You can feel it at the ICE Kraków Congress Centre – many people are in their element with WordCamp vibes – they laugh, jump, and enjoy themselves. Some are quiet and shy; you’ll most likely spot them on the tracks or observing others. Some are attention seekers, such as sponsors and representatives of WordPress products and services. Viktoriia and I, representing the MotoPress team, are there as well (probably falling into the latter category).

What else is going on there?

Look, over here on the stairs, is our friend from Ukraine, now based in Finland, Volodymyr Melnychenko. I remember seeing him volunteer at almost every WordCamp Europe I’ve attended – and I haven’t missed one since WordCamp Europe 2019 in Berlin. This time, he was recommending us a visit to the WP Suomi community in Lapland (Lapland!).

At the photo station, we’re exchanging marketing ideas with the developers behind a prominent WP theme. We agree that, with the rise of AI, the market is no longer favoring themes. It’s a hard truth for theme shops that have been running for over a decade.

For the first time, we met Davinder Singh Kainth, the creator of WP Weekly. WordCamp was the first stop on his big European tour with his friends. A nice chat after a coffee break.

We’re also heading to our compatriot Lana Miro shining at the Melapress booth, and while she is busy, talk to another new member of their team, Matt Bonacini.

Oh, and here is Bud Kraus from the indie Seriously Bud podcast! Alas, he was busy talking with someone again… We couldn’t catch him for a word (which is always the case at WordCamp when you’re attending alone or with a small team).

A busy small sponsors’ area… We bump into Alex Osmichenko from IT Monks. This year, we’re not just talking to him about clients and marketing. He’s explaining what it takes to be part of the organizers’ team – this year, he’s helping the Sponsors team for the first time. It made me think: you can simply change roles at WordCamp to get a completely new perspective and experience!

Matteo Tarabini, an architect who creates WP sites for a hobby, explains that he doesn’t speak English well, that’s why he enjoys the company of a fellow Italian who helps him navigate things at WordCamps. It’s already an after party conversation, held in what might be the most fantastic WordCamp after-party location we’ve ever seen.

How many sponsor booths have we visited, and how many people have we stopped to chat with in the hallways? A lot. Familiar and friendly faces, a lively atmosphere, and people who are slightly tired but still very open to having a quick chat with anyone who is genuinely curious (or even simply looking to collect some swag!).

Before I get too carried away with memories and emotions, Viktoriia and I would like to share our short lists of highlights from WordCamp Europe 2026!

Viktoriia’s list:

• As an outreach manager, I was enjoying a moment when I could just talk to people without the need to type “Best regards”!
• All the tips from the organizers really helped us get prepared more quickly – from local food recommendations to information about holidays.
• Awesome side events and after-party! They rocked!
• I really loved that the talks were chosen based on attendees’ feedback.
• The weather was much better than forecast, which meant we could enjoy WordCamp and the outstanding city of Kraków – even more, despite the occasional drizzle.

My list:

• The aesthetics of WordCamp Kraków overall resonated with me: the fantasy/folk Wawel Dragon vibes, floral design, the charming architectural vertigo of the venue building overlooking historic sites, and iconic obwarzanki!
• I loved the WordCamp Insights podcast! Even though much of the content was targeting newsbies (read our tips for WordCamp newcomers we wrote before heading to Basel last year), I still listened to almost all of the episodes, which made me feel WordCamp had started much earlier than the official dates. I regret not stumbling at Kasia Janoska and saying a personal thanks for being an awesome host!
• I loved creative and quality swag – especially from Omnisend, Kinsta, and Pressable.
• The talk by Monika Dimitrova – because, well, I love a good dose of a reasonable skepticism about AI for marketing.
• The community booth was super fun!

And I haven’t even mentioned the food and drinks – a diverse selection, conveniently placed, tasty, and available all day long. I loved all I tried – and I tried a lot 😀

WordCamps – are they any good for your business?

While I enjoyed having żurek and Żywiec for dinner and exploring Wawel’s historic halls (oh, those unique ceiling heads!), Viktoriia fell in love with the Wawel observation tower and the local cuisine overall. But of course, we also had a job to do…

As WordPress product representatives, our natural goal was to talk to media partners and look for partnership opportunities, especially since we’ve launched the Partners page for agencies that do custom development. Viktoriia also did an excellent job on social media, more as a hobby: talking to people we already know, taking photos, recording videos, laughing, and saying “thank you” to everyone. It’s fun!

I think many WordCamp sponsors would agree that a booth (or simply attending as a company representative) is not primarily a tool for generating leads; it’s more about strategic brand awareness. It’s especially effective for introducing new products or highlighting shifts in a brand’s direction.

For example, we learned that our friends at Dynamic.ooo have a new product, NovaMira. Members of Crocoblock were also presenting their new AI product to WordCamp attendees, and Hostinger showcased their AI assistant right inside the hosting panel! At WordCamp, you still get the chance to discover things from fellow WordPressers you might miss during a busy working week.

As for us, we’ve been wearing bold “Booking Solutions” T-shirts for a few years now, signaling our direction toward building a toolkit of WordPress booking plugins. This year, we even “localized” the slogan with the colors of the Polish flag. Not sure if anyone noticed it, though 😅

Regrets?

1. Since there are just two of us, we couldn’t afford to visit many talks (there were definitely more that we wanted to attend).
2. Regretfully, Michelle Frechette and Sabrina Zeidan were not there (but Sabrina has some outstanding news for you if you are heading to Spain’s WordCamp Europe!). Some of our brand ambassadors also couldn’t make it.
3. There were a few companies that were looking to meet with us in person and had reached out before WordCamp, but that didn’t happen.
4. The latest events carry a shadow of conflicts at the highest levels – you can feel it in personal hallway conversations and even during parties.
5. Too much AI, not enough youth. We’ve been talking for years about the need to attract younger generations, yet here we are. Is WordPress declining in popularity among younger people?

P.S. Viktoriia regretted not winning a fluffy dragon for her nephew at the community booth. We both tried a few times, but with no luck.

Finally

You may not be in the best health or mood when you visit WordCamp; you might feel tired and drained when you are there. But with time, when you look back, you do so with extreme fondness. It is one of the most friendly communities and most insightful experiences, regardless of your level of attachment to WordPress.

With each WordCamp, the novelty effect (and excitement) may also wear off, as in any aspect of life; at that point, you either step away from it or accept it as an old friend. In Kraków, we met an old friend – and the Kraków organizers made this reunion feel joyful, fruitful, and even luxurious.