Do you want to know how my WordCamp Kathmandu 2023 experience was as a speaker? Then, fasten your seatbelts, as I’ll take you through my journey.
WordCamp Kathmandu 2023 was a thrilling experience for me. I feel honored to be a speaker at such a big event for the WordPress industry in Nepal.
If you’re thinking about speaking at a WordCamp and don’t know how the process goes. Then, look no further! In this article, I’ll share everything I learned during this ride.
Now, without further delay, let’s start!
What is WordCamp?
WordCamp is a conference where everything revolves around the most popular website builder, WordPress. To keep it short, the local WordPress community organizes this event once a year.
Some speakers are selected to share their WordPress knowledge and experience. Plus, it welcomes all the WordPress enthusiasts, developers, bloggers, designers, business owners, students, or anyone interested to join in this celebration.
Moreover, it’s a great opportunity for both speakers and attendees. Speakers can grow their network and abilities, and happily contribute to the community. Similarly, attendees get to learn many things about WordPress.
Best of all, it’s an ideal event for you to share ideas, connect with one another, ask queries, celebrate WordPress, and have fun with common minds.
My Exciting Journey as a Speaker at WordCamp
So, have you ever attended a WordCamp or participated as a speaker? If not, then what are you waiting for?
I attended WordCamp Kathmandu 2022 for the first time. In a year, I’m overjoyed to become a speaker at WordCamp Kathmandu 2023!
With that being said, go through my journey in 3, 2, 1, go!
1. The Application Process
With the constant motivation of my supervisors at work, I decided to take a chance on attending WordCamp Kathmandu 2023 as a speaker. If not selected, then apply for the contributor day team lead position.
To become a speaker at WordCamp, I had to start by submitting an application by the deadline. But before that, I had to follow some guidelines:
- Speakers were given a list of possible areas for the presentation.
- This year, we could go with a lightning talk or a long talk.
- The language can be English or Nepali.
Accordingly, I planned and came up with a topic that I’m familiar with. So, I filled up the form, mentioning my topic and specifying that it’s a lightning talk in English.
2. The Selection Process
After the application deadline ended, the selection process started. All the applicants had an initial presentation session and then the final demo presentation.
The initial presentation session was all about knowing if the topic was eligible for WordCamp Kathmandu 2023. If not, then some necessary changes were made.
My topic also got changed a bit and became ‘Creating Blog Outlines that Rank’.
Following that, the final demo presentation day was to confirm the speakers for the grand event. Delightfully, I received an email about getting selected as a speaker with my improvised topic. That day, I was on cloud nine!
Most of all, I got various tips and guidelines from the Speaker Wranglers for the presentation slides. Some notable suggestions were:
- Use online tools like Canva for attractive and creative slides.
- Add GPL-licensed images only.
- Check the grammar of the content.
- Only include key points on a slide.
- Insert the correct logo and brand names.
You can find further guidelines at this link.
Not to forget, I had to send the edited information for my new topic. And book a ticket for the event as a speaker. Notably, you won’t have to pay for the event if you’re a speaker. How good is that?
One difficult thing, though. I had to keep it a secret that I was selected as a speaker unless it was announced to everyone. Wow, that was difficult!
3. The Rehearsal Process
Even if you’re a first-time speaker or an expert, your presentation should be perfect for a big event. Keeping that in mind, we had rehearsals every 2 weeks. During this time, I worked on the slides until they were finalized by the organizers.
For that, I also received help from my supervisors and colleagues at work to further enhance my presentation. Thanks to them!
But that’s not it! I met many other speakers, organizers, and volunteers. With that:
- I got to see how well speakers deliver their presentations.
- The organizers and volunteers shared the conference schedule and how the actual event works.
Plus, the official WordCamp Kathmandu 2023 site and social media handles published articles and videos. Seeing myself there as a speaker got me excited and nervous!
Another benefit, I got the WordCamp Speaker badge in my WordPress.org profile. How cool is that?
4. The Technical Test Process
Once the final rehearsal ended, WordCamp Kathmandu 2023 was just around the corner. But the 1st day was Contributor Day, and the main conference was on the next day.
This year, the organizers planned to use our devices for the presentation, as we were familiar with them. So, a technical test was scheduled after the 1st day’s event.
As planned, I contributed to the Marketing team for WordCamp. This experience was fascinating when all the WordPress enthusiasts worked together.
Following that, I stayed for the technical test. Gladly, my presentation was working fine with the projectors.
But this day didn’t end just like this! The speakers were specially invited for a pre-party celebration at a hotel. So, how can I miss that?
Know what? The view from there was amaaazing! Literally, we could see various parts of the capital, Kathmandu.
5. The Big Day
The moment that everyone had been waiting for had just arrived. It was conference day, and I felt a mix of excitement and nerves.
I focused on staying calm and delivering my talk with confidence. The 10-minute lightning talk ended so fast that I didn’t even realize it! Overall, I was satisfied with my speaking since it was my first time.
One thing I can’t miss out on! After my presentation, I got a token of appreciation from the organizers. And it was none other than a painting!
Yes, you heard it right! It was my first time receiving a beautiful painting of me. Thanks to the artist!
All the speakers were also called upon on stage for a group photo. It was a privilege standing besides the experts.
And that’s not all! During the day, I received appreciation from a few attendees, speakers, and organizers for my presentation. That made my day for good!
Along with that, I also got advice about some of my shortcomings and how to improve them.
Wrapping Up
Being a speaker at WordCamp Kathmandu 2023 was an incredible journey!
It allowed me to share my knowledge, connect with like-minded people, and grow as a WordPress enthusiast. Moreover, I welcomed constructive feedback from attendees and organizers to improve my presentation skills.
Hopefully, all the speakers, attendees, and organizers had a great time at WordCamp Kathmandu 2023. Also, it’ll be wonderful if this article inspires you to take a chance on attending or contributing to future WordCamps.
Last but not least, I encourage you to give your best effort as a speaker at such an event. WordCamp Nepal is an upcoming big event. So, why not give it a try there?
If you have any more queries, then connect with me on Twitter.
