Over the last several weeks I've been contacting people in the DC Drupal community and the Drupal Association to evaluate whether DC would serve as a good space for the Spring 2009 North American DrupalCon. As we all know, it will and it will be awesome!
With our large and very active Drupal community, we'll be able to support it, and with all the nonprofits, associations, and political organizations based here there is a huge user and potential user base that we can engage and get to invest in Drupal. Our Convention Center is centrally located and surrounded by hotels and restaurants, which makes it convenient for people traveling from anywhere (including DC and the 'burbs) and for meeting and socializing after sessions are over. Plus, Washington, DC is a great city and a tourist destination in itself - it will be great to share the city with the entire Drupal community.
So, we are going to go for it. The proposal has been submitted to the Drupal Association, and now that the formalities are started, it's time to engage more people to further develop this and let the community discourse shape this into what will be an awesome conference. Here is the formal proposal we submitted if you'd like to give it a read: http://is.gd/X3m.
In a few weeks we'd like to have a meeting to get everyone interested in participating together to talk. If you want to help with this effort or just learn more about it, please post in the comments! Don't worry about committing to anything yet - this is all very preliminary.
A big thanks to everyone who helped with the proposal! I've posted it so everyone can check it out: http://is.gd/X3m.
Comments
Great work
The proposal looks great! My colleagues and I at Community IT Innovators (http://www.citidc.com) are definitely excited to bring DrupalCon DC where there are so many small nonprofits and even large associations that are interested in using Drupal to create their sites. We'll spread the word and lend a hand to help make this happen!
Greg
Awesome
I am so excited about this, i have been in the association world for some time now and i am very active with the ASAE group, i have been pushing for open source and Drupal for some time now in the non profit world and i think it would be fantastic to have the meeting here. let me know if you need any help in any way i would like to volunteer in any way possible.
Karim
Love the idea
If the DC Convention Center proves pricey, Baltimore might be a good alternative. An option, anyhow.
Margie, You should read the
Margie,
You should read the proposal. You will see that all the numbers have already been played out just like the Drupal Association wanted so DC is a extremely feasible option :). Check our the last section, section 4 here in the proposal posted above:http://is.gd/X3m.
Actually, quite affordable : )
Hi Margie,
The Convention Center is actually quite affordable : ) We were very pleased to find that out. We'll be looking into a few other venues in downtown DC to do a cost comparison, but it's fun to have several feasible and great options!
Bonnie
This is great Bonnie -- nice
This is great Bonnie -- nice work. I'll definitely be coming out from Colorado to help out. D.C.'s my second home for good reason. :) It's a great town, and I think the Drupal community will love it if DrupalCon happens there.
Well, since I doubt we will
Well, since I doubt we will ever get a Drupalcon in Nashville, DC sounds nice!
Nicely done!
Finally a DrupalCon I'll be attending :p
I look forward to it and to help to support it.
Cheers,
Daniel
http://www.disasterbound.org
Daniel
http://www.daquellamanera.org
Well done!
This is excellent, Bonnie. Thanks so much for putting it together. Having DrupalCon here would be fantastic. Hooray for DC.
+1 This would be absolutely
+1
This would be absolutely fabulous. DC's a great town to host a DrupalCon and I'm totally willing to help!
This proposal is rocks :).
This proposal is rocks :). Really, great work to everyone that has played a part in this and offered feedback over the weeks. The people and shops that are offering to step up to make this happen is amazing. The process for this only continues to shows how great our local community is and how ready we are for this undertaking.
I can't wait to see this advance within the Association. Lets all talk about this at the next meetup.
Drupal in the DCizzle
Thanks for putting this together Bonnie! It will be great to work with all the talent in the DC area to organize DrupalCon DC.
DrupalCon in Washington DC!
I think DC is going to work great for DrupalCon: the central location of the large convention center, tons of spots for socializing and great weather in March.
Feels great to see my name on this.
I love DC/DC.
http://www.twitter.com/lxbarth
+1 from NYC
It's always nice to travel... And DC is a great city. Twitter it up!
