by Eileen Smyth, Social Media Coordinator
Early this summer, a friend who is a WordCamp Montclair Organizer had suggested I volunteer at WordCamp NYC 2019. One of my first stops was to learn about Camp NYC by speaking with the lead organizer to find out how I can help plan the event.
The fact Mervin took the time to hold an hour interview indicated he was serious about impressing on me a level of commitment and that contributions I could make to the event are important. Mervin greeted me warmly and deftly proceeded to give me an overview of the upcoming WordCamp NYC event and ways members of the core organizing team can prepare for a great conference. Before long, I realized, this is a bona fide interview!
Once onboard, I’ve been participating in weekly status meetings and was immediately handed the keys to our online presence. Here is where I saw Mervin’s organizational and leadership skills in action. He stated his agenda for the meeting, proceeded to question each group leader on progress and concerns, offering help and guidance where necessary. He was on top of each person’s activities and responsibilities and boy, does he have a great memory.
The documentation on our Google Docs space was extensive, well organized, and comprehensive, to the point where I did not have to ask questions about anything. (I have to say, I get a kick out of the running daily countdown until event, posted on top of the page.). I thought, this guy running this event like the head of a Fortune 500 company! A big plus, as having been a volunteer for many non-profit organizations and charities, I have noticed general organization and strong leadership is not always apparent. After this meeting, I realized I had joined a great team!
After our intake meeting, I thought to write about his long experience with the WordPress Community. Here’s what he had to say.
Eileen: When did you first attend WordCamp NYC and how did you become involved?
Mervin: One of my first WordCamps was NYC 2014. As a member of the NYC Meetup community, I had learned a lot about WordPress, the plugins and tools, the community, and I was excited to see what WordCamp was about. I signed up to be a volunteer runner (just to get in for free) and the rest is history.
Eileen: I understand a few people in the NYC community suggested you become the lead organizer for WordCamp NYC 2019. How did you feel when they first made this suggestion?
Mervin: It’s a big job to lead such a large event, and I know because I’ve been involved in planning and running medical conferences about as large as WordCamp NYC. I was honored to get “nudged” into applying to lead, and it’s a nice confirmation of my involvement in a great community for a few years now. I’m glad to have past organizers encouraging and guiding me, and I’m looking forward to a great camp.
Eileen: I know from attending your weekly meetings, you are extremely organized, have a good memory for detail, know how to keep the ball rolling, so to speak. My question is, along with a demanding job and your many interests, where do you get your energy and drive?
Mervin: The WordPress community in NYC is what drives me to learn more, sharpen my skills, and work on bigger projects. A lot of people want to develop themselves as WordPress professionals, go through a common progression of trial-and-error, customizing store-bought themes, and so on. Attending WordCamps is a great way to get a jolt of energy in just about any area you want to specialize in from design, content strategy, SEO, or development. That’s a big part of what drives me … having a hand in hosting one of the largest camps in the country, and engaging with speakers, sponsors, and attendees of all skill levels! It’s great fun!
Eileen: Will you tell us about the many areas of operation within your purview? If you could choose, what is your favorite team or aspect of running this event?
Mervin: Being a lead organizer, you own the responsibility of every aspect of camp: venue, budget, promotion, speakers reviewing, catering, etc. I’m very grateful to have a strong team made up of mostly local community members, who are also investing in the conference. Everyone has a role to play, and I’m trying to make their contributions clear, bite-sized, and successful. So, keeping a bird’s eye view of everything is most important, and I’d say the area I like best–the “bigger picture”.
Eileen: There are so many venues in NYC. It must have been daunting to make a choice. What is the most challenging aspect of finding a place to host an event of this scale?
Mervin: The conference being in one of the most popular cities – in a word: COST! It’s a big event, and hosting around 500 attendees, sponsors, and speakers, anywhere in the vicinity of Manhattan is going to be expensive. Convene has been really good to us for what will be our third year now, and we’re glad to be back at such a great venue. It’s not easy to find a place that can fit our capacity, be elegant, have the technical spec’s, and even serve some fantastic food all in one place.
Eileen: How do you manage the many teams, speakers, and overall coordination of this two-day event? I would think having a good relationship and strong communication with team members is key.
Mervin: Communication is critical! All our organizers have been in good contact throughout the planning. We’ve had weekly calls, open tasks are flagged and followed-up on, and I’ve been adamant about my silly Gantt chart … cause it’s our one team whiteboard. Our organizers are all great team-players, and everyone is on top of what we need to accomplish. WordCamp is just like WordPress: it is open-sourced, and it does not exist without the contributions of a lot of people, in a mighty big way.
Eileen: Have you ever given a talk at WordCamp?
Mervin: Last year I spoke briefly – as part of the Contributor Hour. I spoke about the various ways you can support WordPress open source project, which are not only code related. You can learn more at https://make.wordpress.org
Eileen: What is your most memorable WordCamp talk or experience, and why?
Mervin: I’m going to get spammed if I pick favorites … I’ve enjoyed a few topics in particular, several around SEO and large WP management talks. It’s one of the remarkable things about WordCamp, the fact you can hear from–and ask questions of–top plugin authors and industry leaders themselves, while networking with your fellow self-taught developers and designers. I’ve attended talks on advanced Buddy Press, Piklist, Yoast SEO, and Google Analytics that have peaked my interest.
Eileen: What are some of the things you like best about attending WordCamps?
Mervin: Not too many places (besides the support ticket system) where you talk to some ONE from BlueHost, GoDaddy, DreamHost, LiquidWeb, WooCommerce, JetPack, GreenGeeks, HubSpot, or Automattic face to face! And get SWAG from them! The networking opportunities with sponsors and speakers (which you can click here to see the list of our outstanding speaker lineup this year) all the while learning and connecting with fellow WordPress fans from around the world. If you love WordPress, work with it professionally, or have anything to do with the community of web professionals, there’s a lot to enjoy at WordCamp NYC, and any other WordCamp around the world!
Eileen: During the event, what are the biggest challenges or areas of concern for you?
Mervin: There is always a situation or two that’s unexpected, so the outlier emergency is always a harrowing moment. I am very confident though, that we all are a part of this community because we want to make it better, keep it a safe space for everyone, and help others have as great an experience as we all have.
Eileen: OK, Mervin. I have to ask. What do you plan on doing when the event is OVER?
Mervin: I hope to keep the high energy going! WordCamp is always a great introduction to something new for me, and I’m sure many people will come away with “that’s new” or “I need to learn more about that”. I’m going to hear about some plugin or learn about a good way to implement AMP without too much fuss, or someone will break my fear of JS. Overall, I’ll be re-allocating some spare time to growing WingMan WP my WordPress Project Management collaborative.
Eileen: Thank you, Mervin. I am looking forward to working with you at WordCamp NYC 2019!
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I’m enjoying working with Mervin these few months. He is a direct, confident leader who is open to suggestions and encouraging to his team. Meet Mervin in person and the rest of the WordCamp team at WordCamp NYC 2019, Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15 at Convene. Get your tickets now.