June 8, 2026 — Discover how attackers weaponize WordPress native search endpoint for devastating DDoS attacks, while learning practical defense strategies from a cybersecurity perspective. This talk reveals a hidden vulnerability in standard WordPress installations and provides easy solutions.

June 8, 2026 — WordPress is currently preparing several changes around learning and contributor onboarding. In this conversation, Mary Hubbard (Executive Director of WordPress), Benjamin Zekavica (Core Team Rep), Rade Jekic (Training Team Rep), Natalia Basiura, and Klaus Harris discuss the programs currently in progress. This includes new contributor pathways, simpler onboarding steps, and the first university partnerships to connect WordPress with academic learning. The session looks at how new contributors can get started more easily, how people who stepped away can find a way back, and which skills will be important for working with WordPress in the coming years. It also gives a look into the internal work aimed at making learning and contribution more structured and accessible across the project.

June 8, 2026 — Can universities own their AI future? Discover how Karlstad University uses WordPress Multisite to create customized, pedagogically aligned AI tutors. By combining the power of WordPress with Open Educational Resources (OERs), this project avoids vendor lock-in and ensures institutional control over data and model behavior. Learn how the same open-source tools we use for blogging can serve as the “knowledge substrate” for the next generation of trustworthy, ethical AI assistants in higher education.

June 8, 2026 — The WP Credits program is often described as a way for students to “learn WordPress while contributing to the community.” And, while this is all true – it’s not the whole story. In this talk, Ivana (a long-time marketer and WordPress professional, accepted mentor and someone deeply involved in this industry), will share her looks at WP Credits from three perspectives: students, universities and businesses supporting the program. Is it only about WordPress or is there another, bigger picture and all-parties gain from participating in this and projects alike? Why you as a business should join? How does this initiative work and what comes as the benefit for all parties involved? These are some of the questions Ivana will answer, pinpointing it to the factual, practical value WP Credits creates beyond WordPress skills. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of how the program works in practice, what students actually gain, what universities get and why businesses should see WP Credits as a long-term investment.

June 8, 2026 — How do we educate students for an AI-disrupted IT market without endlessly chasing the next tool? This talk presents a practical model: combine durable soft skills with strong technical foundations, teach through real problems, and use open source – especially WordPress – as a “living lab” where students build, ship, and contribute through structured programs like Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and Student Clubs.

June 8, 2026 — For decades, open source advocates and Internet purists have rallied behind a righteous call: “we must fight to preserve the open web.” That rallying cry is all wrong. The web itself remains as open as the day Tim Berners-Lee created it – built on patent-free standards, decentralized architecture, and universal access. Yet today, billions of users have been conditioned into believing the opposite is true, unknowingly abandoning and surrendering openness in favor of convenience in the form of walled gardens, proprietary apps, and centralized services. In reality, we’re not losing the open web – we’re losing the battle against closed alternatives trying to replace it. Open source projects like WordPress have long championed the technologies built on open web standards that have powered the web from the very beginning. The project and surrounding ecosystem exemplifies what the web is meant to be: open by default. Let’s explore how WordPress continues to embrace the true spirit of the Internet and identify the real enemy: the closed web that seeks to replace the web’s open foundation.

June 8, 2026 — AI platforms generated 1.13 billion referral visits by mid-2025, yet most WordPress sites aren’t ready. This practical session covers the complete AI optimization stack: strategic robots.txt configuration, structured data for AI comprehension, content patterns that earn citations, and measuring AI visibility. Leave with an actionable checklist to make your WordPress site AI-ready today.

June 8, 2026 — You know that thing you do perfectly every time but can’t explain to anyone else? That client onboarding process you’ve refined over the years. That troubleshooting approach that just “makes sense” to you. That way, you organize projects that work beautifully in your head. Now imagine someone asks, “Can you show me how you do that?” And you freeze. Because you genuinely don’t know where to start. This is the documentation gap. The space between what you know and what you can transfer. And it costs us more than we realize, especially in time spent redoing work, in knowledge that walks out the door when people leave, and in contributions we never make because “it’s too hard to explain.” This lightning talk is about closing that gap. Not with perfect documentation that takes forever to create, but with simple frameworks that make your knowledge accessible. You’ll learn: Why documentation is strategic, not overhead A 10-minute template for capturing what matters How to decide what’s worth documenting (and what isn’t) Real examples from the WordPress community contribution Documentation isn’t about being a better writer. It’s about being better at giving your future self (and everyone who comes after you) what they need to succeed. Come ready to take notes. You’ll leave with something you can implement today.

June 8, 2026 — One of the most common questions beginners ask is: ‘What should I install?’ Themes. Plugins. Builders. Security tools. SEO tools. And the most honest answer is often: “It depends.” For experienced users, “it depends” feels normal. For beginners, it feels paralyzing. Because when everything is an option, every choice feels risky. Choosing the wrong theme feels like wasting time. Choosing the wrong plugin feels dangerous. Choosing wrong feels permanent. In this talk, I want to explore a simple idea: the same freedom that makes WordPress powerful can also make it overwhelming for people just starting out. And when choice becomes pressure, learning slows down.

June 8, 2026 — You’re good at what you do—but nobody knows it. This is the expertise-visibility gap, and it’s the reason talented WordPress professionals stay stuck at the same level while others land bigger clients, charge higher rates, and work on exciting projects. Being good at what you do is not enough. The WordPress market is crowded. Clients can’t tell the difference between a 10-year veteran and someone who finished a course last month. Unless you make that difference visible. In this talk, learn the three visibility channels that actually build thought leadership, the types of content that position you as an expert, and how to identify your “Remarkable Content Angles”—the perspectives that make you the obvious choice for the right kind of clients.