WordCamp Asia 2025: Celebrate WordPress in the Pearl of the Orient

WordCamp Asia 2025 will probably be the grandest WordCamp Asia to take place to date. Attending this WordCamp will be an opportunity of a lifetime you can’t miss. Why? Well, that’s what we’ll be telling you through the blog.

By the end of it, your mind will already be in the venue, you’ll be buying air tickets, planning all the details mentally, and counting the days till February 2025.

So let’s jump right into it and have a planned trip to look forward to.

TL;DR:

1. Why PICC is the perfect venue with the right setting, architecture, and culture
2. Time of WordCamp Asia 2025 (February 20 to 22, 2025)
3. A summary of the main attractions of the event to look forward to
4. Organizer and volunteer teams with different roles
5. Engaging topics to expect from the speaker’s line-up
6. Sponsorship opportunities of varying magnitude and benefits
7. Call for Wapuu and contributor stories
8. Hotels near PICC including prices, amenities, and distance from the venue
9. Museums, historical landmarks, and churches to visit in Manila 
10. Tourist places in the Philippines that cover magnificent beaches, hills, and an underground river
11. Must try dishes of Filipino cuisine that are popular both locally and globally
12. List of shopping centres including what they’re suitable for and locations
13. How to create the perfect attendee checklist to get the most out of the WordCamp tour

WordCamp Asia 2025 overview

The venue, time, and event highlights of WordCamp Asia 2025 are given below. Scan the post to get an idea about how you’ll be enjoying your WordCamp Asia days in the Philippines. We’ll keep updating the post as new information comes to light on the event.

Venue

The Philippine International Convention Centre (PICC) in Pasay, Manila has been announced as the venue for WordCamp Asia 2025. PICC is an excellent venue because of its proximity to the airport, hotels, and restaurants. Moreover, it comes with a separate Delegation Building, Secretariat Building, Plenary Hall, Reception Hall, Outdoor Facilities, Ancillary Areas, and The Forum covering more than 70,000 square meters of floor area.

Apart from all the necessary facilities, PICC is filled with masterpieces of some of the most prominent Filipino artists including their national artists. Besides, the center itself reflects the popular Brutalist Architecture movement of the 20th century through bare concrete, striking visuals, and distinctive lines. 

Additionally, it’s enveloped by the APEC Sculpture Garden, a sculpture park consisting of 20 unique sculptures each representing the culture of an APEC country.

Time

WordCamp Asia 2025 is scheduled to happen on February 20, 21, and 22, 2025. With it only months away, now is a good time to get the tickets and apply for a visa. We’ll include the itinerary as soon as it’s published.

Tickets

Mind you, the first and second rounds of WCAsia 2025 tickets are already sold out, so if you still haven’t got yours, you can’t miss it the third time around. Keep an eye out for the 3rd round of WC Asia tickets on their official X (aka Twitter) page. Besides, you can get the Micro Sponsor tickets (25 remaining) as well.

Event highlights

Sessions 

There’ll be engaging sessions on a wide range of topics from design to development by selected speakers from the industry who’ll be sharing their precious knowledge and experiences. These valuable and insightful sessions are a must-attend to broaden perspectives and expand ideas. 

Workshops

Hands-on workshops will be arranged to benefit WordPress users from entry to pro level. There will be step-by-step guidance to enhance your skills and help you learn new techniques. 

Networking

Seeing as WC Asia is the largest gathering of WordPress enthusiasts in Asia, you’ll get networking opportunities here like none other. This might just be your chance to meet and chat with similar-minded individuals in the industry who inspired you at times. 

Celebrations

There’ll be fun social events like an opening night party and a contributor’s day where you can mingle, make memories, and share stories in a relaxed environment over mouthwatering food and drinks.

Swag collection

Like every other WordCamp, another unparalleled fun part of the upcoming WordCamp Asia will be the swag collection. You might just get your hands on some fun Asian souvenirs to remember the most awaited WordCamp in the Philippines.

