Acquia Celebrates 20 Years of Drupal at DrupalCon Europe 2021

DrupalCon Europe 2021 is less than a week away, and we’re excited to see all the innovative work happening in the Drupal community. This virtual conference is uniting Drupal experts from across Europe and beyond to share their strategies for building the world’s most ambitious digital experiences. 

As DrupalCon sponsors, Acquia’s got some extra special activities planned in honour of Drupal’s 20th birthday! Here’s a preview of what we’ll be up to at DrupalCon Europe. You won’t want to miss it! 

Featured Sessions:

Don’t miss all the excitement happening on the main stage, we’ve got something for everyone from developers to marketers to IT experts. After each session, Acquia will also host a discussion at our booths to dive deeper into the topic and answer any questions. 

Driesnote

Speakers: Dries Buytaert 

When: Wednesday,6 October - 12:00 -13:30 CEST

Per tradition, Drupal founder Dries Buytaert will give his Driesnote update on the state of the Drupal project. Learn more about Drupal 7 and 8 ends of life, as well as what to expect for Drupal 10! 

Open Source Marketing Automation

Speakers: Ruth Cheesley

When: Monday, 4 October - 15:00 - 15:45 CEST. Discussion Session: 16:50 CEST

Mautic is an open source marketing automation platform and one of the “best kept secrets'' in the industry. Our Mautic Community Manager, Ruth Cheesley will show how the Drupal and Mautic communities can come together. Learn how Mautic helps marketers manage campaigns, track visitors on websites and display dynamic content.  

What is Acquia CMS And How Can It Help Me?

Speakers: Ron Northcutt

When: Wednesday, 6 October - 13:30 - 14:00 CEST Discussion Session: 16:50 CEST

Acquia Lightning is EOL with Drupal 8, and now there is this new Acquia CMS for Drupal 9. There have been lots of questions about how this can be used, and how it can help you build better Drupal 9 applications. 

No Code, Low Code and High Code - Oh My!

Speakers: Alan Botwright, Agnes Lind

When: Wednesday, 6 October - 15:00 - 15:45 CEST

The software industry has been struggling with outmoded ideas about how to build applications. Should you go headless, decoupled or a mix of the two? What about a high-code vs. a low-code approach? See why Drupal is the perfect tool no matter which option you choose. 

Lightning Talks and Workshops:

Even after all these years, there’s always something new to learn in the Drupal community. At DrupalCon Europe, the Acquia team is excited to share our knowledge about the power of Drupal. With SO MUCH to see, we’re offering fast, hands-on sessions, so that attendees get the most value for their time. 

Building Your Site with Low Code: A Hands-On, Virtual Workshop 

When: Thursday, 7 October - 10:00 - 12:00 CEST

Acquia Site Studio is a complete game-changer for building beautiful Drupal 8/9 sites. This participation-focused workshop will give attendees hands-on experience building their own websites with the Acquia Site Studio tool! 

Lightning Talks 

Site Studio: Composable Content for a Digital Experience

Speakers: Dave Thomas

When: Monday, 4 October - 10:00 CEST

Cloud-Based IDE: From Setup to Coding in Minutes

Speakers: Gabriel Garcia

When: Monday, 4 October - 10:45 and Wednesday, 6 October - 10:00 CEST

University of East London: Digitally Rebuilding a UK Higher Education Leader

Speakers: Prateek Jain, Axelerant and Leigh Darlow, Redweb

When: Monday, 4 October - 11:30 CEST

Ask Me Anything about Site Studio at a Scale on Site Factory 

Speakers: Rich Saddington

When: Monday, 4 October - 13:30 CEST

Acquia vs DIY

Speakers: Sam Leclerc 

When: Tuesday, 5 October - 12:00 CEST

Accelerating the Launch of Cambridge University Press and Assessment Corporate Website Using Acquia Site Studio

Speakers: Will Huggins, Zoocha

When: Tuesday, 5 October - 14:00 CEST

Ending the Feud between Developers and Marketers

Speakers: Mariam Ahmed and Ron Northcutt

When: Tuesday, 5 October - 15:30 CEST

The Connection Between Customer Experience and Employee Experience - And How to Improve Both

