This is how we did it
On the last day of WordCamp Europe, we always announce the next host city. But we never tell you how we made the decision.
In this post, we’re not going to tell you which city has been chosen; that will be announced in due time. But we will give you the details of our decision process as part of our continuing effort for transparency.
Before we continue, we want to thank the local teams working in each city for taking the time to prepare and send us their proposals. We received four excellent applications that were done with dedication and care. We sincerely congratulate each of the teams.
The host city selection process for WCEU 2025
The cities that applied
Before we begin, let us tell you who applied.
- Poland: Krakow
- Spain: Granada and Valencia
- Switzerland: Basel
These cities submitted their candidacies before the call closed on February 14th.
The steps in the process
The selection process was divided into the following phases:
A. The call for host cities for 2025 was published on December 15, 2023.
B. Weekly meetings were then held with the local teams from the interested cities. Those meetings aim to facilitate the work of the organizing teams as much as possible. Email and Slack consultations were also used.
B. After the call for host cities was closed on February 14, the Selection Team began working to standardise the proposals. Although the application form was the same, each local team had a different style when presenting their information. The goal was for all proposals to be as similar as possible regarding the information they provided so that the selection process was as equitable as possible.
C. Weekly meetings were held with the local teams from the interested cities. Those meetings allowed the Selection Team to ask questions about details that needed to be clarified and to solicit other information that was missing. Email and Slack consultations were also used. The local teams were asked questions about details they need to complete or clarify.
D. The members of the Selection Team reviewed the standardised applications and individually recorded their preferences. Then the team met and discussed their input, with each member explaining their their decision. The team then voted and selected the host city. (See more in the section “The selection criteria” below.)
E. A meeting was held with each of the local teams that applied. During the meeting we communicated our decision and our reason for the decision. We also provided feedback to teams that were not selected, offering suggestions on ways they can improve their applications in the future.
Standardising the data
Here are a couple examples of how we standardised the data in the applications.
- We ensured that all proposals included the catering price with a standard calculation.
- In the proposals received, there were differences in the number of people expected at the Contributor Day, different prices depending on the number of attendees, or the variety of menus, so we worked to standardise that information.
The selection committee
For this host city selection process, the team was made up of the three lead organizers, the current Local Team Lead, and the WCEU Mentors, for a total of six people. The makeup of the team was decided before the call for Host City applications was announced.
The selection criteria
The selection team carefully considers these sections of the applications:
- WordPress community activity in that country and city: This includes items like how many WordCamps are held , which was the most recent, and how many Meetup groups are active.
- Number of organizers: It is important to know how many organizers are involved in the candidacy and in the future local team of that WCEU.
- Venue and catering: Dimensions of dining areas, room capacity, lounges for different activities, location, services, and rental prices of the venue and catering.
- Logistics: The distance to the nearest international airport and the number of international connections, metro, train, bus, tram – that is, a way to calculate the ease with which attendees of that WCEU can travel to the destination point and within the city.
- Destination points: These include the city’s tourist attractions, food and accommodation prices, and hotel capacity.
- Organisers’ pitch: Besides all the above information, how the organisers describe their candidacy is very important. In several applications, we received authentic works of art in presentation or video format.
Making the decision
The selection team members scored each application privately and then gathered to ratify the verdict. As we mentioned earlier, once the decision is made, we meet with each team to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each of their candidacies so that if they want to apply for the following year, they can do so with greater chances of being chosen.
The next step
Now that the decision has been made, members of the organizing team of the chosen city become part of the current WCEU team. The aim is for them to gain experience and become familiar with the working environment and the tasks involved. The more experience in the field, the better.
Now we wait
Now we just have to wait for the closing ceremony of WCEU in Torino so that you can find out which city will be the next host of this community event that we hold dear. We cannot wait!!!
See you in Torino!