Future of WordPress

Last but not least, another important focus of the event will be to discuss the journey of WordPress, how it benefits and expands from helping out individuals, what new innovations and technologies are on the way, your plans and visions for the platform, etc.

These preplanned segments will definitely help. However, remember that your contribution and cooperation are the actual keys to making the WordCamp a successful event. This will lead to everyone in the community benefiting from your input and thus enriching the whole platform.

Organizers

WordCamp Asia 2025 has multiple organizer teams in place to ensure the event goes smoothly from initial management to a successful end.

The different organizer teams to take care of every little detail of the event include the Attendee Experience Team (AX Team), the Communication Team, the Contributor Day Team, the Design Team, the Finance Team, the Technology Team, the Venue Team, the Operations Team, the Photography Team, the Program Team, the Sponsor Team, and the Volunteers Team. 

Being on the organizing team of a WordCamp is a great opportunity. You can give back to the community while building your network and enhancing your skills at the same time. So if you are not an organizer for this WordCamp, you might definitely consider applying for the next one and make a real difference.

Speakers

The organizers have tried their best to include diversity, equity, and inclusion in the speaker’s lineup. They encouraged speakers from different underrepresented communities to share their stories. Their commitment inspired speakers to apply irrespective of their experience.

Expect sessions on diverse topics including Business and Marketing, Community and People, Development, Design, and others. 60% of the speakers will likely be from Asia, while at least 40% of total speakers are expected to be female. The organizers and the WP community will provide the needed support to the underrepresented speakers as well.

The sessions will be divided into 10-minute lightning talks, 60-minute panel discussions, 90-minute to half-a-day workshops, 40-minute individual long talks including Q&A, and 40-minute joint talks including Q&A.
The invited speaker program is open for this WordCamp as well; you can invite speakers or suggest topics, and your request will be considered during the speaker selection process.

Sponsors

Sponsoring at WordCamps brings you familiarity in the industry, and presents you with the opportunity to promote your brand while you’re supporting the community. WordCamp Asia is looking for sponsors on different levels, and it’s a first come first served policy. 

The different sponsorship packages come with their own perks and advantages, and they start from US $1000 on the viewer level to US $35,000 on the super admin level. 

Each package offers your company multiple privileges, from booth spaces of different dimensions to brand awareness opportunities like logos of different sizes on the WordCamp Asia website, thank-you posts, announcement of sponsorship, 10-minute lightning talk slots, tickets, a career corner, a social corner, etc.

Most of the sponsorship packages are already sold out, so you need to hurry if you want to contribute to this amazing community and receive the benefits that come with it.

Volunteers

If you face any issues during the event, there’ll be a dedicated volunteer team ready to help you in every situation. The volunteer team will be divided into teams based on different roles. The list of volunteer roles is provided here so you know where to ask for your specific problem.

1. Room Staff

• Hall Lead
• Time Keeper
• Runner
• Speakers Support

2. Attendee Services

• Registration Lead
• Registration Support
• Lunch Support
• Swag Station Support
• Accessibility Support
• Information, Lost & Found Desk

3. Media & Communications

• Media Support
• Social Media Handler

4. Session Staff

• Contributor Day Help Staff
• Interactive Program Support

5. Sponsors Services
6. Volunteers & Team Services

Call for Wapuu

Wapuu is the much-adored unofficial mascot of WordPress. If you are a design enthusiast, you can submit your own Wapuu design that best represents WordCamp Asia 2025. Your design should reflect the vision of WCAsia 2025 and local culture.

You need to download the original Wapuu file from GitHub and use it as a base for your design following the Wapuu guidelines. Create your design in vector format and upload it to Google Drive, GitHub, or Figma before sharing the URL. Call for Wapuu is open till November 4, 2024, and the winner will be announced on November 20, 2024.

Call for contributor stories

Share your story if you’ve contributed in WordCamp before and inspire new contributors. The WordPress community highly appreciates and encourages your contribution, and this is your opportunity to tell others how content you feel by contributing to the community. 