My full support is behind
My full support is behind this. DC is an incredible venue; the convenience and attraction of the city is hard to beat, not to mention the wonderful community of people living and working around DC who just love Drupal! The proposal is spot-on in regards to these points. This will be one of the best things for Drupal and its community in 2009.
Ian Ward
Development Seed
Twitter: @ianshward
$DrupalConDC++
Here's a +1 from one North-Easterner who would very much like to escape the cold to hang with the awesome Drupal community in DC. Great proposal.
Would be great to see a recap of Drupal in the '08 US election cycle.
Drupalcon DC would rock!
So many reasons why this would be great!
(All this goes without saying I'd be happy to help organize.)
Outstanding!
Hey everybody - thanks for the great work! The only thing that could be more fantastic than the proposal is the idea itself. Love it. The team at Grand Junction Design is totally behind you and we look forward to participating in the conference. Yippee for DC/DC (thanks Alex!).
-Margaux
Grand Junction Design, LLC
www.grandjunctiondesign.com
Outstanding!
Hey everybody - thanks for the great work! The only thing that could be more fantastic than the proposal is the idea itself. Love it. The team at Grand Junction Design is totally behind you and we look forward to participating in the conference. Yippee for DC/DC (thanks Alex!).
-Margaux
Grand Junction Design, LLC
www.grandjunctiondesign.com
Just let me know what I can do!
I love the idea of Drupalcon DC! Thanks for putting the proposal together. Let us know what we can do next to help.
I've got my fingers crossed...
Great work, guys! Keep us posted, and let me know if there's anything I can help with.
DC is the Place To Be
Looks like DC is the perfect spot for DC. We've got a great community of local producers & consumers of good technology, and a great city to go with it.
AWESOME
This is really exciting you guys. Can't wait for the Drupalistas to get a taste of our town.
Please let me know if there's any way we can help out.
fantastic!
Big props to Development Seed for putting this together -- needless to say, I'm convinced! I can't wait for the rest of the Drupal community to see what we've got going on here in Washington.
proposal
I haven't been in DC before, but the proposal itself is really awesome!
I'm going to support this as much as it's possible to do remotely.
This is great news! I've
This is great news! I've always wanted a drupalcon in DC for its great location. Even though I am living in San Fran now I'll definitely fly back for this drupalcon!
Partner at Detroit Venture Partners. Sold ParentsClick to A&E. Ex-Drupal dev. Cornell Engineering alum. Tech pioneer leading startup renaissance in Detroit.
Glad to Help!
I would be glad to lend help both personally and professionally.
A big +1
Would love to have the next DrupalCon in DC -- and to help make it happen!
Great job with the proposal, guys.
TKS
Troy K. Schneider
http://www.newamerica.net
http://www.troyschneider.com
http://twitter.com/TroySchneider
appropriate
Did anyone consider a split Drupalcon, simultaneously on either side of the Atlantic? This could reduce the amount of flying that goes on. I bet Drupallers crossing the Atlantic could fill a jumbo jet.
Otherwise, yes, it seems entirely appropriate to have DrupalCon in Washington, from where Dev Seed lead the field!
Carbon footprint as a concern
I raised the issue of carbon footprint and offsetting in advance of the boston drupalcon and the travel page had some information about purchasing offsets.
I have chosen not to attend the Hungary event in part because of the cost and environmental impact of flying all that way from Seattle. I think that if there are two planned drupalcons each year, and people know when and where they are well enough in advance, they can decide which one they want to attend, and evaluate all the costs associated with that choice. You can then also add in all the DrupalCamps which are fast becoming like mini drupalcons (most of them bigger than some of the early drupalcons).
I think that rather than running events simultaneously, running them at various times and locations will ensure the widest participation.
