PressConf is a new conference for professionals driving the WordPress economy, as their X bio states, and promoting a culture of collaboration for:
…people who don’t want to journey alone. Who want to share their brilliance and are eager to stock their shelves with more. Who aren’t afraid to share their best ideas because tomorrow is a fountain of more. Who don’t limit their learning to one discipline or job title and don’t plan to start now. Who want to collaborate and connect.
It’s the reincarnation of PressNomics, hosted by Pagely, that ran until 2019 before Covid closed everything. The person behind the reboot is Raquel Manriquez, Community Manager at Elegant Themes, who was heavily involved organizing PressNomics and has recently launched her own events venture – Wonderland Curious. Check out her WP Minute interview to learn more about her and the event.
What, where and when
Dates: April 23 – 26, 2025
Mission Palms Resort, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Tickets:
- VIP All-Access – USD $680 (discounted at the time of writing)
- General Admission – USD $580 (discounted at the time of writing)
Buy them here.
An event for hallway trackers
We don’t know yet what the talks are going to be about but the speaker line-up will be ‘best in class’. The business focus should mean that topics are going to be less superficial than what we typically see at WordCamps, and perhaps even more academic. Personally, I’d love to hear a Mark Ritson speak about brand as opposed the umpteenth presentation about SEO, AI, or both.
The event is going to be about networking as much as the content, with “structured networking time built into the schedule, separate from talks and social events”. As their about page reminds us, Connections Are The Conference.
Talks will not be recorded either, to promote in-person attendance and discussion. The downside is that there’s going to be less content to leverage for brand building once the event is done and dusted.
I’ve asked Raquel how many attendees she is expecting. The last PressNomics 2019 attracted close to 200, which is a similar size as a local WordCamp (eg. WC Sydney this year).
A missed opportunity for GoDaddy?
PressNomics was bundled in their purchase of Pagely in 2021. The announcement mentioned it too:
Our beloved conference, PressNomics, may look a little different going forward, and will remain a Pagely hosted event with the same mission as always: to elevate and connect business owners in the WordPress Ecosystem. I already have a theme in mind for the next one. Stay tuned.
However, PressNomics 2022, 2023 or 2024 never materialized. Considering GoDaddy’s offerings (beyond Pagely) the product-event fit is not so strong. There is GoDaddy Pro, an agency offering, but WordPress is somewhat diluted across their broader portfolio of domain and web products. Folks attending PressConf are unlikely to be big GoDaddy customers.
Complementing WordCamps, and what the ecosystem needs more of
A big part of WordCamps, and Meetups too, is to introduce new people to WordPress and the community. There’s a bias on development, as there should be, leaving limited space to the business of WordPress. PressConf fills that gap, albeit in a less accessible format, considering costs and location (but the right format for its scope).
It’s tempting for those of us missing out on PressConf to wish for a WordCamp Pro type of event (or side event) across all regions, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. Given the recent drama, I think a more decentralized approach to events is needed to build a stronger and healthier ecosystem. PressConf can become a blueprint for a number of more niche events around the world. I’d love to see a Scale Consortium event covering Enterprise, or Publish Press getting publishers, content experts and SEO folk together.
Waiting for PressConf Europe, PressConf Africa and PressConf Asia?
It’s too early to even ask Raquel if that’s on her roadmap, or even in her mind.
But if the event is a great success next year, yielding a healthy profit, that’s a legitimate question. It may be worth investigating options to expand beyond the US, perhaps via local partners. There’s certainly demand for business-focused WordPress events.
Some considerations for WordPress businesses
I’ll wrap up with some final thoughts:
- Attend is you can – you can get your tickets here.
- Consider sponsoring too, bearing in mind its more ‘closed’ nature means it will get less eyeballs during and after the event. That said, the eyeballs you get at the event, as well as brand association, more than makes up for it.
- Hopefully Raquel’s efforts will inspire others to organize local, independent events. We are too!
- Don’t neglect WordPress Meetups and WordCamps. They’re fun, great value and generally awesome