Share your story in 250 words, preferably in English via text or media files (1-10 minutes), and attach your photo or profile image. Submit it by November 20, 2024, for an opportunity to be showcased on the WordCamp Asia 2025 blog and the official WCAsia social media channels.

Miscellaneous WordCamp Asia 2025

Now that you’re briefed on everything WordCamp-related, let’s see what to do with your spare time spent outside the PICC.

Where to stay (hotels near PICC)

WordCamp Asia 2025 has partnered with Conrad Manila as the official hotel for the event. Conrad Manila is a 5-star hotel situated right next to PICC. They’re offering special treatments for the WCAsia attendees, including breakfast buffets and in-room internet. Once you confirm your ticket, you’ll find a link to book rooms in your email. However, you need to hurry up since it’s a first come, first served offer.

Here’s a list of some of the other most popular hotels near PICC, varying in price range, facilities, and accessibility.

1. Lime Resort Manila 

Distance: 0.4 mi 

Tariff: $53 (might vary)

Amenities: Breakfast, free wifi, free parking, pool, air conditioning, spa, beach access, restaurant, full-service laundry

2. Spaces Hotel Makati

Distance: 2.1 mi away

Tariff: $26

Amenities: Air conditioning, restaurant, parking, free Wi-fi, airport shuttle, pet and kid-friendly

3. Hotel 101 Manila

3-star hotel

Distance: 1.3 mi away

Tariff: $46

Amenities: Breakfast, free wifi, free parking, pool, air conditioning, restaurant, room service, kitchen in some rooms

4. TRYP by Wyndham Mall of Asia Manilla

3-star hotel

Distance: 0.9 mi away

Tariff: $80

Amenities: Free breakfast, free wifi, free parking, pool, air conditioning, fitness center, spa, beach access

5. Orchid Garden Suits – Manila

3-star hotel

Distance: 0.7 mi away

Tariff: $35

Amenities: Free breakfast, free wifi, free parking, pool, air conditioning, restaurant, room service, full-service laundry

List of activities to try in Manila

Ever wonder how tours make us extra energetic and how we can thrive on minimal sleep? Well, read below to see how you can utilize that energy and plan your Philippine days outside the WordCamp. Simply pick as many activities as you want and align them with your calendar.

Places to visit in the Philippines

We’ve listed places both from Manila and outside Manila for your convenience. If you’re planning a small WordCamp trip, you get to visit places you can cover in the afternoon; however, if you’re planning to extend your visit beyond the WordCamp days, get ready to be amazed by the gems of this country.

1. National Museum of Fine Arts

Located in Manila, it has a remarkable art collection, with the building itself an architectural masterpiece of neo-classical fashion. Its variety of paintings, sculptures, and exhibits offer a delightful and educational experience.

2. The Mind Museum

It’s a science museum suitable for people of all ages. It offers an interactive and educational experience to visitors through facts and engaging displays. They feature 250+ science exhibits, a planetarium, 3D shows, a piano staircase & a park. Kids can participate in science experiments as well. 

3. Ayala Museum

The museum has a wide range of collections from Dioramas, gold exhibits, paintings, artifacts, historical dioramas, contemporary arts, archeological, and ceramics collections. The museum is best enjoyed with the Ayala Museum app that allows you to play recordings to help explain the dioramas.

4. Intramuros

Intramuros is the ruins of the oldest district of Manila. The meaning of the term Intramuros is “walled city.” It can be worth the visit if you’re a history enthusiast.

5. Manila Cathedral

Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a historic church known for its magnificent architecture & visits by several popes was built in 1571. 

It is located in Intramuros (the historic walled city in Manila) and is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the principal patroness of the country. It has an older high altar, the image of the Immaculate Conception, a pipe organ, a rose window, rib vaults, and a clerestory.

6. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

If you have plans to roam around the Philippines after the WordCamp days, this place is a must-visit. 

