Category: News

A reminder that WordCamp Brisbane is in the planning phase, scheduled for June 14-15, 2025.

Sign up for regular updates at https://brisbane.wordcamp.org/2025/

By popular demand (ok – just me) we welcome the return of WordCamp Sydney Bingo!!

Objective

The goal of WordCamp Sydney Bingo is to meet and connect with as many people as possible during the event!

To play, you’ll need:

• An account on X (formerly Twitter)
• A smartphone with a camera

How to Play

Throughout the weekend, your mission is to ‘fill your bingo card’ by meeting people who match the criteria listed on the card. Each square on the card represents a different task, such as meeting someone with a certain experience or role.

To complete a square:

1. Take a photo with someone who fits the description in that square.
2. Post the photo on your X account, including:
   • The hashtags: #WCSyd and #bingo
   • The number of the square (1-12)
   • The name of the person in the photo and the other details asked in the square

Example post:
“Just met Jane Doe, a first-time WordCamp speaker! #WCSyd #bingo 3”

The Bingo Card

Bonus Points: A bazillion* points for a WordPress tattoo! (*Not literally a bazillion, but you’ll earn some serious kudos.)

The Rules

1. It’s not a race! There’s no prize for finishing first, so take your time and enjoy meeting people.
2. One person per square. You can’t use the same person for more than one bingo square.
3. Post in any order. Photos can be posted in any sequence, but you must include the correct hashtags for us to find them: #WCSyd and #bingo.
4. Meet the person! You must actually meet and chat with the person you photograph—taking a picture of a speaker on stage doesn’t count (though you’re welcome to take plenty of those too)!
5. All 12 photos completed? Once you’ve posted photos for all 12 squares, tweet @wordcampsyd with a link to an X search that includes your X handle and the hashtags so we can see your progress.

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Prizes

Prizes will be awarded for:

• Creativity in your photos
• Enthusiasm and participation
• General all-around awesomeness

So get out there, have fun, and start filling those bingo cards!

We’re aware of a scam that’s being emailed to WCSyd attendees.

The scam email looks something like this. 👇 There are other variations.

This has nothing to do with WordCamp Sydney and is a scam to extort money from you.

Report and block.

Thanks,

WCSyd

It’s time again to ask for volunteers to help us manage and run WordCamp Sydney 2024.

We appreciate any time you can give to help us out.

Volunteers get a free general entry ticket to the conference as thanks for helping out.

Here are the roles we’re looking for volunteers to help with. You’ll be managed by Belinda Anderson, our Volunteer Lead organiser.

Watch Ivan’s excellent video before committing to be a volunteer. 👇

Fill out the form below if you’d like to help out as a volunteer.

The event has ended and the form has been removed.

Are you interested in speaking at a WordPress event but not sure where to start?

WordCamp Sydney organisers Dee Teal (Programme Manager) and Jo Minney (Speaker Lead) are hosting an online ‘Plan Your Pitch’ workshop to help prospective speakers plan and submit their application to speak at WordCamp Sydney.

Date: Monday, 29th July 2024
Time: 7pm AEST (5pm AWST)
Where: Zoom (register through Meetup.com)

This free, one hour, interactive online workshop will cover:

• How to choose a topic
• Structuring your talk submission
• Writing a bio
• How to prepare (and what to expect) if you get accepted!
• Common questions for first time speakers

About The Hosts

Both active in the WordPress community since 2018, Dee and Jo have spent plenty of time on the WordPress speaking circuit. With over 30 combined WordCamp presentations and panels under their collective belt (across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the US) these two celebrated international speakers haven’t forgotten their roots and both remain an active part of the local Australian WordPress community.

Be sure to RSVP online for the Zoom link:

Great news! Our Call for Speakers deadline has been extended to Friday 2nd August.

That gives you even more time to plan your perfect pitch, and we’ve got something to help with that! On Monday 29th July 2024, our Speaker Lead Jo Minney and Programme Manager Dee Teal are hosting a “Plan your WordCamp Talk” online workshop where we’ll be sharing tips, templates and advice for writing your first (or tenth) WordCamp talk submission.

Travel Grants Available

A reminder that The Code Co are offering a number of $500 travel grants to help support attendance at WordCamp Sydney for those who are in the underrepresented demographic of open source contributors and have never attended a flagship WordCamp (Asia, US or Europe) before.

We’re excited to share that our friends at The Code Company have generously sponsored ten travel grants worth $500 AUD to support attendance at WordCamp Sydney 2024.

