WordCamp Central: WordCamp Bhopal 2025: A Decade of Community, A Weekend That Felt Like Home
I’m writing this post with a smile that refuses to leave my face.
Because WordCamp Bhopal 2025 being a feather in our hat as a community wasn’t just another event on the calendar, it was deeply personal.
For the WordPress Bhopal community, and for me, it marked something special: 10 years of showing up, learning together, and building something real.
And what better way to celebrate a decade of community than by hosting a WordCamp that truly felt like home?
A Celebration of Culture — Shared Both Ways
At its heart, WordCamp Bhopal 2025 was about culture — built and shared in two directions.
On one side, it was about bringing the larger WordPress and tech ecosystem to the city. Giving our local audience — students, first-time attendees, and curious minds — a glimpse of where the ecosystem is headed, how far it has grown, and what’s possible for them right here.
On the other, it was about opening Bhopal up to the wider community. Welcoming people from outside and showing them the city of lakes, the warmth of its people, and the potential that quietly exists here — in ideas, in talent, and in shared spaces.
This edition was also about quality & thought.
Not scale. Not noise. But an intentional step forward — our way of upgrading how we learn, connect, and host. Because at the end of the day, human connection is the real network.
Laying the Groundwork
Behind what everyone saw on the event days was months of quiet, consistent effort.
One of our strongest pillars was a four-month journey called the WP Build Tour — an initiative across colleges in Madhya Pradesh. Through sessions and workshops, 1,700+ students were introduced to WordPress, open source, and community-driven learning.
Alongside this, staying true to the ethos of inclusivity and diversity, we hosted EmpowerWP Bhopal 2025 earlier in March — a women-oriented event that brought the community closer to home, quite literally.
To keep the momentum going in other community spaces, including DevFest Bhopal, we ran the now-iconic ‘Nano Banana Challenge’ as a fun way to spark curiosity around WordCamp Bhopal, and the entries were astonishing.
We also consciously expanded our reach beyond the WordPress bubble — welcoming marketers, content creators, influencers, and professionals from across the tech ecosystem. some combinations are just better shaken together.
So when WordCamp Bhopal 2025 finally arrived, it carried all of this into the room.
When the Curtains Finally Rose
Over 400+ attendees came together for a full-scale WordCamp experience which unfolded at Courtyard by Marriott, Bhopal— speaker sessions, hands-on workshops, sponsor booths, community collaboration, and Contributor Day.
Parallel tracks allowed people to learn in the way that suited them best. Topics ranged across design, development, WordPress, AI, SEO, mental health, remote work, education, governance, culture, and careers.
Day 1 began where WordPress always begins: with contribution.
Contributor’s Day wasn’t a formality on the schedule; it was the foundation. Around 150 people joined to contribute to the WordPress project — joining Test, Support, Polyglots, Photo, and Patterns teams. Hesitation slowly gave way to curiosity, and curiosity to confidence.
For many attendees, this was the first time they truly experienced where the WordPress community comes from. Not just as users, but as contributors. It was a quiet, powerful introduction to the spirit of open source — hosted at the property of our Platinum Sponsor, SFA Technologies, who supported the space wholeheartedly.
An Evening That Broke the Ice (and the Rules?)
One of the most joyful experiments of the weekend was our games and sports evening. No structured networking. No awkward introductions. Just play, teamwork, and laughter. Strangers became teammates. Conversations happened without effort. Team spirit took centre stage.
Hosted at The Umbrella Academy, and lovingly brought together with the help of Vartika, the evening carried a simple idea — conferences don’t have to be boring to be meaningful. They can be fun and purposeful. Our official theme?
“404: Adulting Not Found.”
And honestly, it worked.
Beginning With the Drill- Day 2
At the entrance stood our “10 Years of WordPress Bhopal” photo wall — a visual journey through meetups, WordCamps, friendships, and moments that shaped this community.
People stopped mid-step. They searched for familiar faces. They smiled, laughed, and reminisced.
Some moments don’t need explanations — this was one of them.
Another experiment that surprised us was the WordPress Showcase. We invited community members to showcase what they had built. We wondered if we’d get enough responses. Instead, we saw four solid showcases, each carrying stories of effort, learning, and pride.
