
#209 – Simon Pollard on Navigating the New Normal for WordPress Community and Events
From WP Tavern by WordPress Tavern
March 18, 2026 · 44 min
About this episode
Nathan Wrigley chats with Simon Pollard about the challenges and changes in the WordPress community and events post-pandemic.
In this episode of WP Tavern Jukebox podcast, Nathan Wrigley chats with Simon Pollard about the changing landscape of WordPress Meetups and community events. Simon reflects on the vibrant pre-pandemic community, its sudden decline during COVID-19, and the ongoing struggle to rebuild momentum. The conversation explores how evolving priorities, scattered social media, and the rise of AI have made networking and sharing knowledge more challenging. They also consider creative ways to make Meetups relevant again, like blending talks with music or arts, and wrestle with what’s needed to keep the WordPress community thriving in a shifting digital world.
People in this episode
Host: Nathan Wrigley
Guest: Simon Pollard
Topics covered
- WordPress community
- Meetups
- COVID-19 impact
- networking
- AI
- event planning
Keywords
- WordPress
- community events
- Meetups
- COVID-19
- networking
- AI
- digital world
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: WordPress
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