A Recap of WordCamp Kolhapur 2025

The first-ever WordCamp Kolhapur, held on January 11-12, 2025, was an extraordinary gathering of WordPress enthusiasts, professionals, and students. We sold out more than expected tickets and saw a huge response on both days!

Being the first in our city, we’ve seen many students, attendees, sponsors, partners & speakers debuting at our inaugural event.

The Numbers Speak

Day 1 (History-photo Walk, Workshops & Contributor Day)

The first day began with an early morning History photo walk during which we explored the streets of Kolhapur, delving into its historical significance.

Later in the day, we hosted a student workshop and a contributor’s day for WordCamp attendees.

• General Attendance: ~200
• Workshops: 100+ students participated in hands-on sessions.
• Contributor Day: Around 100 attendees contributed to various WordPress teams.

Here’s a glimpse of the workshop for over 100+ students, conducted by our facilitators Aditya Kane, Yogi Londhe, V Gautham Navada, Rahul Sarker, and Mayank Kumar.

Simultaneously, over 100 WordPress enthusiasts contributed to the WordPress project.

The contributor’s day had a blend of fun and learning, led by 7 enthusiastic table leads introducing different ways to contribute to WordPress: Prathamesh Palve (Polyglots), Satyam Vishwakarma (Photos), Chetan Prajapati (Core), Tarun Paswani (Plugin), Arun Shenoy (Theme), Vishal Mukadam (Support & Community), Prem Tiwari (Training)

Day 2 (Sessions & Networking)

Over 250+ attendees joined Day 2, featuring speaker sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Participants enjoyed various activities, including entertainment games, social media contests, and sponsored raffles, with many attendees winning prizes.

24 Speakers Covering Various Topics: A diverse lineup of 24 speakers delivered talks, covering technical deep dives and community-building. They were a valuable resource for students and first-time attendees.

Community Highlights

Being the first WordCamp in Kolhapur, we’ve seen exceptional acceptance of this tech event. Both students and professionals actively participated throughout the two-day event.

• Local Engagement: 204 tickets sold to people from Kolhapur and nearby regions, reinforcing community spirit and local business involvement.
• Wapuu: Three designs were shortlisted, with a final mascot named “Bhavapuu” created by Rama Khandkar.
• Swag: Creative swag included cloth bags, novelty items, pens, notepads, stickers, T-shirts, and water bottles. Organizers and volunteers sported custom-designed hoodies.
• Food & Festivities: The food on both days was a major hit, with games, contests, and sponsor raffles adding fun to the event. Many participants walked away with exciting prizes.

The People Who Made it Happen!

WordCamp Kolhapur wouldn’t have been possible without the support and enthusiasm of many.

19 Sponsors Across Multiple Categories: We were grateful for the support from our sponsors who encouraged us to push the limits and make this event a success.

Sponsors included WordPress.com, GoDaddy, Bluehost, WPBeginner, Woo, FlowMattic, RunCloud, ZipWP, Malcure, POSIMYTH, Elementor, Elicus, IP Websoft, Store Apps, SEOPress SAS, WPVibes, Walstar, showmy.pics, and D.Y. Patil School of Engineering and Management (Venue Sponsor).

Media Coverage: Local newspapers and digital platforms such as Sakal, Lokmat, WPBaat, Amhi Khastkar, Prahar, Hello Kolhapur, and Kolhapur Explorer gave us significant coverage, highlighting WordPress’s impact on Kolhapur’s tech scene.

A Team of 32 Dedicated Professionals!

WordCamp Kolhapur 2025 was backed by 9 debuting organizers, including 3 women. Two of them were attending their first WordCamp along with organising it!

15 out of the 23 volunteers were first-time attendees, and 9 of the volunteers were women, reflecting our community’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Closing Notes

WordCamp Kolhapur 2025 successfully combined first-time enthusiasm with established WordPress community practices. Notable achievements include:

• High First-Timer Engagement: 215 new attendees, 9 new organizers, 15 new volunteers and 9 new speakers.
• Diverse Contributions: Multiple teams participated in the Contributor’s Day, fostering skills and community involvement.
• Growing Local Support: 2 sponsors & 2 micro sponsors from Kolhapur city, strong media coverage, and an engaged regional audience.

Next Steps:

With the success of this inaugural event, Kolhapur has cemented its place on the WordPress map. We look forward to further growing this community and hosting events that bring WordPress enthusiasts together.

• We’ll soon gather attendee feedback.
• Follow up with participants to maintain momentum for future meetups and WordCamps.
• Share “Success Stories” to inspire the broader WordPress community.

Want To Join Us?

Interested in becoming an organizer or volunteer for future WordCamps? The best way to get involved is to join the Kolhapur WordPress Community on MeetUp.

Follow us on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on community events.

Our Heartfelt Thanks!

A special thanks to all sponsors, media partners, organizers, volunteers, speakers, and attendees for making WordCamp Kolhapur 2025 a memorable event. We look forward to seeing everyone again in future WordPress community meetups and WordCamps!