Despite the challenges Covid-19 presented for event organisers in 2020, DrupalSouth decided to proceed with our government-focused event online in early November. The conference was held over two days, with a Code Sprint on day one and conference sessions and sponsor expo on day two.
Code Sprints help drive the Drupal open source software project forward with anyone able to work on issues and submit changes to Drupal's code base. This year, 33 attendees worked on 25 issues, with a focus on Drupal's bug-squash initiative.
The conference was our first online event, so despite a few hiccups, the day was a huge success for the 326 attendees - our biggest DrupalGov ever! While DrupalGov primarily focused on Drupal's use in Australian and New Zealand government, we had strong attendance from people internationally. Our three keynotes, 29 speakers and several panel discussions filled out an intensive schedule on the day.
Our events can only take place with the commitment of our volunteer organisers, sponsors and speakers, so we wanted to take the time to specifically thank them all.
Firstly, Salsa Digital stepped up as event host and provided several of their team members with time to organise the event during working hours, including:
- Akhil Bhandari - Event Lead / Sponsor Lead
- Kristy de Vries - Track Chair / Track Lead
- Phillipa Martin - Content Lead + Communications
- Kim Phan - Treasurer
- Alfred Deeb - Content / Support
- Laura Lanigan - Event Day Support
- Kate Swayne - Event Day Support
- Nathania Sudirman - Event Day Support
The Track Lead Team then helped select and coordinate all of the Speakers who shared their expertise and insights:
- Backend Development: Lee Rowlands
- Frontend Development: Alan Cole
- DevOps and Security: Nick Schuch
- UX and Content: Kristy de Vries
- Project Management: Geoff Dibley
- Showcase & Horizons: Suchi Garg
Of course, the event would not have been possible without the financial support and attendance of our event Sponsors.
A final note of thanks to our online platform provider, EventsAir, and Linux Australia who provided the event's legal and financial framework.
Stay tuned for news on our next event in 2021...