In the series of firsts- we also experimented with custom ID cards for speakers, sponsors, and organisers — a small but thoughtful detail. While extending this to all attendees wasn’t possible this time due to logistical and data-consent challenges, the response was overwhelmingly warm.
Swag With a Story
This year, swag told a story.
Our Wappu this year carried Bhopal in its soul — a tribute to the city of lakes and the warmth of its people.
It wasn’t just a mascot, it was our way of saying: this WordCamp belongs to Bhopal, and Bhopal belongs to the community.
WAPPUNO, a WordPress-inspired card game featuring Wappus from WordCamps around the world, quietly reminded everyone that while this WordCamp was rooted in Bhopal, it belonged to something much bigger.
And when it was time to part, we had our little surprise.
Just like in 2023, sustainability stayed close to our hearts. Instead of traditional souvenirs, attendees received seed-embedded thank-you cards — something to plant, nurture, and grow. A reminder that communities don’t end with events. They continue with care, patience, and time.
Voices on Stage: Diverse, Honest, Impactful
Around 20 resource persons joined us this year, covering a wide range of topics. We were proud to have 6 women speakers, bringing valuable perspectives and diversity to the stage.
Two panel discussions stood out for sparking deep conversations:
- Education to Employment
- Artificial Intelligence
Our speakers, panelists and Showcase included:
Abhay Kulkarni, Aditya Vikram Singh, Akshat Gupta, Amit Tiwari, Damini Tripathi, Dr. Tabassum Zafar, Naman Deshmukh, Saakshi Choithani, Sakshi Mehta, Sandesh Jangam, Saurabh Matolia, Sumankant Jain, Priyanka Shah, Richa Khanna, Jinendra Khobare, Aditya Shah, Ashish Kolarkar, Siddharth Mishra, and Talib Ahmed.
Each session added depth, honesty, and perspective — reminding us why community-led learning matters.
Sponsors Who Believed in the Vision
WordCamp Bhopal 2025 wouldn’t have been possible without sponsors who didn’t just fund the event — but believed in the community.
Platinum Sponsors: Bluehost, Jetpack, Kinsta, Woo, Hosting.com, WordPress.com, SFA Technologies, Vultr, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.
Silver Sponsor: Pabbly Connect.
Bronze Sponsor: SEOPress.
Partners: Shommypics (Photography Partner), YouStable (Livestreaming & Swag Bag Partner), House of Raasta (After Party Sponsor).
Thank you for trusting us and standing by us.
Powered by People
Behind every smooth transition and smiling face was a team that worked relentlessly.
The OC: Kripesh, Atharva, Atishara, Shashank, Shivam, Ishita, Kapil, Amit
Volunteers: Krishika Verma, Pramanya Rajput, Jaya, Sanskriti Malviya, Taufiq, Srijan Prasad, Suhas, Chandra Prakash Ojha, Roshni Rajani, Yash Varma, Prathamesh
Special mention to our local HR for the event: Astha.
From website to social media marketing to logistics and ideas and so many other things, it was their dedication that could bring all of this together so well.
Spreading the Word
Media Partners: WP Baat, WP Simplified, Aayudh, Hashtag India, Bhopal Ki Baatein
Community Partners: LinkedIn Local, Google Developer Groups SATI Vidisha, Bhopal Development Index, Tech Help 4 U
Thank you for being pillars in amplifying our voice.
Looking Ahead
WordCamp Bhopal 2025 reminded us that WordCamps are not just about WordPress, they’re about people, stories, shared growth, and the courage to try something new.
From thoughtful sustainability choices to inclusive programming, from powerful panels to joyful moments over games and desserts — every piece mattered.
They’re about people, stories, shared growth, and belonging.
Our larger idea throughout was simple, yet ambitious — to carry tradition forward in a refined, modern setup, filled with thought, celebration, and joy. We thought we were building this mostly for the younger generation. But when we saw middle-aged and senior community members actively participating, it became clear:
This wasn’t about age, roles, or experience levels. It was about belonging. And that’s exactly what we hoped WordCamp Bhopal 2025 would feel like.
To the community that keeps believing and encouraging, thank you for believing in us.
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