WordUp Edinburgh 2021: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Can you believe it’s been a whole three five weeks now since WordUp Edinburgh took place, it’s amazing how times flies. Well I’ve finally gotten round to writing up the draft post I’d started, and also found the publish button at that; better late than never! :)
It all started quite early on Saturday morning, too early for my sleep pattern, but I had something like 30 minutes to get ready. Taryn Wallis and her husband Allen had kindly agreed to come and pick me up, they also had Martin Young too. I still can’t thank you enough for that! – Next stop was Surgeons’ Hall to get setup for the day ahead.
We arrived in plenty of time to get things sorted before registration, so I took the chance to get connected to the WiFi, and charge my phone up too. I’d need some kind of power if I was going to Tweet during the day, not that I ended up saying much anyway.
Before long, people started arriving and taking their seat; I recognised a few faces!
Still don’t remember Martin Young taking that picture!
I met some fantastic people throughout the whole day, Mike Little, Kevinjohn Gallagher, Donnacha Mac Gloinn, Michael Kimb Jones and Andy Gilpin, really just to name a few.
Having never attended an event like this, let alone a meet-up, and you can just forget about a WordCamp, you could say I was a little outside my comfort zone to start with!
So what did I think about the WordUp event itself? …
The Good
Without a doubt, the main event of the day was the sessions!
Learning CSS Using WordPress
WordPress In The Enterprise: Can It Work?
WPTRT: How The Theme Review Process Can Benefit Custom Theme Design
Panel Discussion: WordPress In The Voluntary Sector
How Did You Do That?
Managing Large Networks Of WordPress Sites
Responsive Design
How WordPress Themes Changed The World: Updated
I really liked Kevinjohn’s round-up, he summed my thoughts up nicely. For the first two sessions he did miss, I felt like I learnt something new. CSS is a wonderful thing, that I already knew, it’s quite powerful when you know what you’re doing. When you’re using WordPress in the Enterprise on the other hand, you get a whole new kettle of fish.
Did anyone mention the pizza we had for lunch, it went down a treat! While not all the toppings were right up my street, it was still pretty cool for that time of day. This was in part thanks to all the kind sponsors, of which I was one of them! :)
It was about 5PM before WordUp Edinburgh finished, we headed straight to Brewdog (which was only about a 10 minute walk away if that) for some socialising. I see what everyone says now with regards to this kind of event after, the different topics you talk about and food-for-thought conversations/observations; it’s crazy but in a good way!
The Bad (Improvement/Idea For Next Time)
I’d have liked if we’d went to a restaurant for a meal before hitting Brewdog. While yes we got a bite to eat in the end, it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. Going somewhere with more of a menu might have been a better idea; maybe something for next time?
The Ugly
Well that’s a good question, but did you see me in the photo above? ;)
Overall I had a blast at WordUp Edinburgh and would jump at the next chance to attend a similar event again. For anyone who’s never been to something like that before, you really need to get yourself along. My first time and I really would recommend it!
It’s been a good few months in the making for WordUp Edinburgh, but it all happens tomorrow at Surgeons’ Hall. Having never attended a WordCamp before (I’ll make that happen in 2012), I’m really looking forward to the day, even with the early start! ;)
Status on October 21, 2021
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