Speakers: Michelle Miller - EPAM

When: Tuesday, 5 October - 16:15 CEST

Accelerating Platform Migrations with Getter

Speakers: Kobus Van Wyk - Wunderman Thompson

When: Wednesday, 6 October - 10:45 CEST

Accelerated Migration: The Faster Path to Drupal 9

Speakers: Dave Thomas

When: Wednesday, 6 October - 11:30 CEST

Ask Me Anything on Remote IDE and Pipelines 

Speakers: Rich Jones

When: Wednesday, 6 October - 13:30 CEST

The Decline of the Third-Party Cookies

Speakers: Sam Leclerc

When: Thursday, 7 October - 12:00 CEST

How we are Helping Bring Stanley Black & Decker Direct to their Consumers

Speakers: Andrew Beckett, Sandra Södergård & Clive Linsell  - Coherence

When: Thursday, 7 October - 14:00 CEST

Rebuilding Acquia.com

Speakers: Mariam Ahmad

When: Thursday, 7 October - 14:45 CEST

Kwiki - Drupal as a Knowledge Management Platform

Speakers: Paulo Maia Carvalho & Raquel Nunes Fialho - Everis an NTTD Company

When: Thursday, 7 October - 16:00 CEST

Acquia Partner Certification Practice

Speakers: Garry Levitt and Mark Royko

When: Thursday, 7 October - 17:00 CEST

Celebrating 20 Years of Drupal and Building a More Inclusive Community

Drupal 1.0.0 was released into the world on January 15, 2001. Twenty years later, we’ve seen Drupal grow its impact into a thriving community that unites people from all around the world. On this milestone birthday, Acquia wanted to honor the spirit of collaboration and the creative passion that Drupal inspires. Here’s how we’re bringing people together in celebration and giving back to the Drupal community in order to grow the impact of Drupal for years to come.  

Contest To Rename Drupal Certification Title 

We’re currently working with the Drupal Community to upgrade the name “Drupal Grandmaster,” our highest Drupal certification, to be more inclusive and reflective of Drupal’s values. Through October 7, we’re asking anyone in the community to submit their ideas for a new certification title! We know the creative power of Drupalists in action is unmatched and can’t wait to see what you come up with. The person who submits the winning entry will receive free exam vouchers for the set of Drupal Certification exams Acquia offers or have a donation made to a charity of their choosing for $1,000! Submit your suggestions here!

Give Back More: Black Girls Code and Drupal Sponsorships

Drupal is all about breaking down barriers and welcoming new perspectives to the community. This year at DrupalCon Europe, Acquia is excited to provide 10 DrupalCon Scholarships, funding tickets for those who are traditionally underrepresented in open source communities and may not otherwise have the ability to attend the conference. 

Acquia is once again proud to support Black Girls Code, a non-profit organisation that aims to open more opportunities for girls and women to pursue careers in the fields of technology and computer sciences. We will be donating €5.00 on behalf of anyone who visits our virtual booth during DrupalCon Europe. 

Relax and Get Ready to Show Off Your Drupal Expertise

As if you need any more reason to pop by the Acquia booth, we’re giving away free t-shirts! Come visit us and get a special 20th Birthday edition DrupalCon t-shirt from the DrupalCon Swag Shop!

And if you need a short break from a busy day of learning and exploring, take a breath and unwind at Acquia’s guided yoga session. On Monday, 4 October and Wednesday, 6 October at 14:45 CEST, we’ll get you out of your chair and feeling refreshed with some healthy stretching.  

Trivia Night

Finally, in grand DrupalCon tradition, we’ll be hosting a virtual DrupalCon Trivia Night on Wednesday 6 October from 20:30 - 23:30. Test your Drupal knowledge, battle against our special guests for the chance to win a €100 Amazon voucher, and claim your title as Drupal Champion! 

If you haven’t yet, make sure to register for DrupalCon Europe. We can’t wait to see you there!