WordSesh Recap: Global WordPress Event Pulls 3,000 Unique Viewers From 85 Countries

WordSesh was like crack for WordPress enthusiasts who joined together on Twitter and eagerly counted down the minutes until sessions began. The event took place over the weekend, kicked off by the DradCast podcast which introduced a catchy new WordSesh rap. In case you missed it, WordSesh presenters cranked out an impressive 24 hours of free WordPress knowledge and each session is now available on YouTube.

The first WordSesh was a grand experiment that proved to be so successful, the organizers decided to schedule another one before the year’s end. With no travel requirements or location constraints, the event was able to pull in some of the brightest minds in the WordPress community. Speakers presented on a wide range of topics, including design, product pricing, building themes, debugging, Javascript, podcasting and more.

Attendance for the event far exceeded that of most WordCamps. WordSesh organizers shared some of their viewership stats on Twitter and the results demonstrate that the event was a hit all over the world:

• The city of Sofia, Bulgaria, had the most viewers of any city in the world, followed by London and New york.
• 36 unique viewers from Africa
• 98 unique viewers from Oceania
• 120 unique viewers from Asia
• 843 unique viewers from Europe
• 1,404 unique viewers from North / South America
• 3,000 unique viewers over 85 countries

Despite the overall success of the event, participants noticed a few issues that might be improved for next year. Server performance was a little spotty at first, perhaps due to the number of people trying to live stream simultaneously. They were able to work it out fairly quickly without significant delays. Hopefully, the organizers will be able to find a better-performing hosting solution next time, given how quickly the popularity of this event is skyrocketing after just one year.

Others also commented that the event was slanted towards developers and those heavily involved in operating WordPress product and service businesses. WordSesh viewer David Bisset said, “I would like to see more beginner WordSesh stuff. I spoke to 30-40 people at the last WP meetup and they would have loved to experience that.” He makes an excellent point. WordPress meetups and WordCamps that have a beginner track often get beginners fired up about the software and eager to explore more advanced topics. Adding WordPress beginner sessions might help to expand the audience for the event and bring together users of all levels.

For those who were in attendance, the excitement was palpable. A WordSesh after party carried on in the chatroom after the event concluded, mirroring what often happens at the live WordCamps. Nobody wanted to “go home”. The success of Wordsesh 2 shows once again that the WordPress community loves to share knowledge, collaborate and gather around a good cause. Here’s hoping we can all jump in on another one in six months and smash all the viewership records.