DrupalCon 2024: Sessions to Watch for Government

Note: This blog was first published on May 24, 2023, and has been updated to reflect new information and insights.

Takeaway: DrupalCon Portland 2024 offers valuable sessions, summits, and exhibitors useful to State and local government agencies. As an attendee, you'll have the opportunity to learn from industry experts, discover powerful tools and solutions, and network with peers facing similar challenges in the government space.

To help you make the most of your experience, we've curated a list of DrupalCon presentations to watch to address your requirements and concerns.

From mastering content consistency across multiple sites to learning about LLM chatbots, these sessions will provide you with actionable insights and best practices to enhance your agency's digital presence and streamline operations.

This guide will give you the when, what, and why for each session, so you don't miss out on the most relevant and impactful topics for your organization.

Let's dive in.

Day 1: Monday, May 6, 2024

The Day 1 sessions are all about empowering government agencies to create accessible, user-friendly, and cohesive digital experiences using Drupal.

They cover strategies for maintaining consistency across multiple websites, efficiently upgrading to Drupal 10, modernizing digital landscapes, consolidating disparate websites onto a single platform, and conducting accessibility audits to ensure compliance and inclusivity.

Mastering Consistency: Expanding content across multiple sites and touch points

Schedule: 09:00 to 09:50 in Room A105

What it’s about: Explore strategies for maintaining consistency across diverse touchpoints in digital engagement, crucial for government agencies managing multiple websites and platforms.

Why you should attend: This session addresses challenges in managing and maintaining consistent content across multiple websites and channels. You'll gain valuable insights into Drupal content management approaches and content-sharing solutions, helping you tackle issues like brand consistency and streamlined content management.

You'll also learn strategies for creating a unified, multi-channel approach that improves user experience and aligns with your organization's unique needs. Attending this session will help you work towards implementing a modern, flexible CMS like Drupal for streamlined content management across multiple websites.

Save Time Upgrading from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 using Retrofit 

Schedule: 09:00 to 09:50 in Room A106

What it’s about: Learn about efficient solutions like Retrofit for the mandatory transition to Drupal 10, essential for government websites facing the Drupal 7 end-of-life deadline.

Why you should attend: You are likely concerned about the upcoming mandatory transition from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 by 2025. With Retrofit, you can save hundreds to thousands of developer hours and ensure a smooth, successful migration.

Attending this session will provide you with valuable insights into how Retrofit works and how it can benefit your organization during the upgrade process. By learning about this efficient solution, you'll be better equipped to make informed decisions about your Drupal migration strategy and allocate resources effectively.

This session is particularly relevant to your goals of migrating to open-source, enterprise-grade CMS platforms like Drupal for flexibility and leveraging specialists for web strategy and development.

Modernizing Oregon Metro's Digital Landscape: A Drupal Journey of Integration, Inclusivity, & Impact 

Schedule: 13:30 to 14:20 in Room 105

What it’s about: Gain insights from Oregon Metro's Drupal-driven digital transformation, offering valuable lessons and best practices for government agencies embarking on similar journeys.

Why you should attend: Get valuable insights into how Oregon Metro leveraged Drupal to create engaging, accessible websites with intuitive navigation and prominent calls-to-action. Learn about their approach to developing clear, consistent, and accessible content across multiple websites—maximizing public outreach and engagement.

Additionally, the session will showcase how Oregon Metro collaborated with Forum One to implement web best practices and innovative features, providing you with ideas and strategies for your web projects. Attending this session will help you stay informed about trends and receive guidance from a successful web development partnership.

From Many to One: Migrating 70+ Disparate Local Government Websites onto a Cohesive Drupal Platform

Schedule: 13:30 to 14:20 in Room A106

What it’s about: Discover strategies for consolidating multiple local government websites onto a cohesive Drupal platform, addressing the challenges of content migration and platform integration.

Why you should attend: You'll learn about the challenges involved in migration and the tools and techniques used to overcome them, such as custom scraping tools, the Drupal Migrate API, and useful contributed modules. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions when planning and executing your website migration projects. Additionally, the session covers the user experience advantages of Layout Builder and common content types for government websites, which will help you empower non-technical users while maintaining security, branding, and performance.

