WordCamp Asia 2024 Sponsor and Media Partner Recap

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Sorry for the late reflections. I had to take a whole day off to let my weary body recover… It was really about lying flat for half of Sunday + spending quality time with the kids for the other half. Then, Monday was spent busily organizing the connections I had gathered. I seriously categorized everything, adding the contacts that needed adding, sending out emails that needed sending, safely storing the contact info that I won’t be using for now, and doing some minor updates to my LinkedIn profile, among other things… I figured I’d get to it before people forget about me, but before I knew it, a lot of time had passed… And then, when I transferred the photos from my phone to the computer, I realized I had taken almost 600 pictures in three days. Now, I’m wondering how I’m going to sort through all of these…

Getting back to my experience, because I wore two hats at this event—as a Sponsor and a Media Partner—I did everything with not just my brand in mind. I also made a concerted effort to take photos, document, and promote, hoping to adequately fulfill my role as a media partner.

My reflections are quite lengthy, and I worry it might be too much for some to dive into, so let’s start with four key takeaways!

Next, I’ll share my experience as a sponsor, starting from the early morning of March 7th, Thursday…

Event Day One: Contributor Day

Waking up in the morning, I put on my WordPress LOGO shirt, which I had specially ordered from the WordPress official website a while back. It took many days to ship from the United States to Taiwan! Putting it on and looking in the mirror, I couldn’t help but stand taller and puff out my chest. Suddenly, I felt that the day had finally arrived. Wearing this shirt, I wouldn’t have to worry about passersby not understanding; everyone would probably be envious of my shirt!

Upon arriving at the International Conference Center, the first thing that caught my eye was the huge banners on both sides of the entrance. The left side displayed the sponsors’ wall, and the right side featured the event name wall. At this moment, I was already buzzing with excitement! I was about to enter the world of WordPress, this global hall of fame!

Upon entering the lobby, I immediately noticed many international attendees. I headed straight for the Sponsor check-in desk and launched into my first English conversation, marking the start of three days of non-stop English. As a sponsor, my check-in process was swift, taking only about three minutes without the need for a long wait in line. However, I still had to join the queue with everyone else to collect the conference bag and gifts, which took a few more minutes. After that, I followed the directions to the third floor to begin the first day of Contributor Day.

Participating in Contributor Day for the first time, I was a bit nervous, surrounded by people from different countries. The hosts on stage spoke English with distinct accents, making it somewhat challenging for me to understand, with only about 70-80% comprehension. However, this issue gradually improved over the following days, as I became more accustomed to listening to English spoken by people from all around the world.

Contributor Day is dedicated to gathering WordPress volunteers to contribute to WordPress. Have you ever wondered how WordPress came about and why it’s free?

WordPress is open-source software. Its code is publicly available online, allowing anyone to visit the WordPress.org official website, find the software’s code, and download it for free use. Such a platform doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. In fact, many volunteers regularly contribute to its development. Some may sacrifice their personal time, while others might be assigned by their companies to work on it during office hours, following the official WordPress SOP for development. I had heard about this, but I wasn’t exactly sure what their “SOP” entailed. So, naturally, I couldn’t miss the opportunity presented by WordCamp Asia’s Contributor Day to learn about the “contribution SOP,” see how everyone participates, what groups one can contribute to, and so on.

On Contributor Day, I began by attending the Contributor Orientation to ensure that I had:

• Created a Slack account and joined some channels within the WordPress workspace that interested me.
• Created a WordPress.org account and logged into make.wordpress.org.
• Created a GitHub account for backup purposes.

Having previously attended WordPress meetups in Taiwan, I already had these accounts set up. However, the process to log into Slack was a bit complex, and it took me some time to retrieve my account. Once everything was prepared, I headed to my first stop: the Marketing Team!

Contributor Day’s Marketing Team

The leader of the Marketing Team informed me that they use GitHub to track their work. They had previously created an issue for newcomers like me to read and solve. The issue suggested that we start by following WordPress on all its social media platforms and then try to create a social media post.

