A Drupal Camp is an event where people share ideas and learn from each other through a conference organized by each region. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a formal session where people are organized to follow a structure of programs during the event, as there are instances where the Drupal camps have been in an informal setting where it is entirely unplanned.
Over the years, people have shared ideas through Drupal camps that greatly helped the development of their own projects and the Drupal ecosystem itself. Recently, most Drupal-related events have turned to online events, since it’s becoming hard for people to come together in one place because of necessary health protocols due to COVID-19.
Basic Necessities of a Drupal Camp
What’s absolutely needed in a Drupal Camp is simple. While there are events now that have added features such as sponsors, birds-of-a-feather sessions, and other things related to their agenda, the only things that people actually need for a Drupal camp are as follows:
- A program of sessions
- A hosting facility (for in-person meetups) or virtual conference platform like Zoom (for online camp)
- People who attend
Types of Drupal Camps
Under Drupal camps, there are many different types of events that can be categorized.
Conference Style
Conference style is typically marked with a pre-planned session of events and tracks (beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc.). While each Drupal camp is typically attended by the local community, a conference-style Drupal camp is usually joined by a well-known Drupal presenter from outside of the area to provide more value to the attendees. In a conference style, sponsors are usually present, and they shoulder most of the expenses associated with the event.
Unconference Style
Sessions in an unconference style are typically unplanned. Some examples of this are Drupal Design Camp LA, DrupalCampNYC, and Charlotte Drupal Drive-in. It can be done physically or online, with the attendees being presented with a whiteboard to claim a session block for them to decide to work on a presentation of a Drupal-related topic they wish to discuss and share lessons to.
This type of camp is often easier to organize, but they are more appealing to experienced attendees, as they already have some ideas from their previous attendance to Drupal camps that are more formal. Beginners, on the other hand, are more likely to join a conference style, since it is where they can be guided and be shown the basics of Drupal and other related topics. In a hybrid Drupal camp setting like this, there are booths with different session tracks, while the rest of the programs in the events are pre-planned by the organizers.
Summits
Pioneered by Pacific Northwest Drupal Summit, this type of Drupal-related event is relatively new to the scene, and it’s geared to cater more to experienced Drupal users. The whole point of summits is to get more advanced Drupal users to learn more about advanced topics, as they are often too busy teaching the basics in beginner sessions of most conferences. In a summit, Drupal users are encouraged to present intermediate to advanced level topics.
Clinics
In contrast to Summit, clinics are specifically designed to cater to new users of Drupal. It’s a way to introduce new people to Drupal as developers, themes, and decision-makers.
Hackfests
Hackfests are one of the most common types of events that are also implemented in other topics, not only Drupal. During a hackfest, people come together to work on projects that are commonly community-driven and maintained. There are no tracks and sessions during this event, as people focus on joining forces to work on the core functionality of Drupal, module development, etc.
Build-a-site, Coding For a Cause, and Charity Events
This is a way for Drupal users to “give back” to the community. Those who benefit from these events are usually local government organizations at no cost. While that is the main purpose of these events, it can also be a way for Drupal users to introduce Drupal to others and invite them to other camps and conferences in the future.
In-Person vs. Online Camps
Almost all Drupal camps prior to the pandemic are hosted in person, and people gather for one or more days to participate together in the event. However, when the pandemic hits, camps are forced to move online to avoid health hazards. Each of these formats has different advantages to utilize.
Pros of In-Person Drupal Camps
- Easier networking
- Fewer distractions
One of the best ways for people to take full advantage of a Drupal camp is to find new people to discuss with and exchange information with. This can be easily done with in-person Drupal camps, as people are more likely to bump into each other in the events such as when they are working together on a project as part of the pre-planned tracks.
Since most people who attend in-person camps are away from work, there are typically no distractions, and they can focus on learning about the topics and meeting other people in the process.
Pros of Online Camps
- No geographic limitations
- Lower cost
People don’t have to travel to their local hosting facilities to attend a Drupal camp now that there are online camps available. If in-person Drupal camps are focused on introducing Drupal to the local community, online camps can reach more audiences from different places at once.
Most in-person camps have a registration fee, and it can be the same as online Drupal camps. The main difference is that people don’t have to pay for travel and lodging expenses.