Accessibility Audits: The Many Shapes and Sizes. What’s the Right Fit for You? 

Schedule: 09:00 to 09:50 in Rooms C123-124

What it’s about: Gain practical insights into conducting accessibility audits, which is crucial for ensuring compliance with accessibility standards on government websites.

Why you should attend: This session will provide you with the knowledge and tools to conduct accessibility audits, prioritize issues, and take actionable steps toward compliance. By learning best practices and gaining insights from real-world case studies, you'll be better equipped to create inclusive digital content that meets the needs of all users.

Attending this session will help you maintain ADA compliance, advocate for accessibility within your organization, and collaborate effectively with stakeholders to achieve your goals.

Day 2: Tuesday, May 7, 2024

State and local government’s digital initiatives will be addressed via Day 2 sessions that provide valuable insights and strategies. These sessions provide practical knowledge and actionable steps for driving successful outcomes in government digital transformation projects.

Elevate Your Approval Processes: Mastering Complex Workflows 

Schedule: 11:30 to 12:20 in Room A106

What it’s about: This session provides insights into building workflows tailored for government agencies, simplifying processes such as travel approvals and fundraising proposals.

Why you should attend: Gain valuable insights and practical tips to elevate your approval processes and ensure their success. You'll be better equipped to design user-friendly, transparent, and efficient workflows. This session will help you improve user engagement and collaboration within your programs, ultimately contributing to the achievement of your program goals and objectives.

Case Study: Lenovo's Journey with Drupal and Creating 100+ Language-Specific Sites

Schedule: 11:30 to 12:20 in Rooms B110-112

What it's about: This session presents a case study of Lenovo's journey in creating and managing over 100 language-specific sites using Drupal. It explores the complexities of multilingual website management, the native multilingual features of Drupal, and Lenovo's approach to content translation, localization, site structure, and governance.

Why you should attend: Learn how Lenovo successfully implemented and managed a large-scale multilingual website using Drupal. By learning about their strategies, best practices, and technical solutions, you'll be better equipped to evaluate and recommend Drupal as a solution for your organization's multilingual web needs. Additionally, understanding the benefits and considerations of using Drupal for extensive multilingual deployments will help you make informed decisions when planning and executing similar projects within your organization.

Drupal 11 Deep Dive: What's New, How to Prepare 

Schedule: 11:30 to 12:20 in Rooms B113-114

What it's about: Understand the upcoming changes in Drupal 11 and how government agencies can prepare for the migration, ensuring seamless transitions and compatibility.

Why you should attend: Staying informed about the latest developments in your chosen CMS platform is crucial for planning and executing successful web projects. By attending this session, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the new features and changes introduced in Drupal 11.

This knowledge will help you assess the update's impact on your existing Drupal implementations and prepare your team for a smooth transition. Additionally, learning about the enhancements and improvements in Drupal 11 will enable you to take advantage of new capabilities and optimize your web solutions.

Sustainable by Design: The revolutionary shift to sustainable web practices

Schedule: 11:30 to 12:20 in Rooms B117-119

What it's about: Explore strategies for creating accessible government websites, aligning with digital inclusion initiatives, and ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.

Why you should attend: Understanding the relationship between sustainability and accessibility guidelines will help you create inclusive and environmentally friendly digital experiences. Gain valuable knowledge about the latest developments in sustainable web design, and practical tips and tools for optimizing your website's performance while reducing its carbon footprint.

Additionally, staying informed about the new standards and best practices in digital sustainability will enable you to position your organization as a leader in this field and meet the growing expectations of your stakeholders.

Community Working Group Roundtable

Schedule: 11:30 to 12:20 in Rooms C123-124

What it's about: Join this roundtable discussion to contribute to fostering a friendly and inclusive environment within the Drupal community, relevant for government IT professionals engaging in open-source collaboration.

Why you should attend: Gain valuable insights into the work of the Drupal Community Working Group and learn how you can contribute to the growth and health of the community. Understanding the challenges and initiatives related to community health will help you navigate and contribute to the Drupal ecosystem more effectively.

This session provides an excellent opportunity to engage with the CWG members, ask questions, and provide feedback on ongoing and upcoming community initiatives.

