Hello, Emma! Which team are you a part of, and what is your role?

I am a member of the Budget Team. My role is to act as the Budget Team’s contact for the Marketing & Communications, Sponsors, Content and Volunteers teams. I support the teams with purchases and payments, and advise them how much money they can spend.  

Where are you from / where are you based?
I am originally from Newcastle in the north-east of England, then spent more than 20 years living in Sheffield (a large city close to Manchester), and now I am based in Athens, Greece!

When did you first get involved with the WordPress project, and have you contributed to the project previously?

Being an organiser at WordCamp2023 in Athens was my very first time contributing to the WordPress project. I work for a company that creates digital solutions in the WordPress environment, so I was familiar with it but only in a very top-level way. This year, I am getting some hands-on experience creating content, which is fun!

Is this your first time organising WordCamp Europe, or have you been an organiser/volunteer previously?

So as I mentioned in my previous answer, I was an organiser at last year’s WordCamp Europe in Athens. All three days of the conference were a fabulous experience. It was fantastic to be surrounded by so many enthusiasts. I attended some very informative talks on a wide range of WordPress-related topics and learnt many helpful take-away tips that I have been able to integrate back in the office. The best part for me was seeing all the things we had helped the teams to purchase – from the venue onwards – coming together to make the event such a huge success.

Which team are you on, and what is the team responsible for?

This year I am on the Budget Team – and last year I was also on the Budget Team! So it is a great opportunity to extend my knowledge of all things related to the WordCamp budget.

What are you and your team working on at the moment?

Our priority at the moment is to finalise the budget forecast for Torino 2024 so that every team knows how much money they can spend. We are also working on documenting our team’s processes to make a reference library for future years and are making some improvements to the budget spreadsheet template, so that it will be even easier to use in the future.

What are you excited about for WordCamp Europe?

I am looking forward to listening to some really inspiring talks and having the opportunity to connect with WordPress users. I am also intrigued to see the venue as it looks fantastic in photos.

What would you say to people thinking of applying as an organiser or volunteer for WordCamp Europe?

Go for it! It is so satisfying to attend the event and realise that your hard work has made it possible. I am proof that you do not need to have any skills in WordPress at all to get involved. The WordPress community is so friendly that even a novice like me was made to feel welcome.

If you have been on the organising team for previous WCEU’s, what are one or two things you learned from the experience?

A plus about being on the Budget Team is that you get a birds-eye view of every aspect of WordCamp. I had organised small one-day conferences and workshops before, but it was very eye-opening to see all the different components that must be in place to deliver an event on the scale of WordCamp successfully.