Conferences including WordCamps provide a fantastic opportunity for you to engage with the friendly WordPress and web community, learn from others and share your knowledge, meet interesting people, and immerse yourself in the unique culture of WordPress.

We encourage all Wholegrain team members to attend, volunteer at and speak at conferences and WordCamps

The level of support that we offer for attendance is agreed on a case by case basis. Simply fill out this form

Payment for Attending

If we agree you can attend a conference or event that you’ve requested as part of your role, we’ll pay you for the days you attend, provided this falls on a normal work day. If Wholegrain requires you to attend a conference or event that falls on a weekend, we will pay you for the weekend you have ‘worked’.

If your travel runs outside of your usual working hours and is approved as an official work trip, we would pay you for a standard working day (as per your contract) for each day you’re travelling. So if you are away for two days and one night at a work event, you’ll get paid for 2 days as usual.  If you decide to take additional time out to explore the city/country where the event is held, then you should book that as holiday.

If we pay you to attend an event during your working hours, we ask you to write a blog post and/or give a presentation to the team on what you experienced and learned. Please do this within two weeks of returning (otherwise you may forget some of the important bits!).

To Clarify what we pay for:

  • Cost of the event or conference
  • Travel to and from event or conference*
  • Accommodation, if required
  • Food

* Wholegrain Digital operates a no fly policy, so will not pay for plane travel.

Claiming Expenses

The Wholegrain Expense Policy applies for conferences and events. You will be expected to pay for these initially and submit an expense claim after the date of the event with all expenses you wish to claim. Please ensure you keep all receipts.

An exception to this would be conferences or events that are deemed high value, in which case we can reimburse you earlier or pay up front. This will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Attendance

If Wholegrain is paying for you to attend an event or conference, we expect you to attend. However, we understand that sometimes you may not be able to make it due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness. If you are unwell the day of the event/conference, you will be expected to provide a medical practitioner’s certificate. This can be from a doctor or holistic healthcare professional. We will not accept the Wholegrain self certified sick form.

If you can not provide a certificate, you will be expected to pay for the event/conference out of your own pocket.

Attending a Conference with Other Team Members

If you’re heading to the same conference as other Wholegrain team members, this is a perfect opportunity to spend some time together and get to know each other a little better, especially if you usually work in different places.

While attending a conference en masse can get a little expensive for us and we might not always be able to afford it, if several of you wish to go we may be able to arrange for a budget in advance.

Think about renting an Airbnb or other group accommodation and maybe even co-working together for a day or two before or after the conference.

While at the event, don’t just stick together though. Make sure you get out there, mingle with the wider WordPress community, and ensure you spread lots of good vibes about the Wholegrain brand! Please note: if you are presenting, we require you to use the branded Wholegrain slides.