DrupalCon Prague: Day 1

As any one of the thousand or so attendees will tell you, it's no mean feat prepping for DrupalCon Prague. The thing is, once that’s done, the real work starts...

CXO: A one-day open forum to discuss business challenges

The CXO event is aimed at C-level Drupal business owners, or their representatives. Megan Saniki, Associate Director at Drupal Association, gave a welcome address to the seventy-plus delegation and set the tone of the day – that our efforts in business are what make the Drupal community a community of leaders. She also spoke about 'co-operation'. Or in other words, the idea that we may be competition in some ways, but that the CXO event gives us all the opportunity to share our challenges and learn from each other by being open about what works and what doesn't.

The un-conference approach

By enabling people to talk openly in small groups, attendees first put down key challenges faced within their business. These ranged from sales and marketing to human resources. By using the un-conference approach (whereby the event is facilitated with participants working together on a theme or challenge), the day soon took on a fluid, yet purposeful feel.

We feel each other's pain

As these sessions progressed, it became clear that not only was there a lot of experience in the room, but most of the business challenges and issues faced by attendees had already happened to someone else. Which meant that a potential solution could also be discussed, and for many in the room, knowing they weren't alone was hugely reassuring for them. That then created greater trust and openness, which in turn generated more debate, thrashing out more solutions and ideas. It was really good to be part of this positive cycle.

My take away

The main take away from the day was this: that no matter the size of a company or how busy you (think) you are, never stop learning. And you do that by getting ‘out there’ – participate, make connections and don't be afraid to reach out to the amazing community that we're all part of. Because that's why we're here, aren't we?

Coming up on Day 2: BoF's

John Ennew, Solutions Architect: Quizzes in Drupal - Tues Sept 24, 15:00-16:00

Themes covered – with demonstration:

• The quiz module has a long history with Drupal. What features and improvements do we want to see in Quiz in a new Drupal 8 version?
• Discussion on the new H5P module from falcon – one of the long-time maintainers of the quiz module – and explore possibilities for merging the functionality.

Me (Lizzie), Digital Strategist: What is content strategy and why should I even care? – Tues Sept 24, 15:45-16:45

Themes we'll be exploring:

• Are we are all content creators?
• How can we be sure content matters?
• Who actually cares!?
• New ideas and whether a wider strategy is important