My PressConf Recap  ## Metadata - Author: [[Sandra Kurze]] - Full Title: My PressConf Recap - Category: #articles - Summary: Why we attended PressConf Over the past few years we have attended, sponsored and contributed to several large and small WordCamps around the world, as well as other industry events such as CloudFest and Websummit. While each of these events provides different benefits and opportunities for us at Gr - URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-pressconf-recap-sandra-kurze-6pi1f/?utm_content=331391868&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-1646445534901616640  ##### Sandra Kurze ###### COO / CMO @ GREYD - All WordPress. One Suite. Why we attended PressConf Over the past few years we have attended, sponsored and contributed to several large and small WordCamps around the world, as well as other industry events such as CloudFest and Websummit. While each of these events provides different benefits and opportunities for us at Greyd, we have always discussed how we feel certain things are missing or not possible at these events. Because of their size, purpose and/or target audience. So when we first heard about [PressConf](https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpressconf%2Eevents%2F&urlhash=KuaE&trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block), we were immediately interested. It promised to be exactly the kind of event format we were missing in the mix of events we were attending. We were still hesitant to make the decision to go. As a fully bootstrapped company that is currently growing and internationalizing, we're still in a position where we can't just throw money at anything that looks promising. Traveling overseas to an event like this is an investment of several thousand dollars, and we had already committed to several other major investments this year. However, with more and more companies we are currently building partnerships with announcing their attendance, our plans to open an office in the US becoming more concrete, and several important projects underway, it became clear that this was an event we could not afford to miss. The Event Format The PressConf event format is very different from events like WordCamps or CloudFest. It has a clear business focus and due to its size, with only about 140 attendees, it is a very intimate and exclusive event that allows you to have meaningful and focused conversations with the decision makers of the WP ecosystem. It features a powerful lineup of speakers, all of whom were hand-picked and asked to speak on a specific topic. The conversations were not recorded. The event was held in a destination that was both attractive and logistically well connected. I would like to thank [Raquel Manriquez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquel-karina?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-mention) for organizing this event. We have already talked about how we would love to see a European version of the event and be a part of it. The Talks Panel: Navigating the future of WordPress in digital agencies As Germans, we usually keep our personal lives separate from business, so we are not used to business conference talks that include a lot of personal things. We are definitely not used to speakers showing raw emotions on stage. So it felt a little unusual at first when we realized that the speakers on stage were not only there to share business related experiences, thoughts and advice, but also to give us very deep insights into their personal lives. But it didn't take us long to realize that some of the talks would be among the best we'd ever heard. They would be talks that would not only provide immense value on both a personal and business level, but would also move us deeply. Tears were shed not only on the stage, but also in the audience. The speakers shared their life stories, their worst moments, their greatest successes, their lessons learned, and their honest opinions. By putting their business failures and successes in the context of what was going on in their personal lives, they helped us see things from a different perspective. Because business is never just business. It always involves people with very different life stories. While I enjoyed each and every presentation on stage, I want to give special props to [Remkus de Vries](https://nl.linkedin.com/in/jrdevries?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-mention) and [Miriam Schwab](https://il.linkedin.com/in/miriamschwab?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-mention) . Thank you for giving us these very deep and emotional insights into your private lives. For me, you two are exactly the kind of role models we need in this world. In life. In business. In the community. The Conversations It was great to finally meet face to face with some of the people we are currently working with or discussing partnerships with. While we would have liked to have had a little more time to meet and talk in between the great talks, there was plenty of free time in the evenings. This is another difference from WordCamps, where you often have to choose between multiple invitations for the same evening because there is so much going on. We are very excited to see how these new partnerships develop and will be giving an update on some of the things that will be happening soon and in the coming months. After-Party Reception: Photo with me together with Chris Badgett, Mark Westguard, Kevin Geary & Sunny Trochaniak Final Thoughts Since we started attending events with Greyd, there hasn't been one that we haven't come away from with more than we expected. PressConf is no exception. What makes PressConf so special is that we not only come away with new business opportunities and insights. This event also touched us personally. [Brian Richards](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rzen?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-mention) summed it up in his closing remarks: "It was real. It was raw. It was valuable". And that's exactly what it was. This was definitely not our last PressConf., My PressConf Recap, Sandra Kurze, 01jsyzbr8y3596vk2p0pqcarea.