On Saturday, November 9, Chattanooga State will host an all-day Drupal Camp with breakout sessions and “Birds of a Feather” – or like-minded individuals who meet informally for discussions without a pre-planned agenda. The first ever event held in Chattanooga is an opportunity to get an overview of Drupal and what it can do. Attendees will get to know the developers and user community in the Southeast region, and hear keynote speaker Josh Taylor of Acquia discuss what problems Drupal 8 is trying to solve.

Drupal is a free open-source software used to build powerful websites. It is maintained and developed by a community of more than one million users and developers. Drupal powers more than five percent of the Internet, including websites for large and small businesses, nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, and personal blogs. Some examples of sites run by Drupal are WhiteHouse.gov, Economist.com and Grammy.com, plus millions of other sites on the Internet. The conference nods at the global community of people using this free and open software to power websites and support mobile applications.

Drupal Camp Chattanooga is a one-day event that will focus on many aspects of Drupal. In addition to a keynote speaker and breakout sessions, some attendees will present lectures and participate in panel discussions. Casual “Birds of a Feather” (BoF) breakouts are encouraged. Novices can get up-to-speed with experienced Drupal developers as well as guest speakers, recruiters and vendors.

Drupal Camp Chattanooga organizer Lee Walker of Code Journeyman, a local mobile, Web and data solutions firm, and leader of the local Drupal users group, expects a good turnout for the event.

“Our mission and purpose behind organizing a Drupal Camp Chattanooga is twofold: we want to educate people about Drupal, and we want to further evangelize Drupal within our geographic region,” says Walker.

The camp also includes 'Drupal in a Day' training included in the ticket price (normally $250 a seat), for anyone wanting to have a fast-track experience to learn more about Drupal. Doug Vann, Drupal trainer to NASA, presents this training.

In addition to the beginners’ track, there will be sessions on intermediate and advanced Drupal topics, such as Theming, Design and Usability, Development and Performance, and Drupal for Business and Services. Acquia, BNL Consulting, Code Journeyman, Chattanooga State Community College, Pantheon and other businesses sponsor the event. To attend Drupal Camp Chattanooga 2013, register at www.drupalcampchattanooga.com. Registration cost is $25 per person and includes admission to the camp, lunch, after-party, and a limited-edition camp T-shirt.

The camp will be held in the Humanities Building on Chattanooga State’s main campus, 4501 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga Tennessee, 37406. Check-in starts at 8:00 a.m. The keynote speaker begins his presentation at 9:00 a.m. in the auditorium and breakout sessions will move into classrooms afterwards.

Chattanooga State is a Gold Sponsor of Drupal Camp Chattanooga