I think the key is scheduling the major drupal events (drupalcons) well in advance and also determining their locations well in advance so that individuals and businesses can make informed decisions about which events to attend and sponsor.
http://www.CivicActions.com
http://www.GregoryHeller.com
http://GregoryHeller.com
+1
Good work putting this proposal together, and seemingly so early in the game. This looks great.
http://www.CivicActions.com
http://www.GregoryHeller.com
http://GregoryHeller.com
Thank you
Hey Bonnie, both as an Association member and a local Drupaler, Thank you! That is awesome. I'm getting ready to hop on a plane but I plan to review the proposal on my flight. I can't really speak for the Association on it at this point but personally I am really stoked about this and will be willing to help out where I can.
Lullabot loves you
Learn Drupal online at Drupalize.me
I nominate Eric to do all the leg work.
DrupalCOn in DC would be awesome...I bet it would be even better than Cats.
Good call Rick
+1 for assigning leg work to Eric :P
http://www.twitter.com/lxbarth
Great!
This would be excellent! So many Drupal folk out here, plus mountains of nonprofits who could benefit from good CMS...
Very exciting!
Great job Bonnie! This proposal is really impressive, and DC is such a great city with a very active and enthusiastic Drupal community. I'd love to help out...let me know what I can do.
http://www.floatleft.org
Awesome, the folks at DS Rock!
The proposal is fantastic, GREAT WORK DEVELOMENT SEED!!! And thanks to Bonnie for sharing this update and the proposal with the DC community, I really hope see this go through!
I live in Columbia Heights and would be more than happy to offer any assistance with any aspect of supporting the initiative. I love this city and would love to see fellow Drupalers from around the world come here and do it up proper.
Kudos!
David Morrison
Congrats, and hooray!
Bonnie, Eric and all -- brilliant. Maybe I can actually once in my life attend a DrupalCon! Thanks for putting this together, and on behalf of yet another nonprofit site using and promoting the wonders of Drupal, shout out to you all! Hope the powers-that-be see the swelling support and enthusiasm for DrupalCon in DC in Spring 09. Thanks!
...and the government angle
great opportunity for government agencies to be exposed to the benefits of open source. excellent demonstration effect potential.
I hope it happens.
+1 from NYC
Great proposal. Always nice to visit DC. :-)
The proposal looks awesome
The proposal looks awesome and I am STOKED about possibly having the Drupalcon in DC! If I was still living in DC, I would offer to help, but I'm open to helping out remotely if I can, too! This would be a fantastic thing for Drupal in 2009 -- it's amazing all of the Drupal-related energy happening in DC lately.
DC would be a great city for
DC would be a great city for DrupalCon. I'm really excited about this proposal. Thanks to all who worked to put this together.
Will White
--
Will White
Thank you for the DC in DC bid
Thank you Bonnie and Eric for preparing such a thorough proposal and representing the DC Drupalers so well!
You make a strong case that is hard to argue against having DC in DC!
Everyone at Phase2 is 100% behind the concept and psyched to help out.
Jeff Walpole
Phase2 Technology
http://www.phase2technology.com
DC is the One
DC is perfect for the next DrupalCon. It's on the East Coast, so it will be shorter flight for our friends in Europe than a city on the West Coast. DC is the home of both large potential client-base, as well as Virginia Tech Circle where every major tech company has a presence. Some of these folks could help sponsor DrupalCon, others can learn more about it and join the community.
And then there is the National Mall and the Smithsonian.
.............................................
http://twitter.com/inadarei
DC in DC
Come on, who else can boast of such a cool moniker? They have to give it to us just for that. ;-)
Great work Bonnie & Eric. Appropriate IT and I will be glad to help in any way we can.
-usha
sustainable solutions for social change
Appropriate IT
www.appropriateit.org
sustainable solutions for social change
Appropriate IT
www.appropriateit.org
Please come to DC, Drupalcon!
DC DRUPALCON FTW!!!!!
I would love to finally be able to attend one of these!
DCDC sounds perfect to me.
I love returning from a vacation to see this out there.
+100 for DCDC.
+1 Fantastic!
This is exciting news! DrupalCon in DC is a no brainer!
Thanks for pulling together the proposal, it is superb!
I will definitely look over any list of things that need doing ... and help out whenever I can.
Katrina
www.ambereyes.net
--
www.ambereyes.net
From Beijing!
