Drupal GovCon 2024 Recap

Every DrupalCon is full of anticipation for us at amazee.io. As a remote company, we cherish the opportunity to see each other face to face, connect, learn, and grow.

Drupal GovCon 2024 was no different. With three of our four North American amazee.io team members in attendance, we met new and old friends, and both shared and gained knowledge.

Read on to discover firsthand some of the highlights from our team’s Drupal GovCon experiences!

Favorite Drupal Camp

I have to say I’m a bit biased when it comes to Drupal GovCon. It’s by far my favorite Drupal camp, and though I understand the mass size and importance of DrupalCon North America, I still prefer this smaller, more intimate camp. 

The fact that it's free says so much about the level of organization that the organizers and volunteers display. I’m sure they put in so much unpaid time and work. Making it free lowers one of the entry bars for many folks who want to learn more about Drupal, and it allows the conference’s messages and sessions to reach more people. This year, it was hosted at the Riggs Center at the University of Maryland. I was particularly impressed by the location and the setup. The speaker booths were right outside the spaces where the sessions were being held, making it very easy to come and go from both spaces. Initially, I thought the noise of the crowd and conversation would be bothersome for the folks in the session rooms, but the sound dampening was quite surprising. It had no ill effect that both things were so close. 

Regarding the sessions, we had some exciting ones, like the one about Starshot and the future of “Drupal CMS”. I like the direction Drupal is heading, trying to make it more appealing for less technical users. It was also good to see the growth and continuation of initiatives like EditTogether and some cool AI features. As important as it is to keep Drupal as accessible as possible to everyone, it also needs to continue to push the envelope in terms of new and exciting features.

I was lucky enough to be selected to give a session about the Open Web and Open Source Web Hosting. It’s an important session for folks working in Drupal and the open source space to dedicate a few minutes to listen. Remember, if your CMS is Open Source, your tools are open source, and your contributions are open source, shouldn’t your hosting be open source, too? (Check out the recording of my session or get in touch if you’d like to have a conversation exploring how you can leverage open source hosting in a government setting.)

Meanwhile, in the social/fun aspect, this camp does a phenomenal job of balancing the seriousness and professionalism of a conference of this caliber with just some flat-out fun and quirkiness. I mean, it's a well-known phrase, but did you even go to GovCon if you didn’t get a picture with Sammy the Eagle? Having a colossal stuffed llama, check. Check out all-you-can-eat ice cream with amazing flavors. Rubber ducky race, also check. All thanks to the organizers and sponsors of the conference. 

In the end, it was quite a success, with the attendance being well over 600 participants. I was glad I could reconnect with some old friends and make some new ones along the way. Spending time with my amazee.io colleagues has always been something I treasure. We were able to talk to some of our existing clients and connect with potential clients, so overall, it was quite a positive experience on a personal and professional level. Can’t wait to be back next year!

Professional Networking

Drupal GovCon was an incredible event, both from an organizational standpoint and with the informative sessions available—I’m grateful I was able to attend! Additionally, the beautiful University of Maryland campus made for a stellar location, and I’m excited it’s being hosted there again next year.

Although I could only attend two days of the conference, I could do so much in that time! I attended a few sessions—ones that seemed a little more business-focused than tech-focused—and really enjoyed them. I attended an RFP writing session and was able to ask questions about how to use sales tactics for open communication when working on an active RFP. Naturally, I also attended both Rolandos and Bree’s sessions, and they did such a great job!

As a non-technical person, my event highlights are all about networking and talking about our amazee.io services and solutions. This event was definitely no exception! I have always enjoyed connecting with the Drupal community and hearing about their professional experiences, from their current projects to the struggles they’ve worked through and notable successes. 

However, during these larger events, participants can’t always find the time to have lengthy discussions as they are balancing their work responsibilities with attending sessions. In my experience, however, the key to having meaningful encounters is to show a genuine interest in people's questions, issues, and ideas while simultaneously showing them how they, with their unique enterprise circumstances, could benefit from our solutions and services.

