WordCamp Sylhet 2026 recap: the no swag policy, a busy unofficial marketing table at Contributor Day, and why you should join a local WordCamp.
WordCamp Sylhet 2026 happened on 2 and 3 October. This was the 3rd time WordCamp Sylhet was held.
This year was a little different from the other years. This time, WordCamp Sylhet organisers made a “no swag policy”. Swag means gifts. It means sponsors and booths would not give out any gifts.
The main reason was simple. They wanted only the people who really want to join the sessions to come to WordCamp. Who are interested in WordPress and wanted to learn about the WordPress community. They also wanted people who want to meet others and learn from them to buy tickets. That’s why many people felt there was less hype about WordCamp Sylhet this time. It is normal to feel that. The tickets did not sell out in one or two minutes like before. Also, many tech companies in our country let people go from their jobs in recent years, so everyone felt worried about the industry. Maybe that is why many people who would have joined WordCamp Sylhet did not join this time.
But I liked the “no swag policy”. I saw the last WordCamp Dhaka. There were so many good sessions. But everyone was busy running after gifts at the booth area. The session rooms were empty. This time, that problem got a little smaller. There were enough people (nearly 400 attendees). Also, this time there were two hands-on workshops next to the sessions. In the workshops, people could learn by doing things practically. I felt happy to see many people join them with great interest.
Here is a funny thing. On Contributor Day of WordCamp Sylhet, I became the leader of a table, but not officially. Like the other tables, we wanted to have a marketing table too. But at first nobody was interested, so the table was not announced officially. Later, they told my colleague and me, but not officially. I thought, since it was not official, I would just come, stay and chat with people. In the morning, I did not feel well, so I came a little late. And when I came, wow! 15 to 20 people were already at the marketing table. My colleague sat me down right in the middle of them.
The next two or three hours were wonderful. Everyone had questions about marketing and AI today. I answered as many as I could from my own experience. It was a really good talk with the marketers from our country. I liked Contributor Day a lot.
I did not feel well on Conference Day either, so I could not go early. Like every year, Conference Day was at SUST. In the morning, my teammate called me. He said a circuit inside the venue had burned out. There was no electricity, so the ACs were not working. Although the organisers arranged a generator, it was not enough. Everyone was suffering in the heat. When I heard this, I went to SUST a little later, and it was as bad as he said. It was very bad luck for the organizers. They could do nothing about it, but they tried all day to fix it. I know most of them, so I saw their hard work up close. Without this problem, WordCamp Sylhet 2026 would have been even better.
I met and talked with many friends on Conference Day too. An event like this happens only once a year. It is the one time I get to meet and chat with the friends of our tech community. I like that.
Conference Day was a little more special this time because two of my colleagues, Russel and Dhrupo, each had their own session. I liked both of them very much.
WordCamp Sylhet 2023 was my first WordCamp. After that, I joined WordCamp Sylhet 2024, WordCamp Dhaka 2025, WordCamp Malaysia 2026, and now WordCamp Kathmandu 2026. For those of us in the WordCamp world, it is a very special event. In these two days, each of us tries to give our hard work, our time and our skills to the WordPress community. WordCamps are our way to give back to open source.
Not everyone knows this. People from the community plan WordCamp themselves, in their own free time, with their own hard work. The organizers get no money from it. The volunteers get no money either. Everyone works without pay, because WordCamp is a community event. The other day I heard someone complain about the organizers. He thought an event company had planned it. I told him he was wrong. I explained that the organizers and volunteers are people from the WordPress community, and they give their free time and hard work to plan these WordCamps.
If you work in WordPress or tech, join a local WordCamp. If you can, join the ones in other countries too. You will understand how these events feel only after you join them. I cannot explain it to you in words. If you want to come into this WordPress community, join the local WordCamps too and see how it feels. You can also learn a lot from the industry leaders.
If you are a student, WordPress has a program called Campus Connect. Use it to join the WordPress community. You have so much time at your age. Now is the time to get ready for industry while you study.
That’s it for today.
See you again at some WordCamp. Peace!
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