This post was about the WordPress Photo Directory. Contributors only needed to click on a link they provided, which led to a Google document, and write a paragraph promoting the WordPress Photo Directory. In this task description, they clearly outlined the things to be mindful of, the guidelines to follow, and how to submit our content—everything was very well explained, but of course, it was all in English!

After getting a hang of the process, I realized I wasn’t very confident in my English writing abilities. So, I talked to the team leader again, and they suggested that I could use ChatGPT to help with future contributions. Many team members are using this method to write more fluently in English. I think I might take some time to participate more in the future and also take the opportunity to learn marketing skills with other volunteers!

Contributor Day’s Polyglots Team

After lunch, I moved to another group, the Polyglots, which focuses on multi-language translation. As a Taiwanese, I thought it’d be good to get a grasp on this area, making it easier for me to participate and contribute my thoughts on translations. The team lead explained that the core programming of WordPress is done on make.wordpress.org. By logging into my account and navigating to https://translate.wordpress.org/, I could select my country’s language and start contributing to translations. The process was not difficult at all! It’s something I recommend others check out as well.

Reflecting on the entire day of Contributor Day, I felt deeply moved, especially seeing many veterans who have long been contributing. Entering the groups related to Core and seeing everyone’s laptops with screens filled with code gave me goosebumps. These people are like gods to me! Of course, all the teams are incredible, but as someone who is not very tech-savvy, I have immense respect for these engineers. Overall, the strength of the WordPress community is truly amazing. On Contributor Day, there were 627 participants, with 110 attending for the first time. I believe that WordPress has been able to endure and grow over more than fifteen years, thanks to these WordCamps that gradually educate the public and gather dedicated volunteers, building up our collective abilities and improving WordPress, thus expanding its vast ecosystem.

Contributor Day’s Welcome Party

On the first night, as a sponsor, I was invited to the Welcome Party. I had originally planned to meet KaoKao at the restaurant at 6:50, but I was so exhausted. After heading home for a brief rest around 5 PM, lying down made it nearly impossible to get up again. I managed to make it to the restaurant only after 7 PM, only to be greeted by a pleasant surprise! The food was fantastic, even better than what I had experienced at previous WordCamp Taipei and WordCamp Taiwan events. There were live-cooked steaks, my favorite shrimp and squid, and a wide variety of vegetables. The choices were plentiful, truly befitting an event of international caliber. Being a sponsor really has its perks!

However, that evening, as someone who’s not very social and quite unsure who to talk to, I was also a bit hesitant to approach foreigners. So, I ended up spending most of the evening chatting with Taiwanese people I already knew. I had a long conversation with Da Zhong, who generously helped me with a programming-related issue I had recently encountered.

Another memorable interaction was with Julian from Malaysia and Stanley, the CEO of Sitegiant (by the way, Sitegiant is quite impressive, and I hope to introduce their products to everyone sometime). They asked me why I decided to sponsor the event, mentioning that they too found the sponsorship fee to be quite high. They were curious about what motivated me, as an individual brand, to sponsor. They wondered if the money spent could indeed be recouped…

Throughout the three days of the event, especially leading up to the afterparty on the last day, many people asked me why I chose to sponsor, including foreigners who were curious. As one of the few sponsors from Taiwan, my response was that I too struggled initially with the decision, uncertain if I would see a return on my investment. However, I ultimately chose to sponsor because, on one hand, I wanted Taiwanese brands to be recognized globally. With Taiwan being the second location for WordCamp Asia, I thought it would reflect poorly if there were no sponsors from Taiwan. On the other hand, my reason was somewhat trivial—I simply wanted to see my logo displayed on the sponsor wall alongside other world-class brands as a personal memento. I figured if I didn’t seize this opportunity, I might not get another chance, and I didn’t want to live with that regret.

I only stayed at the Welcome Party until a little after 9 PM, cautious not to drink too much since there were still two demanding days ahead. It was wise to head home early to rest. By the time I got home, it was nearly 10 PM; my older brother was already asleep, and my younger brother was looking for me, hoping I would join him in going to bed. Fortunately, I made it home in time to accompany him to sleep. Watching him drift off peacefully, I felt exhausted from the day’s activities. The thought of managing the booth all day tomorrow made me somewhat anxious, and it was hard to get a good night’s sleep…

Event Day2 & Day3（Conference Days）

Moving forward, I won’t detail every encounter since meeting so many incredible individuals would take me a month to document individually! Instead, I’ll focus on my overall impressions as a sponsor.