I was also fortunate to meet other community members from the Drupal Colorado/Mountain West groups, and we discussed the possibility of strengthening our local communities together—exciting times ahead!

All in all, it was a great experience. I learned so much, made some valuable connections, and left feeling prouder than I already was to work at amazee.io.

Community Connection and New Challenges

I’ve been to every GovCon since it was CapitalCamp way back in the day. They are always great, but this one stood out to me as one to remember. Maybe it was the beautiful weather, but this year, it felt like people were especially energized, present, and happy to be back together. 

I have high hopes that the DC area community is finding some re-energization. The month leading up to GovCon saw two (!!) in-person meetups (and another is planned for next month), whereas, for years previous, there had been none. I had a wonderful conversation with Anoop John of The Drop Times about revitalizing our communities and their importance. I’ll take this moment to urge anyone reading this article to get reconnected if you aren’t already – find a meetup, help restart a meetup, and let’s get back together! Such a massive part of Drupal is our fantastic community, and while we can stay connected online, it’s not quite the same as the magic of coming together in person. 

My highlights from GovCon included ending with a rubber ducky race and an ice cream social. The sun was shining, the weather was perfect, and these happy, whimsical activities were such a lovely way to close out the week. 

Of course, the very best part was seeing old friends and making new ones. The Drupal community is simultaneously big and small; I always get to see familiar faces, yet there’s always someone I haven’t met. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t write about the talk I was invited to give – the closing keynote. The topic was “Leadership in Times of Change”. Public speaking has always been a challenge for me, which is why I initially turned down the opportunity. I was uncertain I could add the extra effort to my plate, especially with how busy my year has been and how much of myself I tend to put into these endeavors. But the regret of turning it down was immediate, so I made an abrupt about-face: I responded instead, “Ok, maybe I can do it, but only if you think it’s ok if I talk about…” and then I proceeded to write three bullet points, which turned into nine, which turned into an entire essay, at which point I said, primarily to myself, “Well, gee, I guess I am passionate about this and should clearly do it. I’m in.”

Giving a keynote was a nerve-wracking experience for me. The visibility was higher, and I tended to put a lot of pressure on myself. Also, this topic 1) was near and dear to me and 2) was based almost entirely on my beliefs, values, experiences, and hard-learned lessons. In my line of work, we often give technical talks, and there is a comfort in the fact that the things we are saying are usually quite obvious to validate – the code runs, the fix works, and the performance is improved. But there are no automated tests to run, no easy works/doesn’t work checks to show that I had any legs to stand on. You can’t refresh the browser page and prove that your leadership, integrity, and self-care ideas are good. This was an exercise in vulnerability for me, in trusting that if I put myself and my very subjective, very human message out there, it would find the people who needed to hear it. 

This was as personally gratifying as it was challenging and had the unexpected side effect of galvanizing me into action in my personal life. There’s nothing like standing up in front of a large crowd and talking about self-leadership to make you stop and realize areas where you need to practice your preaching. 

My biggest thanks and appreciation go out to the volunteers and organizers of Drupal GovCon. It’s a labor of love and one of the best-run local events I’ve ever attended—you guys do a fantastic job. Thank you so much! And a special thanks to Kirsten Burgard for allowing me to give a keynote and encouraging me to take the leap.

You can watch my talk below if you're interested. Plus, don’t miss out on the amazing array of sessions; they are all uploaded and available on YouTube.

Many thanks to all our friends, the organizers, and this wonderful and colorful community for a great GovCon! We can’t wait to see you all again soon. For some of us, “soon” is just a few weeks away: look for us at DrupalCon Barcelona this September, and be sure to sign up for LagoonCon if you’ll be in Barcelona! For the rest, keep an eye on our social media accounts to see where else we’ll be over the next few months. Until then, keep in touch and take care!