WordCamp Europe 2024 Summary: A Success in Turin, Italy

WordCamp Europe 2024 took place June 13-15 at the iconic Lingotto Conference and Exhibition Center in Turin, Italy. This annual event brought together 2,584 WordPress enthusiasts from over 70 countries, making it a milestone for the global WordPress community. With an impeccable organization by 250 volunteers, led by Wendie Huis in ‘t Veld, Juan Hernando and Takis Bouyouris, the conference offered an enriching and learning experience.

By the way, if you don’t know what Wordcamps are, here is the link to explain it to you: What is a Wordcamp?.

Contributor Day

The event started with the “Contributor Day”, where 726 contributors were divided into 25 teams to work on various areas of the WordPress project. During this day, 79,059 strings were translated into 29 languages, documentation was updated for the upcoming 6.6 release, new contributors were integrated into the support forums and test teams, and plugin security improvements were identified.

Conferences and workshops

During the two main days of the event, Friday and Saturday, 60 presentations and workshops were held across three tracks. Topics addressed included WordPress development, accessibility, design, business, community, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The opening keynote was presented by Joost de Valk and Juliette Reinders Folmer, who discussed the sustainability of open source software projects, the funding of these projects and how to convince commercial companies that open source is a viable alternative to proprietary platforms .

Mid-year update by Matt Mullenweg

WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg gave a mid-year update on the WordPress project, highlighting the success of the contributor mentoring program and demonstrating new tools such as Translate Live. He also discussed the future of WordPress, including performance improvements and new features such as expanded views and the ability to revert automatic updates. In addition, Mullenweg discussed the popularity of “rapid build challenges,” where experts build websites in real time, sharing tips and best practices .

Special Activities

WordCamp Europe 2024 not only focused on technology and development, but also included activities for all ages and approaches. A youth workshop was organized where younger attendees were able to build websites with WordPress and learn about internet security. In addition, there were a number of wellness activities, including yoga classes and walking tours of Torino, allowing attendees to explore the beauty of the host city.

Closing and upcoming events

The event culminated with a closing party themed around Italian cinema, highlighting the country’s rich cinematic history. During closing remarks, the organizers announced that WordCamp Europe 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland, June 5-7, 2025, news that was met with enthusiasm and applause from attendees.

WordCamp Europe 2024 in Torino was a memorable event that not only celebrated the 21st anniversary of WordPress, but also strengthened ties within the global WordPress community, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing. We look forward to the next meeting in Basel!