Track: Track 1 (Seminar Hall, Room No. 101)

The topic covers how AI is redefining event management on WordPress — from automating event logistics to creating intelligent, human-like personalization and matchmaking between attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors.

Unlock the full potential of your WordPress sites with performance optimization strategies that lead to faster load times and a better user experience. In this session, I’ll walk you through my proven WordPress Speed & Performance Optimization Playbook, designed to help developers and site owners achieve optimal website performance.

We begin with a CHALLENGE: improving site speed in an era where slow load times impact user engagement. This session covers:

Key Optimization Techniques:

Optimizing Themes & Plugins: Best practices for lightweight, performance-friendly theme development.

Leveraging Performance Tools: Using Google PageSpeed Insights and GTMetrix to measure and improve website performance.

Passing Core Web Vitals: Practical steps to boost your LCP and CLS scores, ensuring your site is optimized for users.

Kill Script: How to block third-party scripts initially and unblock them based on user interaction to avoid render-blocking.

Before/After Optimization Report: Learn how to generate a report to measure performance improvements and visually compare key metrics (e.g., LCP, CLS, scores).

Optimization Checklist: A step-by-step guide to ensure you hit top performance metrics, such as PSI/GTMetrix scores of 80+, passing Core Web Vitals (LCP ≤2s, CLS ≤0.05), and <2.5s load times.

THE STRATEGY: By applying these methods, you’ll achieve an 80+ score in performance tools and pass Core Web Vitals, ensuring faster load times and a smoother user experience.

THE IMPACT? A high-performance WordPress site that engages users and delivers results. Whether you’re working with a slow site or optimizing an existing project, you’ll leave this session with actionable insights to reduce load times and enhance overall user experience.

Join me for a step-by-step guide to optimizing your WordPress projects for speed and a seamless user experience.

In this keynote, Rahul will talk about how agencies can transition from execution-driven vendors to strategic partners driving business outcomes. He’ll unpack the mindset, positioning, and internal structures needed to command higher-value relationships and long-term client trust.

What makes a brand feel powerful, premium, or trustworthy? It’s not just design—it’s design thinking. Join Drashti Hindustani Modi as she reveals how industrial design principles and visual psychology can be applied to brand identity and digital presence. This session will inspire designers and entrepreneurs to look beyond aesthetics and create meaningful brand experiences on and off WordPress.

WordPress development today demands more than just writing functional code. It requires engineering discipline. In this talk, Anindo Neel Dutta shares how applying core software engineering principles like modular design, separation of concerns, testing, and automation can transform how we build with WordPress. Learn how to structure your code for scalability, implement reliable workflows with CI/CD, and think like an engineer instead of a coder. Whether you’re a freelancer or leading a dev team, this session will help you write WordPress code that lasts.

Small businesses often struggle to keep up with content, SEO, and marketing. In this beginner-friendly session, Ranu Patel will show how to use AI + WordPress to simplify content creation, automate daily tasks, and grow online—without needing tech skills. Attendees will walk away with practical tools, real examples, and easy steps to make their WordPress websites work smarter, not harder.

Join Makarand Mane and Abhay Kulkarni as they share proven strategies for expanding your local WordPress community through innovative Next-Gen WordPress events that go beyond traditional WordCamps.

Next-Gen WordPress events are focused, accessible gatherings designed to connect with students and professionals who are new to WordPress. These events introduce participants to WordPress fundamentals, contribution opportunities, and community involvement in a more intimate, approachable setting.

This session will cover practical strategies for organizing events like WordPress Campus Connect and other community-focused initiatives that drive meaningful engagement and sustainable growth.

About the Speakers:

Makarand Mane served as Lead Organizer for WordCamp Kolhapur 2025 and is organizing the upcoming WordCamp Kolhapur 2026. Following WordCamp Kolhapur 2025, he led an Online WordPress Contribution Series that successfully guided 25+ community members through their first contributions to the WordPress project.

Abhay Kulkarni was Lead Organizer of WordPress Campus Connect Kolhapur 2025, Maharashtra’s first Campus Connect event. He also volunteered in the Online WordPress Contribution Series and spoke at WordCamp Kolhapur 2025.