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WordCamp Málaga 2025: Juan de Paco on Community, AI, and WordPress Conversations

May 15, 2025

Kathy Banach

After a five-year pause, WordCamp Málaga returned on April 26–27, 2025—and so did the local WordPress community, stronger than ever. Juan Antonio de Paco Moreno from our Compatibility team attended the event and shared his reflections.

A Welcome Return to a Familiar Event

The last WordCamp Málaga took place just days before the world shut down due to COVID. For Juan, returning to the event after such a long gap felt meaningful.

“Back in 2020, I attended WordCamp Málaga as a volunteer, but I did not know almost anybody in the local community. In the last year, I have been attending the local meetup, so this time around, I knew the right people.”

Juan originally applied to be a volunteer again this year but wasn’t selected due to the high number of applicants. Still, attending the event as a community member was rewarding.

“I’m trying to be an active member of the local community. I miss going to WordCamps and meeting people who share my interests. This year, the topic was hot—it covered everything about AI, from development to marketing to content creation.”

Welcome to WordCamp Malaga | Credit: Doowebs / @doowebs on X

A Friendly, Family-Oriented Atmosphere

The event drew strong attendance: around 200 tickets were sold, more than 165 people came on the first day, and Contributor Day had over 75 participants. But what stood out most was the atmosphere.

“This WordCamp was a family-friendly event. People could attend with their children, and there was even a special place for kids to stay and play, with people taking care of them.”

Juan appreciated getting to know active members of the WordPress community—both from Málaga and from nearby cities like Granada.

“One thing that I liked was that some speakers were well-known in the Spanish community—some of them even members of official groups, like the plugin revision team on WordPress.org. There were a number of leaders in their local meetups, and even some who managed a virtual meetup for the whole community in Spain.”

WordCamp Malaga group photo | Credit: Koke Pérez / @koke_net on X

Representing WPML and Toolset in the Community

As a member of a team behind well-known WordPress plugins, Juan found that many conversations started simply by mentioning what he worked on.

“I enjoyed being part of a large agency with products that the community knows and uses. It always opens the door to conversations, and people are far more interested in you, your work, and your working routines.”

It was particularly rewarding to hear from WPML and Toolset users.

“Just mentioning WPML means that some eyes will turn to you—everyone agrees that it is the go-to solution for serious multilingual management.  And hearing ‘Toolset’ and learning how people still consider it to be a tool with no practical rival—well, it was nice. In general, the majority of people I talked to about WPML and Toolset were very proud lifetime account holders.”

A Contributor Day with a New Approach

WordCamp Málaga 2025 also introduced a new format for Contributor Day—one that felt fresh and more inclusive to different interests.

“Instead of having a table per team, we had tables per topic. There was a table focused on AI, setting it up locally, and working on automation. There was another table on diversity. There was a table like a ‘genius table’ for people approaching the community for the first time.”

Juan joined the Web table, where conversations spanned everything from development to design.

“People were experts in multiple page builders and other tools, and we discussed workflows and routines, and also opinions about the future of some products.”

Contributor Day | Credit: Koke Pérez, WordPress Photos Flickr

Looking Ahead

There’s something about WordCamp Málaga that makes it unforgettable. In 2020, it was the last in-person WordCamp before COVID. This year, it came just a day before a nationwide blackout. If history is any indication, 2026 might bring something even stranger—aliens? Zombies? The WordPress community isn’t ruling anything out. 

One thing’s for sure: being there matters. Whether you’re reconnecting with the community or representing tools like WPML and Toolset, it’s the people that make WordPress what it is.

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