February 10, 2025 marked a truly special day for the WordPress Kolhapur community — our first meetup of the year, and what a fantastic gathering it was!
The energy, excitement, and heartfelt discussions around WordCamp Kolhapur made this meetup nothing less than a 10 on 10 experience!
Around the table were some of the most enthusiastic members of our community: Makarand Sir, Vaibhav, Pratap Sir, Digvijay, Ketan Sir, Nilesh Sir, Prashant Sir, Rajendra Sir, Amit, Narayan, Suhas, Akshay, and the one and only Satyam, who traveled all the way from Uttar Pradesh just to attend the wordpress kolhapur meetup!
Reflections on WordCamp Kolhapur:
Nilesh Sir kicked off the session, sharing his happiness about how well the WordCamp turned out. He mentioned he had noted a few minor points for improvement, ensuring the next edition will be even better.
Prashant Sir offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how planning for WordCamp Kolhapur started with a very tight budget. It wasn’t easy at first, but once sponsorships and finances were sorted, things accelerated beautifully. He appreciated the amazing student participation and emphasized that in future editions, we should target local companies more actively.
He also pointed out how people are still buzzing about the swag — social media feeds are flooded with #VishayHard!
Adding to this, Makarand Sir proudly shared that 300 tickets were sold in Kolhapur itself, an incredible response for a first-ever WordCamp in the city!
Highlights From Our Amazing Community
Rajendra Sir, our media partner, spoke about the technical learnings he gained. As a reporter, he received great feedback from the local community about the event, reinforcing the need to continue hosting such global exposure events in Kolhapur.
Ketan Sir, who has attended WordCamps in Kolkata, Bangalore, and Pune, said the hype and vibe of Kolhapur’s WordCamp were unmatched.
He shared how, during other WordCamps across India, people praised Kolhapur’s event, from the food to the venue, and how the presence of women as organizers, volunteers, and attendees was notably appreciated by Mayank during a panel at WordCamp Kolkata — a moment that made him proud of our community.
However, he also highlighted the lack of engagement from local developers — something we must address in the future.
Narayan, attending his first meetup, expressed regret at missing WordCamp Kolhapur due to family emergencies. After hearing nonstop praise from his friends about the event, he vowed to never miss another WordCamp again!
Suhas, who volunteered for the first time, spoke about his joyful experience managing social media during WordCamp.
He shared how many of his college mates discovered WordPress and the community through the event and promised to spread the word even more for the next edition.
The Guest Appearance from UP: Word-Famous Sattya’s Words
Satyam (aka Sattya), a seasoned WordCamp attendee, called WordCamp Kolhapur the best he has attended so far — and that’s after attending 8 WordCamps across India!
Being selected as a volunteer, he suggested areas of improvement:
- More specific roles like Volunteer Wrangler, Design Wrangler, etc.
- More volunteers for smoother management.
- A dedicated volunteer leader to improve coordination.
He also proposed hosting a full-day workshop exclusively for students to boost their involvement, and to arrange tech-focused conferences to grow the community further.
Vaibhav, another first-time volunteer, shared his story of seeing the meetup announcement, contacting Makarand Sir, and getting involved.
He described WordCamp Kolhapur as the best experience he’s had so far in the WordPress community.
Pratap Sir, a veteran of multiple WordCamps (Bangalore, USA, Australia, Delhi, and now Kolhapur), said,
“We can’t compare, every WordCamp has its own beauty, but for our first one, we truly did an outstanding job.”
He also suggested a visionary idea: to host the largest WordCamp for South Maharashtra, covering Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Konkan, and surrounding areas connecting even more WordPress enthusiasts!
Makarand Sir added another brilliant suggestion: to organize meetups for NGOs, offering free website building to create social impact.
Sattya supported this with the idea of hosting two meetups a month one workshop-based and one casual networking meetup.
Digvijay, attending his first-ever WordCamp, was blown away by the experience.
His only suggestion was to adjust the dual-track session setup, as it was difficult to attend all sessions.
Makarand Sir clarified that while dual tracks cater to different skill levels (beginner vs expert), WordPress TV recordings would soon be available for everyone to catch up on missed sessions.
Closing Words from the Lead Organizer: Makarand Sir
Makarand Sir, the heart behind WordCamp Kolhapur, shared his journey:
Starting from scratch, reading the Organizer Handbook, managing multiple departments like accounting, sponsors, website, and handling countless queries — all while keeping the community spirit alive.
He mentioned that for nearly 15 days, his office was closed as he dedicated himself completely to the WordCamp.
He also proudly shared that they organized everything under a tight budget of ₹6.5 lakh, whereas other WordCamps typically require ₹10–20 lakh.
The biggest challenge was securing sponsorships without prior records, but with persistence, sponsors trusted and supported the event.
Finally, everyone agreed that the venue, the execution, and the community spirit were simply phenomenal.
Wrapping Up
The first meetup of 2025 not only celebrated the success of WordCamp Kolhapur but also laid the foundation for even bigger dreams ahead.
Vishay Hard, Kolhapur, this is just the beginning! 🚀
