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22-23 November 2019: we end our Italian WordCamps marathon with a bang, with a stop-over in Milan.
We are always around the world: this year, we took part in 19 WordCamps. We must admit we’re getting a taste for it! 🙂
WordCamp Milan recalls fond memories to us, being it one of the first events we attended when we decided to be an active part of WordPress community 4 years ago.
The rainy and gloomy weather in Milan accompanied our days, but as soon as we arrived in the city, we took some pictures in Duomo Square and in the popular Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
For those who don’t know about the Contributor Day, this is one of WordCamp days when many WordPress enthusiasts meet up to offer their contribution to this amazing open-source software.
You don’t need to have specific technical skills to take part in the Contributor Day. Within the different teams, there is always space for everyone.
Translations, support, development, video, marketing, accessibility: these are only a few examples of the macro areas in which you could find your “dimension”.
For example, Alberto Ruggiero has been very active at the WordPress.tv working group to finalize all WordCamp Catania 2019 videos, officially online since November this year.
And what about networking? An amazing and never banal activity that marks the Contributor Day: meeting and talking to so many people is wonderful, a continuous exchange of information and synergies.
Like we usually say, Contributor Day allows us to warm up before the WordCamp. After taking part in the usual dinner for Sponsors and Speakers, it’s Saturday, a day full of speeches and attendees (about 300).
Alessio, Alberto, and Marco don’t go unnoticed: YITH is well-known also for its “guys with the green t-shirts”, always ready to welcome lots of attendees that crowd around our stand with open arms.
Gadgets went like hot cakes, but that’s no news! This time, the big success was our t-shirt “Could you try that in a different browser please?” and the free book “Professione Web Designer Freelance” by our CEO Nando Pappalardo and his wife Sara Presenti.
Within two hours, the desk for gadgets got utterly emptied 🙂
Several interesting speeches followed one another during the day.
Marco Salvo held big appeal (as ever) talking about SEO and Google, thunderous applause at the end of his speech.
SEO is always a topic that everyone has at heart. After all, who wouldn’t like to be among the first search results with their own site?
Among different speeches, we want to call attention to one in particular. One that we care about and don’t want to go unnoticed.
Mauricio Gelves took advantage of his 30 minutes to tell us about Carla Saiz, a Spanish girl, an active member of the Spanish WordPress community who found out to be afflicted by cancer in 2018.
As soon as the Spanish community learned about it, they didn’t hesitate to gather and create #WPLoveCarla, a fund-raising campaign that collected €10.000 within a month.
Today Carla is on her way to recovery and is the living proof that WordPress is so much more than only the most used CSM in the world.
Thanks to the networking, the time flies and it’s 6 pm: closing remarks.
307 attendees, 23 speakers, 16 sponsors: these are the numbers of WordCamp Milan, an event that is never disappointing.
A special remark goes out to the organizers and volunteers without whom it wouldn’t be possible to share this unconditional love for WordPress during those two days.
What do we bring back home from Milan? Rain (a lot), subway rides (many) and enormous happiness for meeting old and new friends who, event after event, become more like a family.
About the WordCamp…
Alice Orru
WordCamp Milano is one of my favorite WordCamp appointments during the year: not only for the high quality of the talks, but also for the opportunity to meet my friends from the WordPress community.
This year I was also given the opportunity to be MC on Saturday morning and present the speakers: it was the first time for me, but I had a lot of fun!
This is the magic of the WordPress community, and one of the reasons why I travel from my hometown in Spain to reach Italian WordCamps: even when I’m nervous because I have to speak in front of the public, I always feel surrounded by supportive friends.
Francesco Riggio
WordCamp Milano 2019 was my 11th WordCamp, sometimes as a sponsor, once as a speaker (how exciting!), or as a simple attendee.
Every time, you come back home full of information, old and new friends, the company stands…It’s always a pleasure to take the students from the school where I work, the Mohole school in Milan.
This year, in addition to Web and Digital Media students, there were also many from StoryTelling, and they were all amused and focused.
Lately, every time I go to a WordCamp, I ask myself: will YITH guys be there with their awesome t-shirts? I have the collection! We have a tradition at school: on the final exams day, the Web students can wear their nerd t-shirts…and guess what the most popular are? Thank you guys and thank you WordPress community for your amazing volunteers!
Patricia Brun Torre
I love very much to mingle in the crowd at any WordCamp, and the WordCamp Milano 2019 is the 4th in a row I attend, as I really enjoy coming here (4 hours of train ride from home in Switzerland).
The first time I met the italian community, it was during WordCamp Europe in Vienna in 2016 and I wanted to see a lot of the people again, so I came to Milano, then I came back 🙂
This year, it has been particularly helpful to me to see the community again, as people were of great support on some very difficult times of my life.
WordPress is not only a CMS, it is not only code, it is a family, and the Italian part of it is very heart-warming.
