WordCamp Asia Proposed for 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand

photo credit: Eustaquio Santimano

The organizers of WordCamp Asia, a brand new regional WordCamp, have published a proposal for making Bangkok, Thailand, the host city for a 2-3 day event in early 2020. They are currently planning for February or March to avoid clashing with other regional WordCamps (WCEU, WCUS). The camp has been informally discussed since 2015 while organizers focused on growing new city-based WordCamps across the region.

“WordCamps in Asia have reached a critical mass that will enable a successful regional WordCamp,” Jon Ang said in the introduction to the proposal. “We believe that running this WordCamp will contribute directly to long term efforts in fostering WordPress interest in countries that lack it.”

WordCamp Asia organizers are being mentored by lead organizers of WordCamp Europe and have created an official proposal based heavily on the one submitted by WordCamp Nordic organizers. They have submitted it to the broader WordCamp community leaders for review before submitting and official application to WordCamp Central.

Asia has many vibrant and diverse WordPress communities across distant geographical areas. It technically includes Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey, Israel, and Iran, as well as all of Russia and India and everything in between.

Hugh Lashbrooke commented on the proposal, asking if it is actually a “WordCamp South-East Asia,” given all the currently listed organizers are from this region, or if they intend to include other countries beyond this area. Ang said that the event will certainly include leaders from India and Pakistan and they have discussed forming a global team with two representatives from each country. The leaders currently listed in the proposal are those who were specifically involved in drafting it.

Bangkok is proposed for the first host city due to its relatively affordable location, the ease of obtaining a visa on arrival for attendees from many Asian counties, and the availability of inexpensive flights to most major cities in Asia. The local WordPress community is also experienced at running large WordCamps (500+ attendees) and Bangkok’s local meetup group has more than 1,500 members. WordCamp Asia organizers are planning for 750-1,000 attendees.