He is from Colombia but lives in Sevilla, Spain. He attended his first WordCamp in Leiden, back in 2013. Here at OnTheGoSystems, we all know Andrés by the nickname of “Mr. WordCamp”. Below is the story of how he earned it.
Before attending my first WordCamp (Leiden 2013) I was already part of the community but just as a user. I received a lot from it and wanted to give something back. One day, I found out about WordCamp EU (I don’t remember how exactly) and it caught my interest. I applied as volunteer. There, I met a girl called Rocío and she introduced me to the community of Sevilla. It was a very warm welcome. One year later, my girlfriend and I moved to Sevilla and I contacted Rocío again. I started to get involved in the community in a different, more meaningful way. I began attending and giving talks at meetups and WordCamps. After WCEU 2015 I worked with the theme review team and with other local communities, such as Marbella and Madrid. By this time I was already working here at OnTheGoSystems and the company was very supportive. Looking back, it grew and grew just like a snowball. The best part is that anyone can get involved, it’s just a matter of learning.
I get notifications from the admin team for upcoming WordCamps. We see who lives nearby and ask if they are interested. We participate in different ways: speaker/sponsor/organiser/volunteer. Each role indicates something different for the interested person, for me and for other members of the team. The speaker role requires preparing a talk, reviewing the slides, practising it, etc. The sponsor role needs logistics work: shipping the swags, the standee, arranging the table and the like. Organisers need to coordinate people, find a venue, speakers and arrange other details so that the WordCamp is a success. Volunteers need to be more hands-on and it’s a 1-2 day job: helping with every single task or emergency that may arise during the WC. Usually you’ll see volunteers running from one place to another.
Honestly? Everything! I truly love what I do here. However, what gives me more satisfaction is when a colleague is selected as a speaker or becomes involved for the very first time. It’s like a snowball, there is no stopping it :)
I also enjoy being an organiser. I learn many things. People at WordCamp Central are very well organised. Working with them to organize a WordCamp is an enriching experience and I try to apply it here in my daily work.
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