I remember specifically reviewing the schedule before the event and marking the talks I wanted to attend. Out of the 17 presentations I planned to listen to over two days, you wouldn’t believe it, but I only ended up attending 2! This included the opening keynote by Noel Tock on “The Future of WordPress” and the closing session for a Q&A with WordPress co-founder Matt Mellenweg. The rest of the time, I dedicated entirely to networking! (So, I apologize that this reflection doesn’t share much about the content of the talks; I plan to catch up on them later through recorded videos.)

On the second day of the event, the first day of the conference, I made my way to my booth, feeling a whirlwind of emotions. Then, I met Ler Ka Leng from GoDaddy! We had previously met over a video call, where she invited me to write a column for their Women in WordPress initiative, and we had agreed to meet in person at the event. To my surprise, upon meeting, Ler Ka Leng kindly gave me a bag of local delicacies from Singapore, which was both thoughtful and sweet! We hit it off like old friends, and before the crowd started to gather, I even had a chance to play at their claw machine booth a few times—so much fun. Ler Ka Leng is truly a wonderful person 😘

After quickly setting up my booth, I couldn’t wait to explore the exhibition areas on the first and second floors. I moved as fast as I could to collect the swags available because I was worried I wouldn’t have time later, and even more worried they’d all be taken. Getting the swags was something I had been looking forward to, so I grabbed as much as I could, filling two large bags, before happily returning to my booth, content with my haul.

Initially, my main focus was on collecting swags and discussing potential collaboration opportunities.

Some of the swags were the kind you could just grab and go without much fuss, but for others, it felt a bit awkward to take them without having a chat with the booth owners first. So, actually covering all the booths and collecting all the goodies took some time. I spent the morning of the second day doing just this, trying to engage in brief conversations with the exhibitors, introducing myself before taking items and moving on. At each booth, I made sure to take a photo with the exhibitor as a keepsake. That day, my mindset was quite simple and naive, focused solely on collecting swags and engaging in basic exchanges, always wondering if there might be a chance for collaboration with the people I talked to.

In the afternoon of the second day, I returned to my booth and started meeting with many Taiwanese fans for chats and photos, as well as interacting with numerous international visitors. At this point, I want to extend my special thanks to Jon, who, besides thanking me for my sponsorship upon my check-in, gave me crucial advice on introducing myself to foreigners. This advice played a significant role throughout the event, allowing me to quickly make a good impression (I’m glad I had prepared my self-introduction in advance, given that I needed to introduce myself hundreds of times).

From the afternoon of the second day onwards, I gradually got back into the swing of speaking English. Having spent nearly ten years in the United States, I had a solid foundation in the language. I began to introduce my brand more earnestly and delve deeper into understanding each visitor to my booth, regardless of whether they were Taiwanese or from abroad. I made an effort to remember each person I spoke with and took photos together, often including their business card or name badge in the picture to help recall our conversations later on.

Finally meeting my idol—Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress!

Around 3:20 PM, as I was passing through the lobby on the first floor, I noticed a large crowd gathering. Curious, I hurried over to see what was happening and discovered it was Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, making an appearance! OMG! I immediately ran to join the line, and with my broken English, I introduced myself as Erin Lin, the founder of WPointer.com, and mentioned that I was one of the sponsors for this event. He kindly responded with a “Thank you.” Then, I told him he was my hero, how much I’ve always loved WordPress, and that it’s been my dream to work at Automattic someday. To my surprise, he welcomed me to apply! It felt like a dream! I couldn’t stop smiling, and I asked someone nearby to take a couple of photos of us. The funniest part was, when I returned to my booth and checked the photos, I thought my smile was so exaggerated that my face seemed distorted. I worried about how these photos would look when shared with others—would I appear too chubby? So… I grabbed my husband and went back to line up again, apologizing to Matt for the poor quality of the previous photos and asking if we could retake them. And just like that, I snagged two more photos. Matt even apologized, hearing that the first shots hadn’t turned out well… He’s truly thoughtful and friendly ☺️🥹