It was great to see my friends from YITH again as well, as we have fond memories together with lot of laugh about lost swag and airlines 🙂
I can’t wait for the next WordCamp.
Giovanni Invernizzi
Taking part in WordCamps and Meetups has been a big occasion to know other people who, one way or another, have something to do with WordPress and to get out of the professional isolation, typical of those working as a freelance or in a small agency.
The integration at the bottom of these events has been a lesson to me to get ready to deal with situations hard to find in daily life.
The thing that strikes me the most is the availability and the passion shown by those who are fascinated by this community and decide to dedicate their time as a volunteer.
So, if you’ve never been to a WordCamp, look for the one near you or take advantage of another to visit a new city: you won’t regret it!
Genevieve J. Mascariñas
A weekend of learning. It was a long time since I wanted to participate in the WordCamp of Milan and this year I finally had the chance!
I met new interesting people, including the YITH team who, in addition to being very helpful, provided us with useful materials and suggestions to make a good website.
Lorenzo Fracassi
The very first time I attended a WordCamp (Brighton 2018) I thought I wasn’t ready for the contributor day and I choose to attend only the conference day, and I was satisfied, great conference but that was all.
But when later on in Verona I attended also the Contributor Day, I really understood what makes the WordPress community so special! Sharing ideas, having a friendly chat with everyone, meeting new folks even from abroad, and, of course, contributing to WordPress!
And then also the conference day became more valuable because it was another day sharing an event with great people.
The latest WordCamp in Milano was great, at some point you may think you get used to it but every WordCamp brings something new and special and makes you look forward to the next one, now I’m addicted to WordCamps!
In Milano I met wonderful people from YITH, Alberto who helped me in contributing to WordPress TV and Marco and Alessio who gave me some advice to improve WPTV, and many other chat with the special folks of the great community that is WordPress.
A big “Thank you” goes to all the organizers who everytime make the magic happen!
Alberto Ruggiero
It’s not always easy to summarise in a few lines the energy that you get from this WordCamp, but I’ll try to list the most important things:
- answering questions of attendees that passed by our booth, even if just out of curiosity, and seeing their enthusiasm and appreciation for our daily work;
- exchanging views with other participants about how to improve the tools available to the whole community;
- meet old friends and get new ones.
This was WordCamp Milano: a valuable experience that, thanks to the precious work of organisers and volunteers, I will never forget.
Giulia Laco
WordCamp Milano 2019 was my third WordCamp experience.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere both of the Contributor Day and of the Conference Day.
At the Contributor day I met people with different backgrounds trying to solve the same problems: so there was an interesting debate going on. We got in contact with the international group and started figuring out how to contribute.
The Conference Day was rich of contents and inspiration. I particularly enjoyed the technical track where I also participated as a speaker.
The audience was nice and not intimidating. Consider to be a speaker yourself if you have something you would like to share: you will receive interesting feedback.
During the day, the time between the talks was great for chatting and networking, as – of course – the eating out and party time. So what I’m thinking now is: –When & where will be the next?
Alesso Torrisi
This was our 12th WordCamp, but each of them is different: you always meet someone new and they all leave their mark.
The best memory I brought back home from WordCamp Milan is the touching speech by Mauricio Gelves about Carla Saiz’s story.
Knowing that the WordPress community stood by this girl to support her and help her is just amazing!
Stefano Cassone
This was my first time in WordCamp Milan and I must say it has been a new experience as a volunteer, like usual, but this time I had the pleasure to perform new roles and had a lot of fun.
I’ve always defined the WordPress community with one single word: awesome! It always proves to be open, during these events I can meet my friends, who are like family to me, from the community. It’s always sad to leave them because there is not so much time to spend together.
When you take part in a WordCamp, you know you will be treated as a friend and you will always find people to do networking, always useful (I can confirm I learn more during a WordCamp than at a course). These are facts that make the community unique.
I am grateful to the YITH team that is an all-round member of the community as well as a reference point. They prove it during the Contributor Day and with their availability and knowledge (Alessio, it’s time for you to be the speaker at a WordCamp, get ready).
See you at the next WordCamp in Turin.
Marco Salvo
Meeting the WordPress community and taking an active part in it is an experience that allows you to fully understand the world that goes around the CMS we use every day for blogs, ecommerce shops and so on… Delving into the WordCamp was a way to feel part of this wonderful universe.
I’m happy to have contributed to this big project during the Contributor day and during the event day with my speech.
Nayara Costa
WordCamp Milan was my 8th WordCamp in Italy, 7 of which I’ve attended as a volunteer covering several different roles.
The WordPress universe is full of people and new challenges. When you take part in a Contributor Day you get a chance to better understand how the WordPress world works and how to effectively contribute to make it grow day after day.
And it’s always amazing to meet the YITH team.
