Phoenix Field Notes: WordCamp US 2026

Last week, our small crew from Beaver Builder had the privilege of attending WordCamp US 2026, held August 16–19, in sweltering but beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix is familiar territory for our team. Our first team trip there was for PressNomics in 2017, followed by WordCamp Phoenix in 2020 and 2023, and more recently PressConf. Anthony Tran, Beaver Builder’s marketing director, also lives nearby. We tried something a little different this year and, with the help of some friends, hosted a proper after-party at a local arcade bar.

As with most WordCamps, the draw for me is to spend some time with people I work with every day but rarely get to see in person, catch up with old friends, and hopefully make some new ones. It would have been nice to see a fuller sponsor hall, a stronger turnout, and more of the optimism and exuberance that the U.S.-based WordPress community had in years past. All in all, though, I’d say the event was a success.

A shorter trip this year

I started keeping an eye on the #WCUS feed on X and saw people start arriving in town on Saturday. It reminded me of years past, when I would show up to camps as much as a week early, stay several days after, or otherwise extend the trip. This year was different. Being a new dad, I decided to keep the trip shorter than I otherwise would have. As much as I love getting on airplanes, being at home with my daughter is my favorite way to spend time these days.

Choosing an after-party over a sponsorship

We announced our after-party here on the blog a few weeks ago. We talked a little bit about how the idea came together: hosting a bigger after-party than just a few friends for dinner or drinks is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.

The missing piece that made it a reality this year was getting the opportunity to work with our friend Raquel Manriquez from Wonderland Curious. You may know Raquel from her long-time presence around WordPress, her love of community, or her role as the new steward of PressConf (formerly Pressonomics), the business-focused WordPress conference in Tempe.

I could gush on and on about what a nice experience it was and, frankly, how easy it was for us to put this party together. Raquel did all of the legwork. All we really had to do was sign a check and pick what kind of meat we wanted on our tacos. As if that all wasn’t impressive enough, Raquel was also the lead organizer of WordCamp US, so she was doing all of this alongside her responsibilities organizing the official conference.

The event was a smashing success. Within a few days of announcing it, we’d received enough registrations that the event was waitlist-only. We decided to expand the capacity, and even then, we hit the limit. It was clear people were excited about the party, and the turnout reflected that. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The venue was fun and handled the number of people well.

Our approach, the sponsor hall, and the energy

Before going to any event, I like to review the attendees page and keep an eye out for people I haven’t talked to in a while or people I would like to meet. As a remote team, we always end up spending a lot of time together at WordCamps while trying to balance that with time at the conference, networking, and attending sessions. I never regret it, but when all is said and done, I always look back and wish we had more time. There is always someone on that attendee list I planned to link up with, only to realize afterward that we never managed to cross paths.

I mentioned before that the sponsor hall seemed sparse, and looking again at the pictures confirms it. Granted, the room was cavernous and gigantic, but you can see that there’s a lot of space between sponsor booths and there just weren’t that many people wandering around. Our buddy James Laws from Ninja Forms wrote a post-event recap and brought up the idea of lowering sponsorship costs to make it more accessible for smaller businesses instead of the usual list of the “big guys.”

When the sponsor hall is integrated into the event’s traffic flow, whether through food or sessions, it always feels livelier. This year, the sponsor hall was sort of off on its own island, on a different floor than the rest of the sessions.

Highlights

I’d head back to Phoenix again in a heartbeat. Despite the heat, the downtown area is fun and youthful, and hopping in a driverless Waymo is always a fun experience.

We went to several restaurants throughout the trip, and all of the food was delicious. The highlight was a traditional wood-fired pizza joint called Cibo that was recommended by one of the Phoenix locals.

I was really excited to see the WordPress Mercantile booth back up and running. Over the years, I’ve loved my WordPress hoodies and swag, and I was disappointed that at the last few WordCamps I attended, there was no place to buy official WordPress gear. This year, not only did they have some cool items to purchase, but I swear this hoodie was made for me. It’s blue tie-dye, and it’s super soft and cozy, just in time for fall.

On the last day, we were grabbing a delicious brew at Arizona Wilderness Brewery, and everyone’s phone started vibrating with a severe weather warning. There was a haboob incoming, a giant dust storm. Luckily, we only experienced some extreme winds, followed later by rain and lightning, but there were areas of Phoenix that got hit with a huge amount of dust. Part of me was secretly hoping to experience the full zero-visibility dust storm. Of course, I’m also glad that didn’t happen.

What we would hope to see improved

I know there’s been a lot of effort to bring fresh faces into the WordPress community, and I hope those efforts continue and find success.

In thinking about ways the conference could be improved, I’m certainly not pointing any fingers at organizers, sponsors, Automattic, or any of the behind-the-scenes people who work so hard. Many of them are volunteers who make an event like this possible.

More than anything, I feel a sense of sadness that the era of thriving regional WordCamps in the U.S. seems to be coming to an end. That said, it’s not all bad news. Personally, I’m not doing any overseas travel this year, as I have a new baby at the house. I’ve heard, though, that both WordCamp Europe and WordCamp Asia have been thriving and are taking the reins as the “must-attend” events for the WordPress community. I’m excited at the thought of possibly checking out WordCamp Canada in November, and I’m encouraged by the influx of WordPress-adjacent events like PressConf that are popping up.

Conclusion

To wrap this up, I want to say a big thanks to my colleagues Anthony, Brent, and Justin for joining me on this trip. A big thanks to Leah, who tried to join us for this event but unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute due to illness. We missed you, Leah. I also want to thank Servebolt, Termageddon, and DocsBot for co-sponsoring the after-party.

I am grateful to all the behind-the-scenes sponsors, volunteers, and organizers who made WordCamp US happen. Last but certainly not least, thanks to all of you, our readers and members of our community.

In our bizarre world of online existences and friendships, I can’t say enough about how impactful and meaningful it is to meet with people face-to-face and talk about WordPress, Beaver Builder, and, these days, AI. Getting to have those conversations around a pool, fire pit, or hotel lobby bar is a highlight. WordCamps and WordPress events are where I go to get inspired and energized, and WordCamp US absolutely fulfilled its role for me in that regard.