Every time I attend a DrupalCon, I always come home energized and encouraged to do even better and greater things… which is one of the main reasons I have been attending it since 2012. So, every new year, I set aside one entire week of my life to be at this premiere conference to enhance my web development skills, connect with the community, and learn about the future of web technologies. As usual, at the beginning of the year, I purchased my event tickets, invited my co-workers to join me, and we planned to show the latest Twel digital strategies at the conference.
Unfortunately, DrupalCon Minneapolis was cancelled, as was any major event scheduled for the remainder of 2020. Even the summer Olympic Games were postponed, and we are now obligated to adapt everything to this new way of living with a fast-spreading virus (COVID-19). This has and continues to impact our lives, our business, and the events that we love to attend.
In the summer of 2017, I was in Minneapolis and I was very excited to go there again. I planned to visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden one more time and take more pictures. There is a huge spoon with a big cherry on it in this garden, probably one of the most photographed spots in Minneapolis. They also built a fantastic football stadium downtown, and its architecture is very imposing and impressive. I also would like to spend more time at the splendid Minnesota State Capitol, located in the city of Saint Paul, which is right next to Minneapolis, as they are known as the Twin Cities.
As you know, in recent months Minneapolis was all over the news because of the death of George Floyd. This incident sparked riots and chaos in the city, and it spread to all major cities in America. I have faith that it will get better, and soon this city will overcome its issues and will be welcoming tourists again. Then, I will go back.
Canceling DrupalCon in Minneapolis was a hard decision for the community. It required the organizers of the event to work tirelessly to bring us the virtual version of the event: DrupalCon Global (July 14 through July 17, 2020). This included great focus on the new possibilities and capabilities of Drupal 9, which we have already been evaluating and preparing upgrade paths for our clients.
In 2021, DrupalCon is scheduled to be in Boston, MA. It’s a city that has a special place in my heart, and I have high expectations to be there meeting new people from different places around the world, reconnecting with my old friends from this long journey as a Drupal Developer and Digital Strategist, and sharing our experiences on how we survived this crazy year of 2020.