Side Event: Freemius’s (Invited only) Maker’s Meetup

An interesting episode on the second day occurred at my booth, where I met Ms. Hadas from Freemius (if I recall correctly). After learning about my brand and identity, she invited me to their evening event, the Makers’ Meetup. She even took down my information and gave me a ticket, emphasizing that it was an invite-only party and urging me to attend, which I happily agreed to! However, I must admit, by around 5 PM, I was struggling a bit because I had been talking all day, and I was really tired… truly exhausted… and my bag was so heavy… But, in the end, I dragged my weary feet for a seven-minute walk to the restaurant near 101, A Beach Restaurant, to attend this special event!

It was a good thing I went! The event was quite unique! First off, during registration, you had to choose a sticker to indicate your role. Without thinking too much, I opted for UI/UX, though in hindsight, I probably should have chosen something else… (although I’ve forgotten what the other options were). The food at the restaurant was delicious! I’m not entirely sure which country’s cuisine it was, having just looked it up on their website, it seems to be… international cuisine? Anyway, everything was foreign but tasty, including the cocktails!

That evening, since I was quite tired, I didn’t initiate conversations with many people, which I feel a bit guilty about, especially towards the lady who invited me; I barely spoke with her…

However, I did end up having a lengthy conversation with two South Africans, Robin and Colin, the founders of FooEvents plugin. One resides in South Africa and the other in Canada, and they have been business partners for over a decade. They were incredibly friendly and considerate, speaking in simple, easy-to-understand English and probably slowed down their speaking pace a bit for me. Therefore, our conversation was extensive and deep. They generously shared their entrepreneurial experiences and advice with me, which touched and delighted me greatly! It was the first time during the two-day event that I felt I could gain more from this event. I realized it wasn’t just about discussing potential collaborations; I could delve deeper into everyone’s entrepreneurial journeys to see if there were valuable lessons to be learned. We even talked about their children towards the end, looking at their adorable photos, which reminded me of my days living in the USA over a decade ago. I truly appreciate the international community spirit of WordPress!

That evening, I was just too exhausted… The event was scheduled to end at 9:30 PM, but I think I left around 8:30 PM… I once again felt apologetic towards Ms. Hadas who invited me, but I was really out of energy… Considering there was a whole day of challenging activities ahead, I decided it was best to head home early…

Upon returning home, there was no one there; my husband had taken our sons out for dinner and shopping. And there I was, with my fatigued body and slightly hoarse throat, starting to do something… I began to sort out my spoils of war! Haha…

WordPress Swags Eight Trigrams Formation (Bagua Formation)

I couldn’t wait to lay out all the things I brought back. When my sons came home, they saw the hallway filled with WordPress swags, making it impossible to pass through. They jokingly asked, “Mom, how are we supposed to get past your Bagua Formation?” I replied, “Carefully walk around the side, and don’t step on my Bagua Formation!!!!” Just like that, I took a few photos, carefully organized and put everything away. That night, I thought to myself, tomorrow is finally the last day, and I think I can make it through (physically). That night, I slept so soundly and sweetly (because I got too many little swags and also took a photo with Matt, I was just too satisfied and happy), sleeping until almost 9 AM the next morning. I decided to sleep in a bit more before going. My husband even joked that there probably isn’t any sponsor who leaves their booth unattended for an hour or two in the morning like you do 😛

全家出動之從小培養國際觀！

On the third day, I spent almost the entire day at my booth. However, my English improved slightly, and with the experience from the previous night, I started to think more ambitiously, hoping to gain more connections and information on the last day! Additionally, it was a family day out as I brought my sons to WordCamp Asia, partly to broaden their international perspective, especially for my eldest who is learning English. I wanted him to understand the importance of English, so the whole family attended! We also took a photo with the logo of the website guide at the entrance, which was very meaningful to me. This brand has influenced our whole family, and I’m grateful for my family’s support, allowing the website guide to fulfill many missions and dreams for the WordPress community!

