Checkout Summit was amazing

It may sound blasé, but I knew in advance that this event was going to be great. Why? There’s always something special about a very first edition.
With a very first edition, everything is new for everyone. New environment, new group, new format, new organizer. And what happens in your head when something is new: you get stimulated and you enjoy it.

Rodolfo is amazing
I’ve heard and read many Checkout Summit reviews. But not this one: Rodolfo as a host was wonderful. Especially (!) his spontaneous, laid-back Sicilian way of presenting — delightful. No frills, funny, no bragging, down to earth. I and everyone (I think) felt enormously welcome.

My impression:
pros and cons listed

If I were to give a score, it would be a solid nine. As a 2x co-organizer of WordCamps, I know what goes into it. Rodolfo did a great job.

Things I liked:

• The location: close to the beach, great food, big enough to breathe, outdoor spaces, everyone crashing in the same hotel, and a fitness room (honestly — never seen so many tech nerds on a treadmill). Worth saying again: the dining area overlooking the sea and sunset is absolutely stunning.
• The schedule: every day kicked off at 10:00. Plenty of free time to enjoy the beach and the sea. During my morning walk — with my wife Greet — I spotted 2 WordPressers washing up on shore after a brisk swim. No clue what continent they came from, but respect.
• The connections: brilliant conversations with plugin builders, including some whose licenses I’ve been paying for years — nice to finally put a face to the invoice. At this kind of conference you actually have time for real, deeper conversations about what plugins can do and where the opportunities lie. And yes, Barn2 has already pushed a bug fix release since then — because this particular geek wouldn’t stop nudging them. Also had great chats with Sweetcode, Shoptimizer and WCVendor.
• The presence of (key) WooCommerce Core team members: James and Brian were genuinely open to feedback. James even created and closed a PR ticket on the spot — a blog post about that is coming soon.
• The Reloaded edition afterwards was a nice touch, even if the reason for organising it was mostly financial. For what it’s worth: I’m glad Rodolfo didn’t walk away with a loss. During Checkout Summit you absorb so much (and forget just as much), so a Reloaded edition turned out to be a very welcome memory refresh.

Things I thought were OK:

• The presentations were really interesting, with standout performances from James and Patrick in particular. But the same thing that gets me at WordCamps got me again here: I missed real hands-on stuff like code, examples, screenshots, showcases. Most slides were text-heavy — which doesn’t mean they weren’t interesting. But that’s just me, I’m a huge fan of genuinely practical information.
• I had pitched Rodolfo the idea of breakout sessions at the time. That didn’t happen, and that’s fine. Everyone was happily chatting away anyway. I do believe breakout sessions could actually work well when the group is larger — and when they’re properly planned with an actual topic.

Things I liked less:

• There could have been more shop builders, though Rodolfo can’t really help that. The majority were service providers and plugin builders. Which is interesting in its own right, especially from a shop builder’s perspective — but I would have loved to spar more with people who do the same thing I do.
• The two-day event was too short. (lol). So I fully support Rodolfo’s call for more WooCommerce events. I’m definitely inspired — but as a solo organizer I just don’t see room for myself in 2026/2027.
• Palermo is a bit trickier to reach in terms of flight routes. I heard this minor complaint more than once. That said, there’s always a solution — plenty of airports nearby, right. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I checked it out on Street View beforehand. But I was completely won over. I’m a fan of Italy and Sicily — friendly people, amazing food, what more do you want. And in terms of affordability versus what you get for it, Palermo is actually a top location for events like this. Try organising something like this in Belgium or the Netherlands and you’re looking at at least triple the cost (I’d imagine).

Checkout Summit 2027

Rodolfo has built a solid foundation and a great playbook. Thoroughly deserved. I’m convinced there are more great editions to come. He’s earned it, and so has the WooCommerce community.

It went without saying that Rodolfo received a standing ovation during the final quiz night.

And hey — if the next edition is three days, I’m already packing my bags. Just don’t tell my clients.