This initiative aims to help individuals who might not otherwise be able to participate due to financial constraints.

You can read more about the terms and conditions and apply on The Code Company’s website.

Would you like the chance to share your knowledge with the Sydney WordPress community?

WordCamp Sydney 2024 is now accepting speaker applications.

Applications close at midnight AEST on Friday, 2nd August 2024 (EXTENDED).

WordCamp Sydney wouldn’t exist without our incredible speakers and the wealth of knowledge they are willing to share.

Whether you are a seasoned speaker or a first-timer, we would love to hear your ideas on a topic you want to share.

Submission Guidelines

You can submit multiple applications, however, please only submit one topic per form. To ensure thorough consideration, please submit no more than three talk proposals.

Please summarise your talk well and include the main points so we can understand your idea. This will help us decide which talks to choose. Creative ideas are encouraged – the goal is for attendees to come away with new skills and insights. For more information about speaking at WordCamps, check out the WordCamp Speaker Guidelines which include some excellent resources for both new and veteran speakers.

Once submissions have closed, the selection process will start, and we will email you to notify you whether you have been selected.

What Topics Are We Looking For?

Topics should be related to WordPress in some way. This year the theme for WordCamp Sydney is ‘Purposeful Connection’. While we invite submissions about any WordPress related topic, we’d especially love to receive submissions that align with this theme!

Previous talks have fallen into these broad categories:

• Administration / Sysops
• Blogging / Podcasting / Vlogging
• Business / Managing or Scaling a Business
• Case studies / Show-and-tell
• Content / Copywriting
• Community / Meetups
• Design
• Development
• E-Commerce / Memberships
• SEO / SEM
• Workflows / Software & Tools

You can look at previous WordCamp Sydney talks for some inspiration, or check out recent WordCamp talks from all around the world on WordCamp.TV.

Topic Lengths

We have two lengths of talks on offer this year:

• 30-minute talk plus 10 minutes of Q&A (total 40 min session)
• 15-minute talk plus 5 minutes of Q&A (total 20 min session)

Items To Include In Your Submission

This is an overview of the four sections we’ll ask you to fill out when sending us your proposal: 

1. Proposal: Provide information on the subject of your talk, including title, description, key takeaway, and other notes.

2. Format: Indicate the talk format, category, and level of complexity.

3. Previous Delivery: Tell us if you have previously given this talk at other WordCamps or events.

4. Speaker Details: Let us know a bit about you.

Each section is important and helps us understand what you can offer our attendees. When evaluating your proposal, we’ll take each factor into account.

Here is a more detailed look at those four sections. This will help you prepare a high-quality proposal for WordCamp Sydney and hopefully increase your chances of having your proposal selected. Let’s go!

Section 1: Proposal

a) Title: The title should define the topic you’re presenting, reflect your style, and stay consistent with the summary and key takeaway. There are many websites where you can find tips on how to write good titles for your talk. 

b) Description: Provide a summary of the proposed talk, including a bullet list of the main topics you will cover. This shouldn’t be a copy and paste of your actual talk – just enough for us to get an idea of what you will be talking about. This summary will be shown to attendees to help them decide which talks to attend.

c) Key takeaway: WordCamp Sydney attendees love to learn. Let us know what people will learn from your talk. Be clear and concise about your goal and expectations. What you share here will not be made public, it is simply to help the speaker selection panel to gain a deeper understanding of your talk.

Section 2: Format

a) Talk Length: The standard speaking slot for talks is 40 minutes. That comprises of 30 min for the presentation and 10 minutes for Q&A. There is a 5 minute buffer between speakers. If you’d like to give a shorter talk we can accommodate those too. Short talks (often referred to as ‘Lightning Talks’) are perfect for first-timers!

b) Target Audience Category: What primary category of audience will your talk most appeal to? e.g. UI/UX, Developers, SEO, Business Owners? This will help us ensure that we have a cross-section of talks that appeal to our diverse range of attendees.

c) Audience Skill Level: What skill level will the audience need to be in order to understand and gain benefit from your talk? Don’t be afraid to submit talks targeted at either end of the spectrum!

Section 3: Previous Delivery

We’d like to know if you’ve delivered this talk or a variant of it before. It’s not necessary to have presented this (or any other) talk before to apply, and it will not disqualify your application if you have previously given the talk. This may have been at a prior WordCamp, a Meetup, a conference, or some other event.