It’s a protected underground river managed by the Puerto Princesa city government since 1992. Visitors are taken to the park by kayaks from the seaside village of Sabang. 

It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and voted as a New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2012.

7. El Nido, Palawan

If you’re a beach person, El Nido is a must-visit during your visit to the Philippines. It is known for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs, and limestone cliffs. Many people are fluent in English, which is an added benefit for International travelers. You get to mingle with the original settlers of the place, as well as other ethnic groups living on the island while sipping on fresh coconut water from the beach.

Apart from the listed ones, you can also visit Cebu City for its people and historical landmarks, Chocolate Hills, which are perfect for hiking, Coron for scuba diving and beach views, Davao City for Mount Apo and Durian fruit, and Baguio for its breathtaking hill views.

Must-try Filipino dishes

Here’s a list of the Filipino foods popular both locally and globally. The dishes vary in taste, texture, ingredients, and cooking methods. Surely you can find something palatable from the list and satisfy your taste buds in the Philippines.

1. Adobo

Adobo, a savory dish, is occasionally considered the unofficial national dish in the Philippines, and it’s a very popular cooking method in Filipino cuisine. Simply put, meat, seafood, or vegetables are first browned in oil, then marinated in a mixture of garlic, black pepper, vinegar, and soy sauce, and then simmered to make it tender.

2. Sinigang

Sinigang is a savory, sour soup or stew often filled with pork, shrimp, or fish, and various vegetables like kangkong (water spinach), eggplant, and radish. Although tamarind is the most widely used souring agent in broth preparation, other sour fruits like green mango, rice vinegar, etc. can also be used.

3. Lechon

Lechon is a Filipino dish adapted from Spanish culture during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines; however, the native lechon is still very different from its origin. For example, they use a pig in the recipe instead of a piglet and other native ingredients like lemongrass, binucao fruits, tamarind, and citrus leaves. The pig is stuffed and slowly cooked over charcoal on a bamboo spit.

4. Pancit

A variety of noodle dishes are known as Pancit including stir-fried noodles (Pancit Canton), rice noodles with seafood (Pancit Malabon), rice noodles with a shrimp-based sauce (Pancit palabok), etc.

5. Tapa

Tapa is a dried and preserved meat dish, mostly prepared with beef. However other meat or fish can be prepared this way as well. Thin slices of meat are cured in this process with salt and spices as a preservation method. 

Tapa is often fried or grilled. When served with fried rice and fried egg, it is known as tapsilog. It sometimes comes with pickled papaya strips, or sliced tomatoes as a side dish and sour sauces as condiments.

6. Arroz caldo

It’s considered a comfort food in the Philippines and is a popular breakfast meal. It is basically a rice porridge cooked with ginger and garnished with toasted garlic, scallions, and black pepper. The dish is usually served with boiled eggs, calamansi (Philippine lime), or fish sauce. 

7. Pinakbet

Pinakbet is an indigenous Filipino dish made with a variety of mixed vegetables. It’s seasoned with Bagoóng (made of either fermented fish or krill or shrimp paste with salt), and smaller or larger headless shrimps and dried anchovies are used to further enhance the flavor. 

8. Ube halaya

It’s a Philippine dessert made from boiled and mashed purple yam. It’s also the main base used to prepare some other Philippine desserts like halo-halo, purple yam pastries, ice creams, etc. 

9. Bibingka

It refers to a rice cake typically baked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves. It can also be made with cassava flour, glutinous rice or plain flour. 

10. Crema de fruta

Crema de fruta is a traditional Filipino fruitcake made with layers of sponge cake, sweet custard or whipped cream, gelatin or agar, and various preserved or fresh fruits. It has multiple variations, ranging from changes in the fruits used to the addition of ingredients like jam, sago, condensed milk, and others.

If you are still confused about the Philippine food and feel like you miss your regular McDonalds, check out the shopping malls sections of this blog to find out where you can find those juicy burgers and your daily dose of Starbucks.

