Many of you know what a huge Drupal fan I am, and while I am a bit heartbroken that I will not attend the upcoming DrupalCon London, happening August 22-26 in Croydon, I'd like to give the rest of you the skinny on DrupalCon so you can all go have fun without me.  To that end, I got a few tidbits from Robert Castelo, one of DrupalCon's organizers.

Don't forget to go check out http://london2011.drupal.org/ for all the details, and enjoy the pub crawl for me!

KD: How will DrupalCon London differ from previous DrupalCons like Chicago and Copenhagen?

RC: DrupalCon London will be the biggest European Drupal event to date, and the diversity of attendees reflects London's cosmopolitan character and importance as the headquarters of many international organisations.

KD: What's the expected attendance at this point?

RC: When the event sold out there was so much demand that room for 200 extra people was added. With a waiting list that's almost twice as long as the number of new tickets available, DrupalCon London is expected to be sold out again with attendance at 1,800.

KD: What if I am a web developer, but I have never used Drupal.  Should I go to DrupalCon?

RC: DrupalCon London will cater to a full range of attendees, from absolute beginner to core developer. Many people say that attending previous DrupalCons changed their lives, and with demand for people with Drupal skills at an all-time high, this is a great opportunity to become involved with one of the Internet's fastest growing technologies.

KD: How about job seekers? Should they go to DrupalCon?  Is there anything specific they should look for?

RC: There is incredible demand for developers, designers, and project managers with Drupal skills - as well as sessions covering each of these topics at different skill levels. DrupalCon London also features a full day of hands on training to give attendees the practical knowledge employers are looking for.

Bear in mind that with Drupal's point-and-click features, many complex sites can be built with just configuration, so organisations looking for a 'Drupal Developer' may not require traditional coding skills.  In Drupal, templates are called 'themes', so designers should seek out Theming training and sessions.

KD: Will there be any lingering effects from the recent riots?  Do you expect the recent incidents to have an impact on the conference? How?

RC: DrupalCon London organisers have been working closely with the Croydon Business Improvement District, the Croydon Town Council, and Fairfield Halls, and they are intimately aware of the event's schedule of activities.

Croydon has been quiet and peaceful since the major occurrence on 9th August, but as precautionary measures the town is looking to provide uniformed presence at key times, volunteer stewards, additional security around Fairfield Halls, and CCTV coverage and monitoring.

KD: Any additional thoughts for our readers? 

RC: This year Drupal celebrates its 10th birthday, and in that time, it has gone from a project started in a shared student house to a technology that powers the website of the White House. The phenomenal success of Drupal is a result of the rapidly growing community that has developed around it, and DrupalCon London is a great opportunity to engage and participate with that community.