View allAll Photos Tagged DrupalCon
THOUSANDS FLOCK TO CROYDON COMPUTER CONFERENCE
Recent rioting on the streets of London wasn’t enough to deter nearly 2,000 web developers who flocked to Croydon from across the globe this week for what is probably the biggest single conference in the town’s history.
‘Drupalcon 2011’ brought together some of the world’s top open-source computer programmers, and whilst Drupal may not be a household name it is the system used by a sizeable percentage of the world’s largest websites to manage all of their data and content. The event was the largest conference that Drupal has ever held in Europe, and it signalled a return to business as usual for Croydon in the aftermath of the previous week’s disturbances.
The images of burning buildings that were broadcast around the world – particularly the Reeves furniture store that became a central and oft-repeated image of the disturbances – might have given some visitors cause for concern. However officers from Croydon Council worked with the events team from Fairfield Halls to ensure that everything possible was done to keep delegates feeling safe. Not only as they went to and from the town centre hotels, but also as they enjoyed the extensive local nightlife.
Simon Hoar, Croydon’s cabinet member for community safety said: “One of the council’s key jobs is to work with the police and others to ensure that people feel safe on our streets. With this large influx of foreign guests we made sure that we had staff out in the town at the busiest times of the day and night to provide directions and reassurance.”
Jacob Redding, Executive Director of the Drupal Association was impressed with the overall experience that the South London borough was able to deliver. “I’m particularly happy and impressed with the level of service we have received from the town of Croydon especially considering the events of last week,” he said. “Thank you for everything you have done to make this is a safe and enjoyable conference for our attendees.”
The Fairfield Halls is gearing up to welcome more events of this scale. A £25m refit is underway, the early stages have seen enormous improvements made to the foyer and assemble areas and massively increased broadband capacity meaning that conference organisers can count on cutting-edge technology to support whatever type of event they are looking to hold.
Simon Thomsett, chief executive of Fairfield Halls said: “Croydon is a great location for events like this. The town centre’s hotels can accommodate well over 1,000 delegates at any one time and the nearby bars and restaurants provide welcome leisure destinations after a hard day’s work. We make sure that every visitor gets a proper welcome and whilst we are in striking distance of central London, many of our costs are substantially lower than organisers might expect to pay there. We are proud to play our part in showing the world that Croydon is a great place to do business”
THOUSANDS FLOCK TO CROYDON COMPUTER CONFERENCE
Recent rioting on the streets of London wasn’t enough to deter nearly 2,000 web developers who flocked to Croydon from across the globe this week for what is probably the biggest single conference in the town’s history.
‘Drupalcon 2011’ brought together some of the world’s top open-source computer programmers, and whilst Drupal may not be a household name it is the system used by a sizeable percentage of the world’s largest websites to manage all of their data and content. The event was the largest conference that Drupal has ever held in Europe, and it signalled a return to business as usual for Croydon in the aftermath of the previous week’s disturbances.
The images of burning buildings that were broadcast around the world – particularly the Reeves furniture store that became a central and oft-repeated image of the disturbances – might have given some visitors cause for concern. However officers from Croydon Council worked with the events team from Fairfield Halls to ensure that everything possible was done to keep delegates feeling safe. Not only as they went to and from the town centre hotels, but also as they enjoyed the extensive local nightlife.
Simon Hoar, Croydon’s cabinet member for community safety said: “One of the council’s key jobs is to work with the police and others to ensure that people feel safe on our streets. With this large influx of foreign guests we made sure that we had staff out in the town at the busiest times of the day and night to provide directions and reassurance.”
Jacob Redding, Executive Director of the Drupal Association was impressed with the overall experience that the South London borough was able to deliver. “I’m particularly happy and impressed with the level of service we have received from the town of Croydon especially considering the events of last week,” he said. “Thank you for everything you have done to make this is a safe and enjoyable conference for our attendees.”
The Fairfield Halls is gearing up to welcome more events of this scale. A £25m refit is underway, the early stages have seen enormous improvements made to the foyer and assemble areas and massively increased broadband capacity meaning that conference organisers can count on cutting-edge technology to support whatever type of event they are looking to hold.
Simon Thomsett, chief executive of Fairfield Halls said: “Croydon is a great location for events like this. The town centre’s hotels can accommodate well over 1,000 delegates at any one time and the nearby bars and restaurants provide welcome leisure destinations after a hard day’s work. We make sure that every visitor gets a proper welcome and whilst we are in striking distance of central London, many of our costs are substantially lower than organisers might expect to pay there. We are proud to play our part in showing the world that Croydon is a great place to do business”