The only words are:
Bravo, bravo, bravo!!!
Wonderful!
The proposal reads incredibly well and any reason for a Portland to D.C. trip to see your team is a trip for the memory books!
well done!
thanks for doing this!
Plan Big
Great proposal. So many ways this could work out.
There are a lot of affinity groups here that would be interested in attending as well. The Mid Atlantic Linux User's group is very interested in CMS issues right now and we could see large attendance from people who just want to know more. The DC PHP UG is pretty active as well and there could be a lot of n00bs coming.
M
This is a great point. We
This is a great point. We would definitely want to reach out to people in groups like these and get them involved, and of course get some converts ; )
re: DC location
I travel down to DC pretty regularly, sometimes it is difficult to get a hotel room -- particularly when its cherry blossom season. If DC it is we just need to make sure about whats going on at the time.
In any event, I'll be there regardless -- we just should make sure everyone reserves their rooms far in advance. I'll also be there to volunteer again as needed, -J
Thanks for the offer to
Thanks for the offer to volunteer : ) And for bringing up the concern about hotels. We picked a week that won't interfere with the Cherry Blossoms or any other major conference, so finding a hotel shouldn't be too bad. But we can definitely take some measures to make it easier for everyone by reserving blocks, etc. This will be good to look into more during when we're planning.
couchsurfing.com
It's like open source housing...
Great idea
I'm pretty late on this, but I will go ahead and toss out that this is a great idea. I think this presents itself as an opportunity to talk about how Drupal can be a solution and source of innovation for further advancement in what people in the political field are currently doing in terms of online strategy and web development. I toss out the suggestion that one session be used to talk about using Drupal as a tool to promote civic engagement/voter participation.
Good luck
This is a great idea; DC is an awesome city for a CMS conference. Care of the Zope/Python User's Group of DC, the 2008 Plone conference (http://plone.org/events/conferences/2008-washington-dc/) is going to be in DC, and if there's anything we (ZPUGDC) can do to help your planning, please let me know; we've been working through lots of logistics and hope we can offer some resources. And for anyone who uses both systems, we'd love to see you in October!
Great idea
It is excellent, Bonnie. Thank you so much for setting it together. Having DrupalCon here would be tremendous.
_____________-
Aady
Wide Circles
Excellent Proposal
It's already been said, but allow me to (belatedly) add my own "Great work!" DC is indeed a great choice for DrupalCon. Let me know how I can help out.
+1
This would be great -- how can it happen??
--i'm totally new to this.
new to this.
Hi Sally, Welcome to the DC
Hi Sally,
Welcome to the DC Drupal group. Glad to hear that you're excited about the possibility of having the Spring DrupalCon in our city. We are too : )
So how can it happen? Well, we submitted a proposal to the Drupal Association to have the conference here, and a lot of people have volunteered to both help organize it to some capacity and to sponsor it, which is huge since it shows the community is behind it and willing to go to bat for it too. The Drupal Association is hoping to make a decision at the end of the month, so we'll know soon if DrupalCon will be in DC this spring.
We'll post more here once we hear something. Hope to see you at a Drupal meetup or lab soon!
Bonnie
Would be nice
DC is only about a seven hour drive from Asheville and I have a few friends in the area.
Short of it happening in Asheville I think DC would be great. Also might be interesting for those coming from outside the US to see the cap.
Steve
Photos of Our Space at Convention Center
I got a tour of the space we have tentatively reserved for DrupalCon DC if we get the nod to have it here, and it's pretty amazing. Two things I really liked about the space:
We have our own private space. The streets that cut through the Convention Center (L and M) do a great job of isolating us from people going to other conferences there. We'll be the only big meeting happening in our entire building : )
Great natural light. At one end, there's just a wall of windows.
Check out the photos when you have a chance.
curious...
I'm back from my Canada trip** -- and very curious about the outcome of this decision.
I think the Development Seed (and Friends) DrupalCon proposal is terrific. Hope DC is the choice!
** (Reason for missing DrupalCon: Dad's 80th birthday celebration at the lovely Lake Louise!)