On Monday, the WordCamp Europe team announced it would hold its annual event online from June 4-6. The move comes after initially postponing this year’s physical event because of the COVID-19 pandemic currently sweeping the globe. Like many other events, the organizing team is in the process of switching gears and moving everything to work over the internet.
WordCamp Europe 2020 Online will hold a virtual contributor day on June 4. The last two days of the event will consist of live-streamed sessions and workshops for half days. The team is still working out the details and will keep everyone updated when possible.
The reopening of the event to a virtual audience was met with enthusiasm when the team announced it on Twitter.
📣 We’re back! We are excited to announce WordCamp Europe 2020 Online – a virtual event taking place on 4-6 June 🎉 Add the dates back into your diaries and stay tuned for more details coming soon 📅 https://t.co/JdEEHN0GMT
— WordCamp Europe (@WCEurope) April 6, 2020
Last month, the organizers delivered the news that they would be postponing the 2020 physical event. “The decision to postpone WCEU 2020 was not made lightly, as each member of the organising team is deeply invested in the event, but it was made collectively,” wrote the team on the WordCamp EU blog. “[The community] is, by far, the most heartbreaking part of a cancellation: the fact that we won’t get to gather together in person, to connect, share knowledge and inspire one another during our sessions, hallway tracks, and dinners.”
The organizers are rebooting the physical WordCamp EU event for 2021. Last month, the team confirmed June 3-5 for next year’s event. It will take place at the Super Bock Arena (Pavilhão Rosa Mota) in Porto, Portugal.
For those who purchased tickets to the 2020 event, they should have already received a refund or get one by April 10. Organizers are in the process of contacting sponsors to discuss refunds and getting involved in the online event.
The silver lining in this news is that everyone can attend WordCamp EU at no cost, albeit virtually rather than in person.
Based on the size of the event, WordCamp EU will be the standard that many other events and meetups will likely want to emulate and build upon. It will be a test of how the WordPress community can come together and show the world that we can continue doing great things during uncertain times.
Given that the current virus outbreak will likely continue through the summer, everyone in the WordPress community should mark this event on their calendars. Make social plans with the people who love the same software. It is free, and you are probably going to be home anyway. I look forward to an exciting event from the European WordPress community.
To stay up to date on WordCamp EU or contact the team, follow its social networking accounts:
