DE{CODE} Strikes a Chord, Achieves Record-Setting Attendance

Today marks the end of WP Engine’s fifth annual DE{CODE}, the virtual developer conference. With recorded sessions airing live across two days and three time zones, the conference had more than 4,000 attendees from 86 countries.

More than 45 experts from across WordPress gathered to share their advice and insights on some of the most pressing topics in modern development, from AI and accessibility to payment processing, security, and more.

Read on for an overview of some of the most-attended sessions or head to our YouTube channel to watch all of the sessions now!

Please note that our keynote session featuring former OpenAI Head of Go-to-Market Zack Kass will only be available to rewatch for a limited time on our event platform, so make sure you’re registered and sign in to watch it again before that session expires!

AI and the Future of WordPress Development

In this keynote discussion, presenters explore how AI will impact key areas of development, from accessibility to productivity and beyond.

We’re using AI to enhance what we do best, which is solving real problems for our customers, making things better, faster, cheaper, and more delightful.

Jason Cohen, Founder & CIO, WP Engine

WP Engine Founder and Chief Innovation Officer Jason Cohen joins Product Manager Luke Patterson, Equalize Digital CEO Amber Hinds, Code and Theory Chief Technology Officer David DiCamillo, and CXR General Manager Lucky Gobindram to discuss how developers are harnessing AI to create better, more performant digital experiences.

The Business of WordPress

The advantages of open-source technology for businesses in any industry are undeniable.

In this entrepreneurial keynote session, Brainstorm Force CEO & Co-Founder Sujay Pawar; Elementor Head of WordPress Relations Miriam Schwab, and Newsletter Glue Co-founder Lesley Sim share how they’ve harnessed the power of WordPress to accelerate their businesses—and how you can do the same.

Breakout Sessions

Additional DE{CODE} breakout sessions cover everything from eCommerce payments and compliance to headless innovation and beyond!

The following are three of the most-attended sessions from this year’s conference.

Empower Your Development: The Breakthrough Features of WordPress 6.5 Unleashed

The first major WordPress release of 2024 is set to launch on March 26. In this discussion, you can hear directly from the 6.5 Editor Triage Release Team as they unveil and demonstrate new features and functionality.

Now, with the Block Bindings API, you can bind data to an existing block, so the ease with which you can incorporate custom data into core blocks without creating your own will unlock quite a bit.

Nick Diego, Developer Relations Advocate, Automattic

From the Font Library to the latest in the DataViews project, follow along as experts explore what’s new in 6.5 and how these changes can inform even more innovations in future releases.

Mastering Modern Site Creation With the Best Workflows in WordPress

If you want to take on more projects and more clients, you need to streamline your workflow, ironing out all the kinks to ensure your development process is seamless from start to finish.

In this session, experts highlight important tools you can use to develop sites more efficiently, including Local, Advanced Custom Fields, WP Migrate, Frost, WP Engine’s WordPress platform, and more!

How to Fix a Site You Didn’t Build for Optimal Performance

When a client asks you to fix a site you didn’t build, you’re left to wonder what issues are lying in wait beneath that code.

In this session, experts share practical advice on how to turn an underwhelming site into an overwhelming success, including how to identify major problem areas, manage client expectations, and decide on the best course of action. 

Keep Learning With DE{CODE}

Special thanks to the sponsors of DE{CODE} 2024 as well as the presenters who joined us; we appreciate the time and effort you took to help make this year’s DE{CODE} our most successful conference yet!

Make sure you register on our event platform to view our keynote featuring Zack Kass, or head to our YouTube channel to watch the recorded sessions now.