Day 3: Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Day 3 sessions offer valuable opportunities for learning, collaboration, and contribution within the Drupal community, helping government IT professionals stay updated on industry trends and best practices.

Drupal Project Initiatives Keynote 

Schedule: 09:00 to 10:00 in Rooms 201-203 Oregon Ballroom

What it's about: Gain insights into the various initiatives within the Drupal project, including improvements to the core system, event organization, diversity best practices, and more.

Why you should attend: Gain valuable insights into the work being done by different teams, such as those focused on improving the base system, organizing events, promoting diversity best practices, and collaborating on promotional materials.

This session is particularly relevant if you plan to participate in the contribution day, as it will help you identify the areas where your skills and expertise can be most beneficial. Engaging with the Drupal Project Initiatives can help you expand your knowledge, build relationships within the community, and make a meaningful impact on the future of Drupal.

Lightning Talk: How we used ECA and why you should consider it too

Schedule: 10:05 to 10:15 at Hall C

What it's about: Learn from a case study on implementing complex business rules and requirements using ECA (Event-Condition-Action), offering valuable insights for government IT projects.

Why you should attend: By learning from the speakers' real-world experience, you'll gain valuable insights into how ECA can be leveraged to deliver more flexible, tailored solutions to your stakeholders.

If you're looking for ways to streamline your development process, improve site functionality, and address unique requirements, attending this lightning talk is a must.

Drupal Branding Panel 

Schedule: 10:30 to 12:00 in Rooms 201-203 Oregon Ballroom

What it's about: Explore discussions on Drupal branding strategies and best practices, relevant for government agencies aiming to establish a strong online presence.

Why you should attend: Understand the collaborative process behind the new branding and the rationale behind each design choice for Drupal. If you're looking to learn about what goes into branding for your government website, this is for you.

And if you're pitching to your stakeholders a website migration to Drupal, being able to explain from the viewpoint of Drupal's brand narrative will help you communicate more effectively about the project and its benefits.

Marketing Contribution 

Schedule: 11:30 to 17:00 in Rooms B117-119

What it's about: Explore opportunities for contributing to Drupal marketing initiatives, relevant to government agencies looking to promote their digital services effectively.

Why you should attend: You'll have the chance to collaborate with other Drupal community members and learn about best practices for promoting government digital services. You'll gain insights into leveraging Drupal's features and capabilities to maximize your site, engage with your constituents, and drive greater adoption of your digital platforms.

Contributing to Drupal marketing initiatives will not only benefit your own agency but also help strengthen the Drupal ecosystem as a whole, making it a more attractive solution for other government organizations.

Last but not least, day 4.

Day 4: Thursday, May 9, 2024

Join us and our partners as we present at the Government Summit! Our team is excited to present the session: "Case Study: Conversational Search—AI Innovations for Enhanced User Interaction."

Government Summit

Schedule: 11:15 to 11:30 in Rooms B110-112

What it's about: We present a case study on the LLM chatbot implementation for Martin County, Florida's website. The case study will discuss the Martin County-Promet Source partnership in developing this AI-powered chatbot to enhance user interaction and improve access to information and resources for constituents. The session will also cover the use of sophisticated prompt engineering to improve the accuracy and user experience of the chatbot.

Why you should attend: Staying informed about the latest innovations in user interaction and information access is crucial for providing the best possible experience to your constituents. By attending this session, you'll learn about the potential of AI-powered chatbots to transform how citizens interact with local government online resources.

The case study of Martin County, Florida, will give you real-world insights into the implementation process, the benefits for constituents, and the role of prompt engineering in improving the chatbot's accuracy and user experience. By understanding the potential of LLM chatbots, you can explore similar innovations for your organization, ultimately reducing the burden on your staff and improving constituent satisfaction with your digital services.

DrupalCon 2024—Here we come!

These DrupalCon 2024 topics offer a wealth of opportunities for State and local government agencies to enhance their digital presence, streamline operations, and deliver better services to constituents.

By participating in key sessions and networking events, government officials and web administrators can stay ahead of the curve in leveraging Drupal for their digital initiatives.

We look forward to connecting with you at the conference and supporting your agency's digital transformation journey. Come by and see the Promet team at booth #212!