on good (and not-so-good) e-commerce practices. After a short break, Stanimir Stoyanov began his talk. He shared with us real-world experience on how to use WordPress as the backend for our own web application. Next, first-time speaker Bojidar Valchovski dove into monetization and growth of digital advertising done on a large scale. The final session before the lunch break was another marketing talk. Martin Popov revealed how different strategies work for different social media.
Spirits were still high at the lunch break. In addition, the lunch provided by the organizers helped visitors regain some of their lost energy. The building was already full of visitors at this point. But most importantly, everyone was enjoying what sponsors had to offer. There were many games, refreshments, and cups of coffee. However, swag was the most attractive element.
Afternoon sessions
The first session after the lunch break started at 2:35 PM. Diana Edreva unraveled the mystery of slow sites and suggested different tactics to improve website speed. In the next session, Petar Teodosiev shared his experience with using WordPress as a podcast platform. What followed was a more technical session by Daniel Ivanov. He introduced the inner workings of WordPress and plugin development basics. Another marketing-oriented session followed. Diana Koshedzhyiska went deep into the entire client onboarding process. In the final session for the day, Stefan Sovrlić provided a technical view on user experience.
The ICDSoft booth
As a small company, we do not have a special marketing outfit to represent us at events. Instead, members of our support and development teams volunteered to take part. The fact that our support team was doing the presentations was really helpful. As a result, the team addressed all technical questions in depth. Marketing and sales teams sometimes lack the technical knowledge required to satisfy a WordPress enthusiast's curiosity. We also had several devices that provided hands-on experience with our software. It was no surprise our WordPress tools and hosting Control Panel got the most attention at our booth. In addition, the ability to try out our software tools at the booth really impressed some of the visitors. Some visitors were familiar with our services. However, the new additions to our tools pleasantly surprised them. On the other hand, our tools really excited visitors that did not know us.
Conclusion
All in all, WordCamp Sofia 2019 was an awesome experience. We met new people that are also passionate about WordPress. Furthermore, making new friends and getting interesting insights is a great way to spend a Sunday. In conclusion, our first time as a sponsor of WordCamp Sofia could not have been better.
See you next time, WordCamp Sofia!