An Interview with Yuli Yang – Lead Organizer of WordCamp Taipei 2019

An Interview with Yuli Yang - the Lead Organizer of WordCamp Taipei 2019

WordCamp Taipei 2019 concluded with huge success last month on 28th December at GIS NTU Convention Center in Taipei. This was the second of its kind and it received a lot of love and support from WordPressers around the world. The organizers did an incredible job managing everything flawlessly. And the lead organizer of the event, Yuli Yang was awesome as she smoothly managed everything and led WCTPE2019 to success. She has presented impressive leadership qualities and how an event like such needs to be managed. Today, we are extremely happy and proud to be interviewing such a personality.

In this interview, Yuli shares about herself and her experience leading WordCamp Taipei. We would like to heartily thank Yuli Yang for delivering such a phenomenal extravaganza and taking out time from her busy schedule for this interview.

With that being said, here is the full interview with Yuli Yang, the lead organizer of WordCamp Taipei 2019.

Please tell us a little about yourself?

I used to be an introvert. I didn’t like to go out, talk to others or make friends. Being part of the WordPress community changed me. Now, I am a freelancer with 2 kids. I mainly build WordPress websites and develop custom plugins and themes.

You can learn more about me here.

How have you contributed to this wonderful WordPress platform?

I am a Translation Contributor to Chinese Traditional. I organize meetups and WordCamps in Taipei, Taiwan. Moreover, I help in discovering users, freelancers, and businesses for local meetups.

How do you think to organize a WordCamp in individual cities have helped the local WordPress communities and WordPress enthusiasts to grow?

WordCamps unite the whole WordPress community globally. They help people understand WordPress, attract new users, and help the market grow. After WordCamp Taipei 2019, we have discovered people who’re interested in organizing local meetups. In fact, two new local meetups are starting this month.

You’re the lead organizer of WordCamp Taipei 2019. What’s it like organizing a WordCamp?

It’s exhausting, but every minute spent was worthwhile! I witnessed the community growing and saw everyone around me improving every day. Eventually, I made more friends and even worked on different projects together.

How difficult was it to organize everything and keep everything updated & in sync?

The more people join the team, the harder it gets to manage. However, the tasks were distributed equally, so that no one gets overwhelmed. We had three lead organizers at WCTPE and each lead managed two teams. Each team set meetings on their pace. As a Lead Organizer, I set the date and milestone, and remind our other Team Leads about the important deadlines. I would only throw different ideas to each team and let the team decide how they want to complete the tasks.

What’s that one thing that’s really difficult to manage/handle while organizing a WordCamp?

Vote! Some never vote. Some give suggestions but don’t take a stand. In many circumstances, I would have to make the final decision by myself.

What do you think about the team and their effort in WCTPE2019?

I am very thankful for everyone who volunteers their time to help and it is the same with the WCTPE2019 team. It’s definitely a challenge to host a non-profit event but we overcame all the difficulties together. We have each other’s back and that feels great. 😀

What are the most exciting and challenging parts of being the lead organizer?

It’s challenging to spread the WordCamp spirit. I’m trying my best to make people understand that WordCamps do not belong to anyone, yet they belong to everyone. It’s not lead organizers’ personal event to decide everything by oneself. Everyone can have a voice and anyone can join. Everyone can apply for organizers, volunteers, speakers, and sponsors as long as we all follow the Code of Conduct. 😊

Did the attendees get to experience anything new at WordCamp Taipei?

When it comes to a tech conference like this, most Taiwanese think they are “taking classes”. This year, we tried to help people understand that WordCamp is not just about learning new things, but also making new friends and expanding business. We had designed a conference game to help attendees step out of the comfort zone. Also, we scheduled 5 minutes lightning talks for an hour during lunchtime where everyone gathered in the same room. We wanted everyone to make better use of their time to show how valuable they are and help others to see.

What do you love the most about WordCamps and bringing the WordPress communities together?

I love seeing happy faces immersing in a positive vibe, watching the community grow, helping businesses to find the right partners, and seeing newcomers’ hard work pays off. How can you not love the WordPress community after everything it has offered us for years?

What kind of talks do you think would be inspiring and influential at WordCamps?

Any kind! I personally believe it doesn’t matter what current trend is, or how many people care about the topics, or how many comes to your talk. As long as you get on stage, people will have to listen to you. It only matters when your audiences can actually connect with you.

How many footfalls were you expecting at WordCamp Taipei 2019?

Initially, we aimed for 500 attendees, but because of the venue, we had to postponed from October to the end of December. It’s not the best time of the year to host an annual event. This year we sold 453 tickets. The show-up rate was 85%, which was awesome. Also, more than 150 people attended the After Party.

Do you have anything new planned for the next WordCamp happening in your city?

I’m glad that people are already asking about volunteering in 2020. Right now, we are focusing on wrapping up 2019  first and then, we will open the Call for Organizers soon for 2020.

Any messages for WordPress communities who’re thinking about organizing a WordCamp for the first time?

Fear not! Handbooks, previous organizers and WordCamp mentors have your back! If you don’t have connections, others have! You will get all the help you need as long as you’re passionate about it and ask for it.

And lastly, anything you want to share with the audience?

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We couldn’t have done it without any of you. I hope WordCamp Taipei 2020 can bring everyone together again and help the world to explore beautiful Taiwan. Meet people, meet the world!

DevotePress would, once again, like to thank Yuli Yang, the lead organizer of WordCamp Taipei 2019 for taking out her time for this interview. Also, congratulations on the success of WordCamp Taipei 2019! We wish her all the very best for her future endeavors.

Want to know more about Yuli? You can find her on Facebook.

You can subscribe to us for further updates and interviews regarding WordCamp Taipei 2019!

Recommended: 
WordCamp Taipei 2019 – The second of its kind in East Asia

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