DrupalCon, the key conference for the digital experience platform Drupal, was held this year in Barcelona, Spain, from September 24 to 27. DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 gathered thousands of people from around the globe who use, design, and support the development of Drupal. More than 1,300 digital specialists and Drupal professionals came together to share ideas, collaborate on a Drupal project, and advance Drupal technology.

The OpenSense Labs team was in Barcelona, Spain during the last week of September for DrupalCon Barcelona 2024. It was a great experience to see familiar faces and meet new ones while working together to welcome new contributors to Drupal.

In this post, we will cover all the details of the event, such as the different sessions, the involvement of The Drupal Association, the Dries Note, the contribution day, and more.

If you're thinking about switching from your current content management system to Drupal, we suggest looking into the migration services offered by OpenSense Labs.

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So, let's begin!

40th Dries Note At DrupalCon Barcelona 2024

Dries Buytaert, the creator of Drupal, gave his 40th DriesNote at DrupalCon Barcelona 2024. He shared an exciting future plan for the platform, especially focusing on the Starshot Initiative's Drupal CMS, which is currently being developed. The Starshot Initiative focuses on ensuring its product serves the needs of key customers, including marketers, content creators, web developers, reviewers, designers, and programmers.

The Drupal Starshot Leadership team consists of Dries Buytaert as the Product Lead, Tim Plunkett overseeing technical aspects, Pamela Barone serving as the Product Owner, Cristina Chumillas responsible for User Experience, Lenny Moskalyk managing Delivery, Gabor Hojsy as the Contrib Coordinator, and Suzanne Dergacheva leading Marketing.

Dries discussed the emphasis on Drupal CMS, Experience Builder, advancements in AI, and the importance of ethical AI. He explained how the platform is becoming easier for non-developers to use while maintaining its innovative and flexible nature.

The Drupal CMS is being designed to make it easier to use Drupal's features. It offers ready-to-use options that help marketers, web designers, and organizations easily build and manage their websites. Drupal CMS is not a basic, beginner-friendly option. It is built on the strong foundation of Drupal Core.

This means that while it was designed to make it easier for beginners to start with Drupal, it still offers all the power, flexibility, and potential for growth that experienced developers rely on. Drupal CMS will enable more people, including marketers and those without coding knowledge, to use it easily. It will maintain its advanced features that make it powerful for complex websites.

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DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 - A 3-Day Event With More Than 100 Sessions

DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 hosted over 100 workshops, sessions, and exciting keynotes in a packed three-day schedule. After the event started, the Women in Drupal Awards were held to recognize the significant impact Drupal has on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Pamela Barone, All Petrovska, and Esmeralda Tijhoff were honored with awards for their contributions to the Drupal community.

For nearly a decade, the findings of the Drupal Business Survey have been showcased at DrupalCon. The Drupal Business Survey, organized by the Drupal Business Network, has been collecting information from Drupal service providers and agencies around the globe. On September 26th, the findings from the 2024 survey were shared.

All the agencies in the digital sector are aware of global events that impact the economy and sales, yet they are still enthusiastic about Drupal CMS. Over 70 digital marketing agencies joined forces to evaluate and improve their strategies for 2025 and the future.

Driving Drupal Advancements Via Teamwork At DrupalCon Barcelona 2024

The Drupal Association aims to speed up Drupal development, expand the Drupal community, and promote a safe and open internet for all. It also oversees Drupal.org for the Drupal community. The Drupal Association Board met in person the weekend before DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 for their twice-a-year meeting. Discussions included subjects like Drupal CMS, its upcoming plans, and its overall strategy and objectives.

On Wednesday at DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 they held a public board meeting to announce the new Board Members: Alejandro Moreno, Sachiko Muto, and Stella Power.

The Drupal Association organized multiple sessions on various topics, including Bridging the Gap: Unlocking Non-Code Contributions, the Drupal.org Engineering Panel, the Local Drupal Regions & Associations Round Table, and Supply Chain Security in Drupal and Composer.

The visitors asked about the Drupal CMS, also called Drupal Starshot, while at the Drupal Association booth to learn more about the project. The booth shared the following information:

• Updates on Drupal CMS news
• Plans for the development of Drupal CMS, especially the first version, and
• Ways to get involved to help improve this great product

In the Expo Hall, attendees of DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 learned more about the Ripple Makers membership and Drupal Certified Partners at the Drupal Association booth. Ripple Makers is the new Drupal Association Membership designed to encourage innovation and increase the use of Drupal as an important digital tool.

The Drupal Certified Partner program recognizes and rewards organizations that demonstrate significant creativity, leadership, generosity, and a positive influence on the Drupal initiative.

CEO Tim Doyle also announced a new program called Adopt-a-Document during the public meeting.

If you're looking for seamless Drupal Migration services, check out OpenSense Labs' offerings before proceeding forward. 

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The Contribution Day At DrupalCon Barcelona 2024

The Drupal community came together to collaborate and shape the future of Drupal during the event, particularly on the final day known as Contribution Day!

Participation in Contribution Events was an important part of the DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 experience, happening throughout the event and continuing until the last day. On the last day of the conference, Drupal experts stayed for Contribution Day, working together on exciting new projects for Drupal.

The contribution day allowed attendees to connect with others who have similar interests, share their skills, and work together towards common goals.

Everyone had a chance to make an impact, whether they loved planning events, designing user interfaces, translating documents, writing guides, evaluating contributions, finding errors, or coding. Everyone, regardless of their skills or experience, was welcome to participate and share their ideas.

Various individuals, including project leaders, bug reporters, designers, quality assurance testers, and developers with front-end and back-end skills, contributed. Mentors were available to help those who felt unsure about how to begin, guiding them through the process. Inclusion enhances the Drupal community, and by welcoming it, DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 provided an excellent experience for all attendees.

Fun Fact: The Drupal community has over 100,000 committed members who work hard to bring new ideas to one of the largest open-source projects in the world.

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1. DrupalCon Highlights: Day 1, Hallo Vienna!

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3. DrupalCon Highlights: Day 3 at Vienna

4. DrupalCon Highlights: Bidding Adieu To DrupalCon Euro 2017

Trivia Night At DrupalCon Barcelona 2024

Many social events happened late at DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 including Trivia Night, Drupal's pub quiz, on Thursday night. The Drupal community got ready for a fun and exciting evening with the pub quiz. Participants took part in 6 rounds, with each round having 10 questions. These questions covered various aspects of Drupal and other general web development topics.

Groups of 5 people were formed to compete for the title of Drupal trivia champions, with small prizes available. People had fun and tested each other's knowledge of Drupal. The evening was full of laughter, friendly competition, and many clever replies.

At the closing ceremony, it was announced that Vienna will host DrupalCon Europe 2025.

Key Takeaways

1. In his 40th Dries Note, Dries Buytaert highlighted the importance of Drupal CMS, Experience Builder, AI progress, and the commitment to ethical AI.
2. DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 organized over 100 workshops, sessions, and an array of exciting keynote speeches including events like the Women in Drupal Awards.
3. The Drupal Association Board held their annual in-person meeting before DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 and discussed topics like Drupal CMS, its upcoming initiatives, and its overarching strategy.
4. On the last day of the conference, Drupal experts stayed for Contribution Day, working together on the creation of Drupal's exciting future projects.
5. Different kinds of social events took place on the last day of DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 such as Drupal's pub quiz called Trivia Night and the Closing Ceremony.