The day to start this trip has come and all the shared transportation modes from my village to Sicily want me to go north first. The local train to the airport takes a detour over Flensburg because of construction in Kiel. Also, the plane trip I had booked was shorter and cheaper by going from Hamburg to Copenhagen first before the final stretch to the desired Mediterranean island.
I’ve been to the Danish capital multiple times, also as part of my nomad journey. But never before by plane. Not only the airport should be a first on this flight. The leg was operated by an airline I had never seen before, and the plane itself I had never noticed before either.
The little ATR 72 is the smallest commercial plane I’ve taken so far. The unusual layout amused me. The luggage goes in the front and boarding for the humans from the back — a thought for all the optimizations hectic business travelers are used to.
Arriving at my stopover, I was amazed by the beauty of part of the airport. Not all areas, but some of them with wooden floors.
As I have my personal rule that I can’t visit Denmark without eating a hotdog, I was happy to see a simple counter selling variations of the Danish street food.
The good news on the next flight was, that there was internet. A good thing to extend the working time to prepare for the upcoming event.
Arriving and starting in one moment
Right after picking up my luggage, the main event I was coming to Sicily got started for me. Rudolfo Melogli, the organizer of the conference, organized pickups for attendees straight from the arrival terminal. So I met three new WooCommerce fans right away.
After a short drive and a quick shower, the networking and fun of meeting new people continued, as all the attendees of the event were staying in the same hotel. Between the pool and the bar, the group collected itself in anticipation of the first official program item: the welcome dinner with a view of the sea.
This started a series of shared meals during which we could get to know the other attendees and learn about their ideas, worries, and businesses. Having something to do besides clinging to a coffee cup or your lanyard while having a really good conversation is something I like very much.
As I wanted to be fit and ready for the session the next day, I managed to get to bed on time.
Waking up to a great view into a landscape I’m not used to. The sea right next to tall mountains. A combination still confusing to my brain.
Full focus on WooCommerce and its people
After a morning coffee, the crowd gathered in a big room on the lower level of the hotel to kick off the talks of Checkout Summit. A great selection of different topics for companies building with, on and for WooCommerce.
The different speakers from all over the planet shared insights from their business to current technology in turbulent times.
Besides being touched on in some talks, there were also discussions, during the two days of the event, about what AI and the changing technology environment means for the WooCommerce community, hardly visible within the bigger WordPress community.
Some sponsors opted for traditional sponsor tables (I forgot to take a photo of – as of many other things). Others sponsored and ran side events like quizzes, Pizza night and Happy hour. All of them fun and great to generate shared memories.
A bunch of people not leaving too early on Saturday went for a joined trip into Palermo for lunch. Some people with their luggage some unburdened by suitcases the group walked to the nearest train station. A handy way to also take a look at the suburb where the hotel was located.
The train brought us into the center of Palermo to a food market with a variety of options, from poke bowls to local fish and BBQ. Probably lively every weekend, Italy’s Independence Day made the place especially packed. Between playing kids and live music, we couldn’t stop networking and chatting to our hearts’ content.
Reset at the airport
That was chapter one of Sicily for me. Time to pick up a rental car at the airport to start chapter two. We shared a taxi, riding the community vibe until the very end. Chapter two will be another post on this blog. Subscribe to the newsletter to get notified when it’s published.
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