The Web Agency Summit is back for its 6th year. But before we get into what’s coming, we want to take you back to where it all started.
A canceled flight, a crashed platform, a pandemic, and somehow, the biggest event in our industry came out the other side.
It Started With a Cancellation
In early 2020, we were a small team, just under a year old.
We had hedged a HUGE bet on WordCamp Asia. Sponsoring the event, tickets for flying our team out, big money on swag, showing up in person for the first time. We were planning on making a splash.
Then COVID hit, and the event was canceled. Bummer.
We found out the way everyone else found out: a notification on your phone, and then the slow realization that the thing you’d been building toward just wasn’t happening.
We totally understand why, everyone’s safety was the number one priority, but I’d be lying if I said we weren’t disappointed.
Behind the scenes, we’d already sunk serious time, energy, and money into it. Flights booked. Booth designed. Swag shipped. Talking points rehearsed. We were barely off the ground and could have lost the business entirely.
Instead of sitting in that frustration, Vito asked a question that would change everything:
What if we still bring people together, even when the thing meant to do that is gone?
That’s where the idea for a virtual summit came from.
What Happened Next Surprised Us
We expected a scrappy little online event to fill a gap. What we got was a community showing up in force (as the community always seems to do).
People started reaching out, making introductions, calling in favors. Some of them we’d never even spoken to before.
Companies like GoDaddy and WordPress.org stepped in early. Speakers said yes before we even had a proper plan. Partners showed up faster than we could keep up with.
What started as a response to a setback became the first virtual summit in our space.
Here’s a throwback to Vito introducing that very first one:
Taking Our Infrastructure Offline On Day 1
So the concept and the marketing were one thing. Now we had to actually deliver, and that was terrifying.
On the first day of the summit, we took our entire platform offline.
The traffic overwhelmed everything.
One minute the talks were streaming, the next they were stuttering and cutting in and out. Slack lit up. Phones started ringing. For a couple of hours, we were in full CRISIS mode, pulling in help from some of the industry’s leading experts who dropped what they were doing to get on a call with us.
Together, we found a solution that brought the platform back up and kept it stable for the rest of the event.
We were surprised not only by how quickly the problem was solved, but also by the kindness of people willing to drop everything to help.
In the end, everyone got to see every talk they were promised. It was closer than we would ever want to admit, and we are truly grateful for everyone who stepped in that day.
Year 1 Could Safely Be Considered A Success
The first Web Agency Summit was rough around the edges. We ran into problems we hadn’t anticipated. We were making decisions on the fly.
None of that mattered. The thing people cared about was the thing we got right.
We brought the community together at a time when everyone was stuck at home, and the response made it clear this wasn’t a one-off.
That’s how the annual Web Agency Summit was born.
Six Years Later
Every year since, we’ve pushed it further. Bigger speakers. Sharper sessions. Stronger production. What started as a pandemic pivot has become the biggest event in our industry, and this year is the most ambitious edition we’ve ever put together.
But it’s not bigger just for the sake of it. It’s bigger because the problems agencies face right now demand it.
Why This Year Hits Different
Running an agency in 2026 is a different game than it was even a year ago. Client expectations are shifting. AI is reshaping how work gets done. SEO is evolving fast. What worked last year already feels outdated. Everything is just moving so fast and we understand that.
So we brought in people who are seeing these changes happen in real time.
Eugene Levin, President of Semrush. Eugene scaled Semrush into a global platform used by millions and led it through a major acquisition. He’ll break down what’s really happening with SEO, AI, pricing, and client expectations, from someone with the data to back it up.
Mary Hubbard, Executive Director of WordPress. With WordPress 7.0 landing just before the Summit, Mary will share what these changes mean for agencies. From collaboration to AI to the future of the platform, this is a direct look at where things are heading.
They’re joined by leaders from Automattic, GoDaddy, and more, all focused on the questions agencies are asking right now.
This Isn’t Another Forgettable Webinar
Most online events fade into the background the moment they end. We’ve spent six years making sure this one doesn’t.
You can join live or keep it running while you work. Jump into sessions that catch your attention. Ask questions in real time during Q&As. Step into the networking lounge and have actual conversations with people who get your day-to-day.
Every session is built around real agency problems. Getting better clients without chasing referrals. Fixing delivery chaos. Building systems that don’t rely on you being everywhere at once. Figuring out where AI actually fits. Scaling without burning out your team.
The kind of stuff most people only learn after a few painful years of doing it the hard way.
Will We See You There?
Web Agency Summit 6 runs from April 27 to 30, supported by WordPress, Automattic, Semrush, GoDaddy, and more.
Every year since that first scrambled, infrastructure-crashing, pandemic-born edition, we’ve worked to make this thing better. We’re beyond excited to be back for round six.
If you want in on the conversation, grab your ticket here. We hope to see you there.
HUGE shoutout to our incredible sponsors this year! Let’s make the 6th edition bigger than ever!
