When we opened applications for the WordCamp Asia 2027 organizing team, we hoped to see strong interest from across the WordPress community. What we received exceeded our expectations: 260 applications from 24 countries, each representing a willingness to contribute to WordCamp Asia and to the broader WordPress community.
We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who applied.
Because so many people placed their trust in us by submitting an application, we also wanted to be transparent about how the organizing team was formed. We hope this overview helps applicants better understand the process, and that it may also serve as a useful reference for future WordCamp Asia and other flagship WordCamp organizing teams.
Step 1: Reviewing Applications
Our four Global Leads reviewed every application, considering the needs of each team and the information applicants shared about their experience, skills, and interests.
Our goal was not simply to find the most experienced organizers. We also wanted to build teams with a healthy balance of experienced and first-time organizers, a variety of perspectives and skills, and representation from across our community. Depending on the team, local knowledge and specific expertise were also important considerations.
Working together, we created a smaller candidate pool for each team to move forward to the next stage.
Step 2: Selecting Team Leads and Co-Leads
Before building the full organizing team, we identified Team Lead and Co-Lead candidates for each team and reached out to confirm their availability and willingness to take on leadership responsibilities.
At this stage, we shared a progress update with the community on Facebook, letting applicants know that the review process was moving forward and encouraging everyone to continue participating in WordCamp Asia regardless of the outcome.
Step 3: Building Each Team
Once the Team Leads and Co-Leads had been confirmed, we invited them to help build their own teams.
To support this process, we prepared a candidate list for each team, allowing Team Leads to review applicants who matched their team’s needs.
Rather than having all decisions made by the Global Leads, each leadership team reviewed the remaining candidates for their area and selected organizers based on the team’s needs, applicants’ skills and experience, and the overall balance of the team.
This collaborative approach allowed the people who will work most closely together over the coming months to help shape their teams while maintaining the overall vision for WordCamp Asia 2027.
The Result
The final organizing team consists of approximately 80 organizers representing 17 countries.
One statistic we’re especially happy to share is that more than half of the team are first-time WordCamp Asia organizers. Welcoming new organizers has always been important to the long-term health of our community, and we’re excited to see fresh ideas and new perspectives working alongside experienced organizers.
Our First Town Hall
On July 1, our organizing team came together for our first all-team Town Hall meeting.
For many of us, it was the first opportunity to meet teammates from across Asia and beyond. The meeting marked the official beginning of our journey toward WordCamp Asia 2027, and we’re excited to see each team begin its work in the months ahead.
To Everyone Who Applied
If you applied but were not selected as an organizer this year, please know this: not being selected does not mean you weren’t good enough.
We simply had far more qualified applicants than available organizer positions. Building a balanced team meant making difficult decisions, and many excellent candidates could not be included this time.
WordCamp has always been much bigger than its organizing team. Volunteers, speakers, sponsors, attendees, and contributors all play an essential role in making the event successful. We value your passion for the community, and we warmly invite you to join us in those capacities.
Please keep an eye on our website for updates on when applications for these roles open. We also encourage you to stay engaged and apply for future organizing teams.
Looking Ahead
Every WordCamp builds on the experience of those that came before it.
By sharing how we approached organizer selection, we hope this process can provide ideas and encouragement for future organizing teams as they build diverse, collaborative, and welcoming communities of their own.
Thank you once again to everyone who applied, and to everyone who helps make the WordPress community the welcoming place it is. We look forward to building WordCamp Asia 2027 together.
Comments
4 responses to “Behind the Organizer Selection Process for WordCamp Asia 2027”
WordPress has become biased. I applied for 3 years in a row and got rejected, but I see people with connections, and the organizing team continuesly on it. It really doesn’t seem like a coincidence but favouritism. Just simply say, you only accept people based on connections and previous experience. A person with real WordPress experience in a professional field, enthusiasm for it, contributions, and attending the wordcamps doesn’t count at all. You guys are shameless.
Thanks for sharing your concerns. We understand that being unsuccessful after applying several times can be disappointing.
However, organizer selection was not based simply on connections, previous WordCamp Asia experience, or an assessment of whether someone is a “real” WordPress professional.
We received 260 applications for approximately 80 positions. Each team had different needs, and applicants were considered based on relevant skills, experience, team requirements and the overall balance of the organising team.
In fact, more than half of the WordCamp Asia 2027 organising team are first-time WordCamp Asia organisers.
Not being selected does not mean that your WordPress experience or contributions are not valued. Unfortunately, with significantly more qualified applicants than available positions, we could not accommodate everyone.
We also hope to welcome you at WordCamp Asia 2027, and we appreciate your continued participation in the WordPress community.
I understand where Shamim is coming from, and I’ve seen the same pattern.
If you look at the selected list, it really helps if you work for a well-known WordPress agency, hosting company, or product, or if you brand yourself as a “Tech Lead / Founder / CEO” on LinkedIn. That title instantly gives you credibility in the selection, even if you’re actually between jobs, the title still looks impressive on a profile.
For people like me on the other side of WordPress work – sysadmins, hosting, infra, DevOps – or independent freelancers and folks from small local agencies with real professional experience, real client work, and who have been quietly contributing and attending WordCamps – it’s much harder to stand out. Your experience is real, but your branding isn’t loud, and infra work is almost invisible.
Is it favoritism? I don’t think it’s intentional, but the system naturally rewards visibility over real contribution. Those who are already visible become more visible.
But on the positive side, the organizer badge isn’t the only way to contribute. We can still support as volunteers and contributors. Let’s try again next year, maybe with better personal branding.
Thanks for sharing this perspective. Visibility can certainly make it easier to understand someone’s background, but working for a well-known company or having a “Founder”, “CEO” or “Tech Lead” title is not what determines organizer selection.
One thing I would strongly encourage applicants to do is complete their WordPress.org profile, especially the bio. For many people in infrastructure, hosting, DevOps, freelancing or smaller agencies, a lot of excellent professional work is not publicly visible.
A clear bio helps the selection team understand your WordPress experience, community involvement, skills and what you could bring to a particular team. An empty or very limited profile makes that much harder, even when the person may have years of real-world experience.
Of course, the profile alone does not determine selection. We still have to consider the needs of each team, relevant experience, availability, team balance and the number of positions available.
So I agree with your broader point that people should make their experience visible, but I would focus less on impressive job titles and more on clearly documenting your actual WordPress experience and contributions.