Simon Pollard, a long-time WordPress developer based in Bristol and currently at Illustrate Digital, discusses how COVID-19 reshaped local WordPress meetups, the struggles of rebuilding community, and ideas for the future of in-person events.
Background and Meetup origins
Simon started with WordPress early in his career and helped grow the Bristol WordPress Meetup from a small pub gathering into an officially supported group. With help from volunteers—including a project manager who organised speakers and Jenny Wong from Human Made who helped secure official backing and funds—the group ran monthly meetups with 30–40 attendees, sponsors, catering, and a welcoming organising team.
COVID’s disruption and personal changes
The pandemic halted in-person events. Simon, who joined Illustrate Digital at the start of 2020, stepped back from community organising during COVID. He also became a parent during that period, and his social life shifted toward music and a local band rather than meetups. Attempts to hand the Meetup over to new organisers initially failed, and activity dwindled.
Re-emergence and the current state
Recently Simon returned to attend a Meetup and found the atmosphere familiar but smaller. Some of the original organisers, like Janice, Michael and Rob, helped revive the group. The warmth and openness of in-person meetups remain: name badges, greeters, post-talk mingling, and a welcoming culture where people freely help each other. Those qualities are what made Simon comfortable giving talks and what encouraged attendees to network and share knowledge.
Challenges reconnecting: fractured social platforms
One major problem is how to reach people between meetups. Before COVID, Twitter and Facebook served as town-squares to promote events and keep community ties. Post-COVID, social platforms have fragmented: people migrated, left, or now use multiple niche platforms. Simon found it harder to find the same network and has largely been using LinkedIn to reconnect. This fragmentation reduces casual in-between interactions that once fed community momentum.
Younger generations, AI, and changing incentives
Nathan and Simon discuss broader cultural shifts that may affect community participation. Younger people today often use social platforms or short-form media instead of maintaining personal websites or blogs—less incentive to learn tooling or engage in deeper online collaboration. AI compounds the change: instead of asking a person or searching community forums, many now get answers directly from AI agents, which don’t attribute contributors. That reduces visible recognition and the personal connections that arise from helping others.
Why in-person still matters
Despite the rise of online tools and AI, Simon and Nathan argue the in-person element is uniquely valuable: the spontaneous conversations, encouragement to give talks, cross-disciplinary learning, and the post-talk social time aren’t replicable on video calls. Meetups and WordCamps knit the project together by creating relationships that lead to collaboration, contributions, and long-term involvement. The absence of those face-to-face touchpoints risks weakening community-driven development and knowledge-sharing.
What made Bristol work—and how that can guide rebuilding
Bristol’s Meetup succeeded because it actively welcomed newcomers: greeters, name badges, and organisers who connected people based on roles or interests. The group programmed a mix of topics—technical and non-technical—which broadened appeal and encouraged cross-pollination of ideas. These practices helped people attend for the community as much as for the talks themselves.
Ideas for revitalising meetups and events
– Embrace mixed programming: include talks that aren’t strictly WordPress-specific (animation, design, soft skills) to attract wider audiences and expose attendees to new ideas.
– Reintroduce social elements: post-talk socials, live music, or creative showcases can make events more appealing in a crowded leisure market. Many WordPressers are musicians—local acts or attendee bands could be part of events.
– Keep events welcoming: name badges, greeters, and organisers who actively match newcomers to relevant attendees are simple but powerful.
– Scale events appropriately: smaller, single-track WordCamps or regional gatherings might be more sustainable than the multi-track formats of the past.
– Use multiple outreach channels: with social media fragmented, organisers should distribute event info across email lists, LinkedIn, community forums, and platform-agnostic methods to reach diverse audiences.
– Leverage hybrid formats thoughtfully: while hybrid events can extend reach, the core value of in-person interaction should guide planning—don’t make hybrid an excuse to neglect the live experience.
The role of community in WordPress’ success
Both hosts emphasise that community is central to WordPress’ success. Contributions, peer support, local connections, and the willingness of developers to help each other have been vital. While the community hasn’t vanished, it’s smaller and more fragmented. Rebuilding will require effort, creativity, and acceptance that formats may change.
Practical next steps and where to find Simon
Simon is reconnecting with former contacts and exploring how to re-engage the Bristol community. He encourages others to share ideas for revitalising local meetups and to participate where possible. He can be reached via Illustrate Digital (illustrate.digital) and LinkedIn, which is his primary channel for now.
Conclusion
WordPress meetups and WordCamps remain valuable but face a new landscape: changing social platforms, AI-driven information access, shifting personal priorities, and post-pandemic habits. Revitalisation is possible by focusing on what makes in-person gatherings special—warmth, connection, cross-disciplinary programming, and social fun—while adapting outreach and formats to today’s fragmented online world.