I’ve attended both WordCamp Asia 2023 and 2024 so know first hand what are great experience they offer and the value you get from attending talks, talking to sponsors and networking. And yes, I’m planning to go next year too. You should too: tickets are being released in batches, so keep an eye out on the socials for when they will be available next.
Allow me to start this post with a disclaimer: my intention is not to criticize, point fingers or judge any decisions that were made. I am thankful to the organizers for all the hard work they have put in to make the events memorable. But considering the size of the Asian WordPress ecosystem, I’m of the opinion that that here should be more local representation.
Less than a third of WordCamp Asia 2024 speakers were from Asia
Here’s the breakdown:
- 29% were from the Americas region
- 27% from Asia
- 31% from EMEA
- 13% from Oceania
The US was the mostly represented country with 14 out of 48 speakers (29%). The EMEA region had the most speakers – 15 altogether.
That’s a very low number for Asia. I’ll explain why after sharing a couple of other data points.
18% of speakers work for an Asian business
Close to two-thirds of speakers (29) work for businesses headquartered in the Americas region. Asia and EMEA had 9 each:
- 60% were from the Americas
- 19% from Asia
- 19% from EMEA
- 2% from Oceania
There were a number of companies that featured multiple speakers too:
- Automattic – 9
- Bluehost – 3
- Google – 3
- Human Made – 3
- WP Engine – 3
Are chances to be selected as a speaker higher if you work for one of the sponsors?
To be fair, I don’t have the data I need to answer this question properly. I would have to look at all speaker applications and see what percentage work for WordCamp sponsors and determine a conversion rate.
Here’s the split:
- Speakers who work for sponsor companies – 42% (20)
- Speakers who don’t work for sponsor companies – 58% (28)
Interestingly, most of the speakers working for a sponsor were “Jade Mountain’ sponsor, the top tier:
- Jade Mountain Sponsors – 70% (14)
- Snow Mountain Sponsors – 15% (3)
- Xiuguluan Mountain Sponsors – 5% (1)
- Data Mountain Sponsors – 10% (2)
In all honesty, I don’t have a problem with this. Sponsors are contributing a significant amount of money and resources for all of us to have a great experience.
Member Content
WordCamp Asia 2024 Speakers
AirTable list of the 48 speakers as listed on the WordCamp Asia 2024 website, including their location, who they work for and where their company is headquartered.
Sign up to unlock this content – registration is free.
How many WordCamp speakers should be local?
This is clearly stated in the WordCamp Organizer Handbook:
tl:dr: Use WordCamp to highlight your local experts; shoot for 80% local/20% out-of-town speakers. Speakers should be knowledgeable and embrace the principles of the WordPress project.
So, WordCamp Asia 2024 was off by 53%. And thanks to Taco Verdonschot, Head of Relations at Yoast, we know why:
While WordCamp Europe is trying to showcase the best Europe has to offer, Asia was aiming to bring talks from the rest of the world, so that people from Asia who typically have a harder time travelling to Europe or the US can also get access to the same content.
Taco mentioned this during WP Build’s This Week in WordPress #301 stream. But the problem with this approach is that you don’t see many Asian speakers at other regional WordCamps – US and Europe. I’ve only scrolled through their Speakers pages so don’t have the numbers, but there’s little there.
There’s are also live streams and recorded videos. We don’t need to see speakers in flesh and bones.
The Make Community team is very clear about speaker selection too. I think they have nailed it. I just hope that the WordCamp Asia 2025 team will stick to the guidelines. That said, I may be in the minority thinking this. Perhaps most people in the region prefer to hear speakers from outside it. Should there be some kind of survey to determine this? Was there? What do you think? I’ve asked the X/Twitterverse too:
Some @WordCampAsia 2024 speaker stats:
Only 27% of them were from.. Asia.
18% of them work for Asian businesses
42% work for businesses that sponsored the eventWhat % of #WCAsia2025 speakers should there be?
— WP BizDev (@wpbizdev) August 27, 2024
Here’s my point: Asia, or rather, APAC (so I can include myself and a few more of us WordPress geeks heere in Oceania), is a driving force in the WordPress ecosystem. We produce a ton of work, innovate as much as anyone else and have as many stories to tell. WordCamp Asia is an opportunity to celebrate the region as much as the platform, and the usual suspects that are often in the limelight.
A… Call To Speaking!
The call for speakers has been extended to 8 September. If more people in the region apply, the more chances there are to be selected. Instructions on how to do so are super clear too – check the WordCamp Asia 2025 Call for Speakers page.
Feel free to get in touch is you need help coming up with ideas for a talk, particularly if you want to cover business topics. Or if you’re going to Manila and want to catch up over coffee.
Post Scriptum: WordCamp Asia 2025 have it all figured out
When I asked them about local representation they pointed me to their FAQs on the Call for Speakers page where they specifically say:
For WordCamp Asia 2025, we are targeting the following to ensure proper inclusion and diversity.
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- About 60% of local (Asian) speakers
- 40% non-male speakers
My bad for not picking this up as it answers the question I posed for this piece. I think 60% is a good compromise. 70% would better, and closer to the 80% the project recommends.
Topher
I would wish to see as many Asian speakers as possible. Yes it’s true many may not be able to get to EU or US, but by the same token, those that can’t ALSO don’t have the opportunity to speak on a stage that large.
In my opinion, those with privilege (ease of travel) shouldn’t be speaking to those who don’t have that privilege, but rather listening.
Lawrence
Thanks for commenting, Topher.
“In my opinion, those with privilege (ease of travel) shouldn’t be speaking to those who don’t have that privilege, but rather listening.”
This is covered in the WordCamp Organizer Handbook under the ‘Locals or Rock Stars?’ and ‘Speaker Diversity’ headings, IMHO. But it looks like different approaches are for the larger, regional WordCamps. I’ll have a look if there’s any mention of this.