Simon Pollard, a long-time WordPress developer from Bristol now working at Illustrate Digital, joined Nathan Wrigley to talk about how Meetups and local WordPress community life changed during and after the pandemic — and what might help rebuild them.
Early days in Bristol
Simon first discovered WordPress in early roles and became active in the Bristol Meetup as it grew from informal pub conversations into an officially supported group. With help from a proactive project manager and supporters like Jenny Wong at Human Made, the Meetup gained WordPress endorsement, sponsorship, catering, a bank account, and a steady turnout of 30–40 people. It offered a welcoming environment where people could share knowledge, present talks without fear of harsh critique, network, and learn from each other — a place that encouraged teaching and mutual support.
The 2020 turning point
Everything changed in 2020. Meetups stopped overnight and momentum evaporated. For Simon the pandemic coincided with major life changes: a new baby and a shift of social energy toward music and a local band. He also lacked the appetite and setup to move the Meetup online. Early attempts to pass leadership on to others didn’t succeed, attendance faded, and the informal connections that sustained the group frayed.
Coming back and facing the new normal
Simon has recently returned to in-person events and found the same warmth among familiar faces, but events are smaller and the work to rebuild is different now. Two main challenges stand out: reconnecting with people after a long gap, and reaching others in a fractured social-media landscape. Where there once felt like a town square for community conversation, platforms have splintered. People now live across LinkedIn, Mastodon, Discord, TikTok, and many niche spaces, so organizers no longer have one reliable channel to keep momentum between meetups.
Why in-person still matters
Both Simon and Nathan emphasize that in-person interaction remains crucial. Casual hallway conversations, spontaneous follow-ups after talks, and the human warmth at a meetup create connections that lead to collaboration, referrals, and long-term professional relationships. For solo developers and small teams especially, that network can be a major source of support. Simple practices that helped newcomers — greeters, name badges, and intentional introductions — made people feel included. Those small rituals are easy to lose but yield high impact.
New headwinds to rebuilding community
Several broader shifts make revival harder:
– Habits formed during lockdown: people are more used to staying in and consuming entertainment at home, reducing the impulse to go out regularly.
– Fragmented communications: no single social platform reliably reaches a local audience the way older platforms once did.
– AI as a substitute for conversation: people often use AI for quick answers instead of asking peers. That reduces the social credit and connections that used to come from answering questions on forums or at events.
Rethinking events and audiences
Simon and Nathan suggest adapting meetups to reflect changing tastes and attention patterns:
– Broader programming: Mix technical talks with creative and soft-skill topics to draw a wider crowd. Speakers from design, animation, storytelling, or related creative fields can inject inspiration and attract new attendees.
– Mixed formats: Combine talks, developer days, social time, and entertainment. Many people attend not just for content but to see peers, unwind, and build relationships.
– Tap into other interests: Many WordPress people are also musicians, filmmakers, or artists. Blending arts and tech — live music, short film showcases, or animation demos — can reframe meetups as social and cultural gatherings as well as learning events.
– Maintain welcoming rituals: Active greeters, visible name badges, and brief introductions that connect newcomers to relevant people are simple measures that keep events inclusive.
WordCamps and scale
WordCamps are the larger-scale equivalent of Meetups. Simon wonders whether regional WordCamps will return to their pre-pandemic sizes or need to be reimagined. Even if attendance is smaller, there remains appetite for multi-day events, developer days, and social programming — but these may need to be leaner, combined with other attractions, or refocused to justify travel and time away.
A call to experiment and reconnect
Simon is actively reaching out to past contacts and thinking about how to reboot the Bristol Meetup. He stresses that the community hasn’t vanished — it’s in flux. Rebuilding will take effort: new outreach channels, fresh formats that match how people now consume content, and intentional work to reconnect lapsed members. He invites ideas from anyone who wants to help rethink programming, outreach, and the mix of social and learning activities.
Closing thoughts
The in-person traditions of WordPress Meetups and WordCamps played a vital role in the project’s culture and growth. While the pandemic and wider cultural shifts changed participation patterns, the core value — friendly, helpful, in-person connection — remains. Reviving community will likely require hybrid thinking: preserve what made meetups welcoming, experiment with mixed programming including arts and entertainment, and find new ways to keep people connected between events in a fragmented social landscape.
Where to find Simon
Simon works at Illustrate Digital (illustrate.digital) and is most active on LinkedIn. For links to Simon’s profile and the Bristol Meetup reboot efforts, see the episode show notes on wptavern.com.