WP Engine played host to a different type of WordPress experience this week, welcoming top agencies and brands at the Londoner Hotel for our most recent installment of WP Engine Ignite, 

Ignite brings together industry experts for roundtable discussions, presentations, and excellent networking opportunities for all attendees, at both virtual and in-person events.

At this week’s in-person Ignite in London, agencies and brands such as WONDR, Big Bite, Candyspace, Modern Tribe, and more were in attendance as presenters shared valuable insights with digital leaders who are shaping the future of the web with WordPress.

From the latest trends in WordPress and eCommerce to the tools and features empowering builders on WP Engine’s platform, Ignite London was a smashing success, and a shining example of shared expertise focused on building faster, more scalable digital experiences.

Read on for some of the highlights from London Ignite 2022 and stay tuned for more info about upcoming  WP Engine Ignite events, both virtual and in-person!

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WordPress Trends and Opportunities

As enterprise adoption of WordPress continues to grow, forward-thinking agencies are finding new ways to differentiate with enterprise-grade solutions and services. 

In her presentation at London Ignite, WP Engine VP of Marketing Monica Cravotta focused on component-based development trends in WordPress and the ways agencies are using these trends to quickly deliver more dynamic user experiences to enterprise clients.

From the the low-code/no-code capabilities found in the Block Editor and Full Site Editing to the decoupled optionality that comes with headless WordPress, agencies are now able to differentiate more effectively with a vast library of re-usable, open source components that can significantly speed up enterprise development.

WP Engine encourages all of our Agency Partners to grow and collaborate with us as they build out these components. 

Using Frost and Genesis, builders who rely on the Block Editor or Full Site Editing gain a ton of tools to support their workflows, including patterns, themes, and custom blocks. 

And for developers focused on headless builds, an Atlas Sandbox account, Atlas Blueprints, and Faust.js all provide excellent opportunities for exploring the possibilities of headless WordPress. 

Developers can also delve into content modeling with structured data using Atlas Content Modeler, an open source project from WP Engine that streamlines process of creating content models for your headless WordPress site.

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WP Engine’s Customer Innovation Showcase

Over the past few years, businesses of all sizes have had to reimagine their approach to digital with advanced, secure, scalable solutions that can meet ever-changing customer expectations head on. 

While WordPress provides a flexible, open source framework for building modern digital experiences, WP Engine powers the freedom to create on WordPress with a fully-managed platform that’s unified by powerful technology, award-winning service, and an ecosystem of partners and builders.

In this Ignite session, WP Engine SVP and Chief Product Officer Ezinne Udezue walked through recent product innovations and the product roadmap for WP Engine’s builder tools, headless WordPress with Atlas, managed WordPress, eCommerce, and agency management.

Each of these platform solutions are focused on making it easier, faster, and more efficient to build incredible digital experiences with WordPress. As we look ahead to 2023, the future is brighter than ever!

When to Choose Headless

If you have high-performance site requirements, how do you decide if traditional WordPress or headless WordPress is right for the job? There are benefits, constraints, opportunities, and tradeoffs with both options, and it’s not always easy to identify them all.

In this session, WP Engine Sr. Agency Alliances Manager Alexandria Butler prompted agency experts to weigh the benefits, constraints, opportunities, and tradeoffs of choosing headless WordPress.

Panel speakers included Drewl Co-Founder & Managing Director Tayo Onabule, Candyspace Technology Partnerships Manager Rosie Stano, and The Big Issue Digital Projects Manager Martin Heineberg. The three shared their views on when it would be most appropriate to choose headless WordPress and when it’s more prudent to take the traditional path.

WordPress & eCommerce: Delivering a Better Store With the Best Platform for Your Clients

This panel, hosted by WP Engine Head of Agency Alliances EMEA, James Hall, featured leaders from three of the UK’s top agencies to discuss how you can identify the best eCommerce solutions for your customers’ online stores.

Maksimer Managing Director Ant Miller,  Granite Digital Head of eCommerce Sean Owens, and Indigo Tree Digital Managing Director Louisa Towler, shared their advice on choosing the right eCommerce platform for your clients’ unique build, finding a niche, and the role WordPress will play in shaping eCommerce experiences in 2023 and beyond.

Find More Insights at the Next Ignite Event!

Our top priority at WP Engine is empowering agencies and brands with the tools and technology they need to build the digital experiences of tomorrow. Through events like Ignite and our ever-growing list of WordPress resources and open source tools, we help agencies and brands of all sizes win on WordPress. 

Looking for an Ignite near you? There are two additional events coming up—one in Austin, TX as well as a virtual event on December 7—so make sure and reserve your seat! You’ll glean actionable insights from industry experts focused on building a faster, more powerful future on WordPress!