I took my sons to the Family Room, where we met a family from Germany. I encouraged my sons to try talking with their two children. Our youngest son, who is in first grade, was extremely shy and could barely speak a few words. I believe he will remember this experience for a long time.

I also took my elder son to see a demo provided by Jetpack, where he experienced the instant generation of content using AI. We tested the AI by generating an article about “Gundam”. After the first article was created, we added a special instruction, “Please rewrite this in the tone of a ten-year-old boy”. Indeed, the result felt like an article that could have been written by my son, which he found fascinating! This sparked his interest in every booth!

Over these two days at the booth, I met many Taiwanese people. Some just wanted to “speak some Chinese” because ours was the only booth where they could chat in Chinese. Others came specifically to take photos with me, get my autograph, and get to know me. I treasured every opportunity and kept every business card safe. Please rest assured, and thank you all for your support and encouragement. I’ve received it all. Hearing you say that you started learning WordPress with my tutorials, truly warms my heart. Every photo taken with you supports me to keep going.

The final session of the event — Matt Mullenweg’s Q&A session.

The highlight of the third day was, of course, the Q&A session with Matt at 4:00. I rushed to line up around 3:30, managing to be among the first to enter and secure a seat in the front and middle rows, hoping to capture some great photos to share with everyone as a Media Partner. Matt was truly charismatic and clear in his logic. Regrettably, I didn’t think of a question I felt was worth asking and hesitated to raise my hand. Surprisingly, in the end, no one from Taiwan asked a question, which I found to be a bit of a pity…

At the end of the time at the TICC, I lingered with a sense of reluctance, dragging my elder son around to take a few more photos before we prepared to leave. After sending them home, I then prepared to catch the shuttle bus arranged by the organizers to head to the Afterparty. I must say, the organizers were incredibly thoughtful to have arranged the shuttle bus, making it so convenient for someone like me who dislikes walking and squeezing onto the subway. It was just perfect to wait and take the bus.

The Afterparty is the main event — a time for socializing with your guard down!

Let’s talk about the main event of the third day, the Afterparty. Reflecting on the three days of the event, I would say the real core, the most important, the most worth the ticket price, and the most worthy of the sponsorship money, was the Afterparty! As people in Taiwan often say, after a few drinks, the truth comes out! Everything becomes easier to discuss!

Having not drunk alcohol for a long time, I thought, since it’s the last event and I could probably sleep in the next day, why not just go for it! That night, I drank a bottle and a half of beer, which for me was a lot (I hadn’t drunk in years)… I noticed I was speaking louder, my English became slower (unable to think quickly), but I also became bolder! So, I started looking for people to talk to, asking for introductions to contacts. That night, I felt I gained a lot of valuable information for my business! Conversations with each foreign vendor were about corporate communication and building trust. To talk about it would be to tell a series of long stories, these experiences were like a roller coaster of surprises for me. I was fighting and advancing, slowly learning about this journey of international corporate cooperation. I’ll find an opportunity to share more with everyone slowly later on!

Another interesting note is my gratitude towards the organizers for their thoughtful selection of such a great location and the arrangement of six distinct areas. One of the areas featured a live singer who was stationed there, demonstrating a keen understanding of foreigners’ tastes and habits. The singer performed several well-known, energetic songs in succession, instantly heating up the atmosphere. I felt as if I had returned to my twenties, with my body moving involuntarily. It was truly a joyful and lively evening! Especially when the singer performed “Waka Waka,” it immediately reminded me of my conversation the previous night with the two South Africans. I managed to find them in the crowd and took this photo when we met again. They were overjoyed, hearing “Waka Waka,” a song related to their homeland, which we had just talked about the night before!

It seems like I’ve started to grasp the purpose of WordCamp.

In conclusion, I’ve come to understand what the WordPress community is all about, and what WordCamp entails. From my perspective, the gathering is all about making WordPress better. This annual meetup is a chance for everyone to discuss what they’ve done over the year, what their plans are moving forward, the trends in WordPress, and how to get more people to use and enjoy WordPress. It’s about building a complete WordPress ecosystem together, which in turn helps everyone make more money, creating a positive cycle.