Shopping centres

The following is a list of the most popular shopping centers in Manila, and each is unique in what it offers. You can shortlist one or more of these and visit them at a convenient time. 

1. Robinsons Place Manila

Location: Pedro Gil, cor Adriatico St, Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila, Philippines

This mall is popular among international travelers for its well-designed layout, which makes it very easy to navigate. The place has an effortless fusion of modernity and a touch of cultural charm. Among other facilities, the mall is accessible, and family-friendly, with a handsome number of food courts and food stalls to choose from, and the atmosphere feels very welcoming.

2. SM Mall of Asia

Location: SM Mall of Asia, Seaside Blvd, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila, Philippines

It’s a massive bayfront shopping mall with an amusement park, theater, restaurants & convention center. Its clean and quiet atmosphere makes shopping a very comfortable experience, and you can surf through international brands, boutiques, IKEA, etc. 

3. Greenhills Shopping Center

Location: Lifestyle Center, Greenhills Shopping Mall, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines

If you’re looking for souvenirs, this shopping center is your solution. They also have a collection of furniture with unique designs and characters. Another great thing is that the whole place, including the stores and the restaurants, maintains health and hygiene protocols very strictly.

4. WMall Macapagal

Location: 19 Coral Way, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines

This mall is excellent for its grocery options, kids zone, French bakers, department stores, Mcdonalds, food courts, KFC, Watsons, Miniso, etc. 

5. Blue Bay Walk

Location: Metropolitan Park Bldg., Macapagal Boulevard, corner EDSA Ext, Pasay, 1226 Metro Manila, Philippines

This is mostly an outdoor place with some indoor seating arrangements as well, suitable for picnics and hanging out with friends or family. This place is very welcoming to pets as well. However, this lifestyle hub is mainly suitable for dining as it offers a wide range of food choices with a limited scope for shopping, most of which are fashion items. 

6. S Maison

Location: Seaside Boulevard, Coral Way, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila, Philippines

This place is popular for its restaurants, nice ambiance, sunset view, high-end brands, and Starbucks, of course. It’s a small place, so you can find anything you’re looking for without having to wander around much.

Some other notable shopping centers outside this list are Lucky Chinatown Mall, Glorietta, Shangri-La Plaza, Tutuban Center, etc. Visit them to bring the perfect memento home from your Philippines tour for WordCamp Asia 2025.

Attendee checklist

This checklist is made in a generalized manner. You can get some ideas from this list and personalize your own checklist. Having a list makes your tour more organized, and makes sure that you cover the maximum number of activities you planned for the trip. Don’t forget your prescription or any other necessary medical equipment. 

1. Make sure you have your visa and tickets sorted
2. Make a list of all the things you want to try in the Philippines
3. Prioritize the elements on your list
4. Create your own day-wise detailed plan
5. Attach events to every hour on your calendar or planner
6. Pack the right clothes for the Filipino weather and other necessary things 
7. Be prepared to record or take notes on the sessions you find interesting
8. Share your own experiences and stories to help the community
9. Don’t miss a single opportunity to make new acquaintances

About point number 9, the official WordCamp Asia website has published an attendees directory. It lists the attendees, their websites, and socials. How exciting is that? You can look them up now to see who you match vibes with and say hello during the events.

Are you ready

Now that you have a primary idea about how the WordCamp Asia 2025 events are going to take place, what opportunities you’ll be presented with, and how you can help the community through WordCamp, tell us, have you purchased your tickets yet?

Have you found out which places in the Philippines you find intriguing and which dishes you can’t wait to try? 

If you have your answer, let us know your plans, how long you’re planning to stay, which activities and tourist spots you want to cover, etc., and help others plan their itinerary because every single place is just too enchanting that we don’t know which one to exclude from this trip. 

Share this blog to convince your friends to join you in this adventurous WordCamp journey and make memories together.

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