Some WordCamps require a flight. WordCamp Montclair only requires a drive up the Parkway. On Saturday, June 24, 2023, the North Jersey WordPress community gathered at the School of Communications and Media at Montclair State University, about 15 miles west of New York City. Our founder, Brian Messenlehner, was there, and this time he brought the next generation along: Brian Messenlehner Jr. was registered too, and the photo above is him, celebrating in front of the sponsor banner.
Why a local WordCamp matters
Big events like WordCamp US get the headlines, but regional WordCamps are where most people have their first WordCamp experience. WordCamp Montclair welcomes everyone from absolute beginners to expert designers, marketers and coders. The sessions cover business, content and development, and the hallway conversations are with people you might actually see again at the next local meetup.
For a New Jersey agency, that is valuable. Many of the organizations we work with are here: counties and municipalities, school districts, nonprofits and local businesses. Spending a Saturday with the people who build and manage their websites is time well spent.
AppPresser and Montclair
WordCamp Montclair has been part of our story for a while. AppPresser, the WordPress mobile app platform Brian owns, sponsored WordCamp Montclair in 2022, with a listing that described what it does in plain terms: a WordPress based service and series of plugins that let you build iOS and Android apps without knowing how to build iOS and Android apps, integrating with popular plugins like WooCommerce, BuddyPress and LearnDash. In 2023, Brian and Brian Jr. were both registered under AppPresser.com.
The local WordPress Montclair Meetup is also where Brian demoed building a mobile app from any WordPress website back in July 2018, so the room was full of familiar faces.
Bringing kids into WordPress
Brian has been teaching his kids WordPress for years. His speaker bio at WordCamp Philly in 2015 said so directly. A WordCamp is a great place for a young person to see how open source works: volunteers running the event, speakers sharing what they know for free, and a community that welcomes newcomers. Some of today's core contributors got started exactly that way.
What we took home
Regional WordCamps keep us grounded in what everyday WordPress users need: easier editing, faster sites, better accessibility, and help moving off platforms that no longer serve them. Those needs shape the services AlphaWeb offers, from WordPress development and migrations to hosting, support and mobile apps.
At a glance
- Event: WordCamp Montclair 2023
- Date: Saturday, June 24, 2023
- Venue: School of Communications and Media, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey
- Earlier: AppPresser sponsored WordCamp Montclair 2022
Related: Years of WordPress Meetups in New York and New Jersey, WordCamp US 2023: Back with the Book in National Harbor and WordCamp Philly 2015: The WordPress in Schools Panel.
If you are a New Jersey organization looking for a WordPress partner close to home, AlphaWeb would love to hear from you.
