Bringing back DrupalCamp Scotland: reflections on a successful return
For the first time since 2019, DrupalCamp Scotland returned, hosted here at the University of Edinburgh in October. I am proud to have been part of the organising committee for a very successful and well-attended event. In this post, I share my reflections on what it took to bring it back after the pandemic and a 5-year hiatus.
About DrupalCamp
A DrupalCamp is an event which brings together a local Drupal community for one or more days of talks, activities and networking.
For anyone unfamiliar, Drupal is an open source web Content Management System (CMS), it’s the CMS that the University’s EdWeb and EdWeb 2 are built on.
Drupal is used by companies, organisations and governments around the world, with a strong presence in the higher education and local government sectors. Drupal is even used by institutions like the United Nations and European Commission to power their websites. This means that Drupal community is very diverse and spans the globe. While there are large scale conferences, known as DrupalCons, happening multiple times per year in different locations, DrupalCamps are the locally organised and community-driven events, which bring the local communities together. I’ve been lucky enough to attend large and small-scale Drupal events in Scotland and abroad as part of my role.
DrupalCamp Scotland is organised by a small committee of volunteers, and each of us contribute because we believe in the importance of bringing together the Drupal community here in Scotland and want to see it thrive. DrupalCamp Scotland is the key annual event which allows that to happen.
A 5-year hiatus
The last DrupalCamp Scotland was 5 years ago, in 2019. Then in 2020, the Covid pandemic hit and changed how we work, network and learn.
For us, and so many other Camps, the pandemic caused a loss of momentum. In 2021 we talked about restarting it but felt the time wasn’t right. Those conversations continued into 2022, but the task of restarting the Camp felt like a monumental undertaking.
In 2023 I was fortunate enough to be able to attend DrupalCon Europe, which was happening in Lille, France. Prior to Lille, Amsterdam 2019 was the last DrupalCon I attended in person. During the pandemic DrupalCon went virtual, but it was nothing compared to over 1000 passionate individuals from across the globe taking over a convention centre.
DrupalCon Lille reignited a spark in me for in-person events, and speaking to colleagues who also attended I could tell they felt the same energy and passion as I did.
The revival of DrupalCamp Scotland
Going into 2024, as an organising committee we agreed that we had to do something, otherwise what was the point of meeting every month? We decided that the moment was right, as many other Camps had started returning, and we were keen to give it a go again.
The task of resurrecting DrupalCamp Scotland felt daunting. Having only joined the organising committee at the start of 2020, I didn’t have the experience of previous events that others on the committee had.
After 5 years and a pandemic, we didn’t know whether the appetite was still there for in person events in the Scottish community. Not knowing whether anyone would even show up just added to the feeling of uncertainty.
There was also a feeling that, if it didn’t go well, that was it. All of us on the organising committee volunteer our time, we do it because we believe in the importance of bringing the Drupal community here in Scotland together and want to see it thrive. So, the 2024 Camp would be a make-or-break moment for the future of DrupalCamp Scotland.
It took us a few months to get properly into the swing of things, but once we agreed a date, secured a venue, started to build out a programme of sessions and started promoting the event, things began to snowball. Even up until a month before we were still a little hesitant as to whether we could actually pull it off.
As we sold more tickets and promoted the event, we could feel there was excitement in the community, with strong signs that people were eager to join us in Edinburgh.
On the day
The event took place on Friday 25 October, and exceeded all of our expectations! We were hoping for between 35 and 50 people, and we ended up with almost 50 people in attendance (good thing too because we ordered catering for 50!).
We managed to put together an engaging schedule of talks, on a range of different subjects, there really was something for everyone. We had a strong showing from colleagues here at the University, not just central teams, but even from some of our schools. Beyond the University, we had people from across Scotland join us, as well as people traveling up from England, and even from as far away as Belgium and Germany!
Aside from helping to setup, my main role on the day was recording all of the presentations. This was made significantly easier thanks to the lecture capture facilities the University provides.
Once the scheduled talks had concluded, the social event began, which many of the attendees joined, and was a big success.
Group photo from DrupalCamp Scotland
Thanks to Paul Johnston of 1xINTERNET for the group photo, and for anyone interested in a detailed recap of the day, I can highly recommend the summary that Paul wrote.
Read Paul Johnston’s full recap of DrupalCamp Scotland 2024
The recordings are also available to watch on the Drupal Scotland YouTube channel
Recordings of DrupalCamp Scotland 2024 sessions on YouTube
Looking to the future
With the huge success of DrupalCamp Scotland 2024, we’re now looking forward to hosting the Camp again in 2025 and have already began discussing what a 2025 Camp might look like
For now though, we’ll be taking a well-deserved break in December, and will reconvene in the new year, so do follow Drupal Scotland for future updates on the 2025 Camp!
Follow the Drupal community in Scotland for more updates:
- Drupal Scotland on LinkedIn
- Drupal Scotland on Drupal.org
- DrupalCamp Scotland website
- Drupal Scotland group on groups.drupal.org
(Paul Johnston from 1xINITERNET)