If you have given the talk before, it’s a great idea to provide links to any recordings you might have, such as on WordPress.tv or YouTube.

Section 4: Speaker Details

The following information is required:

• Your Email
• Your Full Name
• Your Speaker Bio
• A Headshot
• Your Location

Your speaker bio will appear on the website and the room MC will read this out to introduce you before your talk. Make it short, memorable and relevant.

Additionally, you’ll optionally be able to include:

• Your preferred pronouns (e.g. she/her, he/him, they/them)
• Your Gravatar email (if different from your email provided)
• Your WordPress.org username
• Your Website URL
• Your Company Name
• Social Links (LinkedIn, X, Threads)
• Information about any past speaking experience

Any social or website links you include will also be included on your speaker bio on the website. Sharing your pronouns will help our MCs to know how best to introduce you!

General Guidelines

We have some general guidelines for speakers that you should be aware of before you apply to speak.

Your talk should be.

• Directly related to WordPress or immediately applicable and relevant to our audience.
• Respectful of the WordPress community.
• Family-friendly – no swearing or adult themes.
• Compliant at all times with our Code of Conduct.
• 100% GPL and comply with WordCamp GPL vetting guidelines.
• Respectful of the WordPress trademark.
• Something that will inspire the audience!

Why Speak At WordCamp?

Offering your time to speak at a WordCamp has many great benefits.

• Sharing your knowledge of WordPress will grow the community as a whole, which will benefit everyone.
• You’ll be able to network with people you may not otherwise have a chance to meet in person. In addition to many local Sydneysiders, people generally travel from across Australia to WordCamp Sydney.
• Public speaking is a great personal skill to have under your belt. It will increase self-confidence and help you interact better with individuals and groups.
• You will have a professional video of your talk that you can share as an example of your public-speaking experience, as talks are recorded and published on WordCamp.tv
• Taking the time to compose your talk and teach it to others often deepens your understanding of the subject matter and helps you develop your expertise and communication skills.

We have heard countless accounts of first-time speakers who say that speaking at a WordCamp was one of the best choices they have ever made!

Everyone Has Something to Offer!

Diverse experiences and perspectives are one of the things that make WordCamps so rewarding. Regardless of your background, your voice is welcome at WordCamp Sydney. If you’re hesitating about applying to speak, consider checking out resources from the WordPress Diverse Speaker Training Group including four self-paced online workshops:

• Part 1: How to Own Your Expertise and Find A Topic
• Part 2: Write a Great Title, Pitch, Bio
• Part 3: Create an Outline for your Talk
• Part 4: Become a Better Speaker, Handle Q&A questions, and Create Good Slides

Speaker FAQs

I have no previous speaking experience. Can I still apply to speak?
Yes, yes, yes! We love first-time speakers. Some of our organisers are seasoned conference speakers and are happy to give you tips and help you have an awesome first speaking experience.

I’m not from Sydney or New South Wales. Can I still apply to speak?
Yes, you can. Our focus is on the local community, but we welcome applications from interstate and internationally.

Can you cover my travel or hotel expenses?
No, soz. WordCamp Sydney is a not-for-profit conference, and we don’t have the funds to cover speaker travel or hotel expenses, nor is it permitted by the WordPress Foundation.

Can I choose the date and time of my talk?
We will work with you as best as possible to shuffle talks around to accommodate your needs, however we can’t guarantee you’ll get the requested time slot. If you have specific limitations or requests about when you can or can’t speak, please include this in the ‘Other talk notes’ section of the application or let the speaker lead know as soon as possible if your talk is accepted.

I’m overseas. Will I need a visa?
If you are not an Australian citizen, you will need to apply for a visa to travel to Australia. Visa applications can take a long time to resolve, so if you are interested, apply early.

Can you supply an invitation letter to support my visa application?
If selected to speak, we can supply you with an invitation letter to support your visa application process. Please email the speaker lead your passport number/reference and expiration date once you have received your invitation to speak.

Anything Else?

Do you still have some questions that we haven’t covered so far? That’s okay! You can ask us anything regarding speaking at WordCamp Sydney using the contact form.

We’re happy to announce that WordCamp Sydney is officially on the calendar!

WordCamp Sydney will be held from 2 to 3 November 2024 at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Subscribe to email updates in the sidebar and stay updated on recent news.

We’ll keep you posted on all the details over the coming weeks, including speaker submissions, ticket sales and more!