The above is a record of my journey as a sponsor over these three days. I’m not sure how much it helps everyone, but at least for me, I’m really glad I chose to be a sponsor. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to snatch up the cheapest sponsorship deal. What sponsors gain might not be immediately visible, but I believe, in a few years, I should have the opportunity to share what I’ve gained! Next year, I really want to go to WordCamp Asia 2025 in Manila! (By the way, they are already starting to recruit volunteer partners!)

Additionally, I want to say that the Taiwanese community is truly amazing! So many people are willing to contribute their time and expertise to make this event happen. Thank you! You make the world take notice of Taiwan. The volunteers who chose to contribute, I believe, gained a lot too, just in a different way from me. (You might want to check out the blog posts about my experiences as a organizer, or visit the WordPress Taiwan community FB Group to see other volunteers’ experiences.) I suggest everyone try participating in the WordPress community in the future, whether by donating (sponsorship) or volunteering. You’ll truly find it rewarding!

Regarding weight loss and learning English

The three days of the event were a huge physical challenge for me, with an average of 7,000 steps walked each day. I ate more than usual yet somehow managed to lose two kilograms! Four days have passed since the event ended, and I’m still slowly recovering my strength…

As for English, interacting with various major corporations during these three days made me realize that my English skills are still not up to par. Instead of spending time watching Korean dramas and Japanese cartoons, I’ve decided to seriously learn English. My goal is to share my progress over the past year in more fluent English at the next WordCamp Asia 2025 in Manila!

Regarding being a media partner

I’m honored to have been selected as a Media Partner. Looking at the official website, it seems that the WPointer is a representative among Chinese media. According to the organizers, there were more participants from Taiwan this year than at previous WordCamp Taiwan events. Moreover, most people who came to my booth said they did so because of my posts, so I feel my promotional efforts were quite effective. As a partner, following the organizers’ guidelines, I was advised to provide appropriate media coverage before, during, and after the event. Therefore, I wrote a comprehensive post in Chinese to introduce the event and shared it in my groups. During the event, I tried to use social media to post photos and brief thoughts in real time. This article serves as my post-event sharing, hoping I’ve fulfilled my role. However, I recognize my shortcomings in not interviewing speakers and reporting on the presentations, which is definitely an area I need to review and improve upon in the future😔.

That pretty much sums up my experience at WordCamp Asia 2024! There are more detailed insights that I’ll take the opportunity to share with everyone slowly in the future. There will be more WordCamp Asia events, and hopefully, more WordCamp Taiwan events as well. I plan to participate as much as possible. I welcome everyone to continue following me here at WPointer.com, where I’ll keep sharing my learning journey. Thank you all for your participation over these three days. It was great seeing new and old friends at the event, and I look forward to starting various collaborations with you to create a more beginner-friendly WordPress learning environment!

Thank you once again to all the volunteers/interns who have contributed silently.

To conclude my article, I use this photo taken on March 9th (Saturday) at 23:34, just after leaving the Afterparty venue, on my way to the subway station. Passing by this gentleman, I briefly spoke with him. Although I can’t recall his name (I did ask at the moment, but I’m sorry, I was too tired to remember), he was standing in the cold wind all night, holding a direction sign, sacrificing his own time for fun and socializing to provide necessary guidance. When I asked him why he hadn’t left yet, he said the organizers hadn’t told him when he could go… My goodness, all I can say is, I have the utmost respect for you, partner. You’ve worked hard!!!

Thank you to all the volunteers and interns who have silently contributed. You all have worked hard! Without you, it would have been impossible to complete this international event. Website Guide sincerely thanks you!

P.S.:

1. Yuli, the Local Lead from the organizing team, commented to clarify that this individual was an intern(or volunteer) helping out. Organizers could participate in the afterparty and join everyone for food and drinks.
2. I was privately told by the organizer’s sponsorship team that I was the only private sponsor(apart from government) from Taiwan.
3. Thanks ChatGPT for helping me translate.