My Experience at WordCamp Toronto 2016

It’s been 7 years since I attended WordCamp Las Vegas. It was my first WordCamp and I wasn’t planning on making it my last so I tried several times after that to attend nearby WordCamps but for some reason, things never worked out. That all changed this past weekend, when I finally got the chance to attend WordCamp Toronto 2016. If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know that.

This year’s WordCamp Toronto was held at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University in downtown Toronto. The event was scheduled for 2 days – Saturday, August 6th from 8 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday, August 7th from 11 AM to 4:30 PM. The event fee was $40 which included catered lunches and a WordCamp t-shirt.

Btw, I was planning to attend last year’s WordCamp Toronto but unfortunately, I made the mistake of not purchasing my ticket early. This year, I made sure that I purchased my ticket before they sold out.

WordCamp Toronto 2016

I got there on Sunday at around 11 AM and went up to the registration desk, got my name tag and t-shirt.
wordcamp toronto 2016

The scheduled sessions are divided into different categories – Content/Marketing, User, Community and Developer so that attendees can choose the sessions that fit their needs/preferences.

The first session I attended was held at the auditorium where Brian Rotsztein shared about “How To Succeed As An Independent Blogger
WordCamp Toronto 2016

For the second session, I listened to Tom Auger of Art & Science talk about “Crafting Brilliant WordPress User Experiences“.
WordCamp Toronto 2016

WordCamp Toronto 2016

Then it was time for lunch. Participants gathered at the RU Dining room for the catered lunch where there were a variety of choices even for vegetarians like myself and different drinks like coffee, tea, and soda. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take photos of the dining area, food choices, and the lunch pack that I had. After lunch, I went around to check out the different sponsor booths/tables.

Constant Contact
WordCamp Toronto 2016

SiteGround
WordCamp Toronto 2016

Flywheel
WordCamp Toronto 2016

Jetpack
WordCamp Toronto 2016

For some reason I forgot to take photos of the Hover and WP Engine tables.

GoDaddy Pro
WordCamp Toronto 2016

Sticker Table
WordCamp Toronto 2016

When I was done going around the sponsor tables, I went back to the auditorium for my third session where I listened to Michelle Arbore of Savvy Social Media talk about “Blogging & Social Media“.
WordCamp Toronto 2016

For my fourth and final session, I attended “The Power of the Inbox” by Melanie Martin of Constant Contact.
WordCamp Toronto 2016

The last part of the event was the Closing Remarks which was given by lead organizer Dejan Markovic.

WordCamp Toronto 2016 Organizers and Volunteers
WordCamp Toronto 2016

Kudos to all the organizers and volunteers for doing a wonderful job planning and organizing this year’s event. I wasn’t able to attend the previous WordCamps but I really like this year’s venue – Ted Rogers School of Management – Ryerson University. The rooms were very nice and the building itself is very accessible with very affordable parking. I only paid $8 for 6 hours of parking, which is pretty good considering it is located in downtown Toronto.

Before I forget, I’d also like to share with you the different swag (free stuff) that I got from the event. I missed out on a lot of stuff like the t-shirts from Hover and Flywheel and the cool Wapuu socks from SiteGround.
WordCamp Toronto 2016

If you’re a WordPress user or developer or someone who’s interested in learning more about WordPress and its community, I recommend that you join the local WordCamp in your area. Head over to WordCamp Central to find one. If there’s none in your area, why don’t you and your friends start one?

Aside from the useful information that I learned from the different sessions/talks, another thing that I got as a result of attending WordCamp Toronto 2016 is the inspiration to continue and become better at blogging. If you noticed, I’ve neglected this blog for the past several months so this time, I’ll try to apply the things I learned and be more consistent.

Although I only attended the last day, I still had a wonderful time and I learned a lot from the speakers. I look forward to attending WordCamp Toronto 2017.

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2 Comments

    1. Hi Michelle! Thank you for taking the time to drop by and leave a comment on my blog. I had a great time and learned a lot from WordCamp Toronto 2016 and part of it is from your talk/session. All the best!

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