Highlights from WordCamp Asia 2026

Being new to the the Automattic .Org team meant WordCamp Asia was an extension of my onboarding: a chance to rediscover everything WordCamp, reconnect with the community, and meet the people behind the projects.

I flew in ready to help staff the Career Corner booth alongside my colleague Pam Kocke from the Talent team, and pitch in wherever I could with the organizing team. And I left with my Notes app full of ideas and so much energy from being around thousands of people who love what they do.

Pam at our cute little Career Corner booth.

WordCamp Asia 2026 was huge! Final ticket sales landed at 2,645, with 2,285 attendees actually walking the floor. It was a reminder of how big and alive the WordPress community is across the region. The official WCAsia 2026 wrap-up post has the full recap if you want to know more.

The moment that sticks with me: two girls from YouthCamp came by with their mom and asked some of the sharpest questions I’ve heard about building a future around WordPress. They wanted to know how to engage with WordPress as a product so that they could be in the community and eventually be contributors. Young community members, growing up inside the project. So cool to see.

A few other standout moments, all of which should be findable on the official schedule:

Mahangu’s data talk — a clear-eyed look at what the numbers are actually telling us about the ecosystem.

Maciej’s education panel — our team’s contribution to the conversation about how WordPress shows up in schools and universities. We signed on to the WP Credits contract with a cohort of 16 universities across India — another step for how WordPress shows up in formal education. More on the broader education initiatives is being tracked on make.WordPress.org.

Mary’s AMA — candid, genuine, and exactly what an AMA should be. When Matt came down sick, Mary also stepped in and pulled together the final talk on short notice. It was a reminder of how much this community runs on people being willing to pick up the slack for each other.

The event itself was pleasing to the eye in a way that matters more than people give it credit for. The venue was great, the signage was thoughtful and lovely, and the overall production made it easy to focus on the people and the content instead of logistics.

I will not soon forget the handful of terrifying-close-call moments with cars and tuk-tuks. If you’re headed to Mumbai for the first time, know that crossing the street is its own activity. I survived, mostly through the grace of people more experienced than me yanking me back onto the curb.

I came to WordCamp Asia as someone new to the team and I left it feeling like I’d stepped into something bigger than a job. The community showed up: curious kids, seasoned contributors, educators, plugin legends, and organizers who made the whole thing look effortless (it wasn’t). I’m already looking forward to the next one.