DrupalCon Prague: A recap

We had hardly learned the Czech greeting “Dobrý den” when the time came to say goodbye. The long-awaited DrupalCon Prague, Europe’s biggest Drupal conference, rushed by like a shooting star leaving vivid memories. Let’s collect them one by one right now! Having shared my thoughts and expectations of a first-time attendee, it's only fitting to be here for you again with a recap of the most memorable moments of DrupalCon Prague 2022.

Getting some swag ready

The Ukrainian team of ImageX, the biggest one to represent Ukraine at the event, was not going to DrupalCon Prague’22 empty-handed. We prepared some nice blue-and-yellow T-shirts that expressed the brave spirit of Ukrainians. While preparing them, we couldn’t even imagine how much attention they would be getting at DrupalCon Prague.

On the wings of great expectations

Do you believe in good signs? We certainly do, that’s why we enjoyed the view from our plane to Prague. After a couple of rainy days and gloomy skies, the sun broke through the clouds to shine on the wings of the plane. A brilliant start to the brilliant event!

A special team meeting

When your company has offices on different continents, events like DrupalCon Prague give your team a unique chance to get together. Our Ukrainian team was joined by Glenn, our CEO, and Rosie, our Marketing Director. They both crossed the ocean to fly from Canada to DrupalCon Europe. Some team members even met each other for the first time!

Once the team reunited, we replenished some energy with a cup of coffee just before the start of DrupalCon. Finally, there were no PC screens between us — if only all team meetings could look like this!

On our way to DrupalCon

We were full of energy as we walked to the 02 Universum concert hall for DrupalCon Prague, but it wasn’t due to coffee. Much more energizing was the joy from the team reunification and the anticipation of Europe’s biggest Drupal event kick-off.

The grand opening

The huge 02 Universum building was flooded with DrupalCon attendees who were chatting, greeting familiar people, meeting new ones, and trying to find their way through the hustle and bustle of the event which was the first in-person DrupalCon in Europe since 2019. 

And just like all rivers flow to the sea, all groups of guests eventually flew towards the main auditorium for the Opening Ceremony. And here we go — DrupalCon officially kicked off!

After an exciting introduction from the EU Drupal advisory board with practical information and some game-playing, the opening ceremony gave way to the first keynote session of DrupalCon Prague 2022.

The opening ceremony about to start.

A great choice of sessions

From Tuesday through Friday, the keynotes and regular sessions were very interesting with many famous names among the speakers. Some sessions were given on the Open Stage, which seemed a great invention to catch passers-by and turn them into grateful listeners.

A lot of attention was given to the upcoming Drupal 10 with its new features such as CKEditor 5, Project Browser, and more. Everybody, including Drupal developers, marketers, users, and team leaders, could find sessions to their taste in the DrupalCon menu. Just like the dishes of the Czech cuisine, some sessions were “spicy” and some were “sweet” — based on their technical complexity and the topic.

Driesnote: a magnet attracting everyone

Jet-lag? Fatigue? Never heard of them! That’s what the crowds of people coming to Driesnote at 8:45am on Wednesday morning seemed to be saying. And this is not surprising because the central keynote by the creator of Drupal is a historic moment.

Something I'd viewed so many times on the Internet finally came alive — Dries himself appeared on the stage! He was sharing with the audience about the chair where Drupal was born, how Drupal could give anyone a chance to build whatever they wanted, how things were going with the Drupal initiatives and Drupal 10 readiness, and so many other interesting things.

Pictures with Dries!

Our team was especially lucky to catch Dries, ask him for a few pictures and even present him with our “Brave” T-shirt. The moment of shaking hands and taking pictures with a legend feels like a miracle. What could be more epic for a person working with Drupal? 

Dries is the person who started the whole Drupal story 21 years ago giving each of us a chance to create great websites, write inspiring posts, gather for DrupalCons, and be part of an awesome community.

Time to work and time to rest

When the choice of sessions is overwhelming and you need to teleport yourself from one auditorium to another, your legs and your brain need a rest sometimes. Don’t they, Glenn?

And sometimes it’s time to play

Some sports never harmed anybody. It’s nice to take a break and stretch your muscles after hours of absorbing Drupal knowledge. 

The blue-and-yellow power

“I love your T-shirts!” was the first phrase we heard at DrupalCon Prague about our “Brave” outfit, and it was just the beginning. People were coming up to us, giving nice comments, taking pictures, and asking to have the “Be Brave Like Ukraine” T-shirts. It was especially amazing to see Baddy Sonja from the Drupal Association board and 1xINTERNET wearing our T-shirt on the final day. 

Prague: Beautiful 24/7

It was a must to see Prague whilst at DrupalCon Europe 2022. It is fabulous both at day and at night. I loved the golden autumn sunshine filling the Charles Bridge and the mist of the night covering the Astronomical Clock and giving us an especially fairytale-like bird’s eye view of the ancient city from the tower. 

We had a great time in Prague exploring its gems, meeting our friends from the Drupal community, and showing our support for Ukraine. And yes, we enjoyed the Czech cuisine too - so many delicious dishes!

Bonjour, Lille!

Everything eventually comes to an end. This fairy tale is over, but a new one is to come next autumn. At the wrap-up ceremony, everybody held their breath to hear the name of the city for the next DrupalCon Europe. It will be in Lille in the Normandy region of France. Hopefully, I'll see you all there, c’est magnifique!

Everything has been incredible in this DrupalCon journey — the conference, the insights, the team, the fun, and the city. Even one visit to DrupalCon makes you wish for more, so hope to meet again next year! A million thanks to all people involved in organizing the event and to the ImageX development team for a chance to attend. 

Sincerely, your happy first-time attendee with all expectations fulfilled and exceeded!

	Nadiia Nykolaichuk Copywriter and Site Builder, ImageX Nadiia is an active member of the Drupal community. She contributes to Drupal.org with module documentation guides and loves to attend Drupal events, especially ones organized by ImageX.