What DrupalCamp Berlin taught me about "volunteering"

I know, that sounds like the introduction to a LinkedIn post. But don't worry - there are no business-heavy, pseudo-in-depth conclusions here. ChatGPT can do that better. At this point, I would like to describe my personal impressions as a volunteer at DrupalCamp Berlin and focus on the work of the volunteers.

When my former colleague Norman contacted me in the spring to tell me that he was helping to organize the DrupalCamp in Berlin and suggested I volunteer at the same time, I was a little hesitant at first. After all, I had no previous experience of organizing or running such events. But when I found out that my esteemed colleague Sinduri would also be part of the organizing team - and had already gained experience at various Drupal events - I agreed to be there.

In the course of the first team meetings, I was also able to get to know other members of the team. In addition to those already mentioned, Niklas as head organizer, Yannick, Maria, Rouven and many other volunteers were also involved in the preparations. From organizing the magnificent event location, developing the exceptionally well-designed website, finding sponsors, promoting the event, to receiving, sorting and rating the sessions, as well as creating the schedule, scheduling the volunteers on site, and so on... All of this was planned by a group of enthusiasts (mostly) in their spare time. Wow, a DrupalCamp is a lot of work! In hindsight, I was really glad that I had only volunteered to help on site 😁

And then I set off. Eight hours by train to Berlin. Amazingly, I arrived on time and was ready for the first highlight: donuts from Brammibal's The Splash Awards.

After a quick tour of the location, the first task was to frame the certificates. Jeremy, Sinduri, Hanna and I quickly got to work. Open the frames, remove the foils - special thanks at this point to Stella, who was actually the photographer on site and whose fingernails were perfect for this - insert the certificate and close the frames. We had our work cut out for us for the next 30-60 minutes. Hanna took great care to ensure that we - actually only as visitors on site - did not obtain any secret information about the winners. So we had to keep waiting for the award ceremony 🥲

Further details about this year's Splash Awards can be found in this post.

First day - first shift at 8 a.m. Why did I want to do that again? 😴

So first we inspected the location, got to know the rest of the team and then welcomed the first guests. Together with Andreas, Erik, Marius, Sinduri, Sarika, Vesna, Olaf and Jeremy (who spontaneously became a volunteer when he saw that we could still use some support), we made sure that all participants got their badges and event shirts and that they knew where to go. After the initial rush, things calmed down considerably. There was enough time to chat with old acquaintances, but also to meet new people. Overall, you were in contact with all the participants, and it reminded me once again of what a welcoming environment the Drupal community offers. Exclusively positive vibes, nice people and the common goal of making Drupal better and more accessible for everyone.

After Maria replaced me after my first shift, I finally had time for what I actually came to Berlin for: Döner Enjoying the event listening to exciting sessions. There are already several blog posts about the content presented at the camp, so I will refer to those here:

• https://www.droptica.com/blog/7-sessions-attend-drupalcamp-berlin-2024-subjective-overview
• https://www.1xinternet.de/en/highlights/drupalcamp-berlin-2024

During the sessions, I was also able to take a look behind the scenes. The volunteer team was also responsible for ensuring that everything ran smoothly and for recording the presentations.

After all the sessions of the first day had been held, Yannick and his helpers made sure that nobody left the Alte Münze thirsty. At the end of the day, the Drupal User Group Berlin had a very special treat up its sleeve:

We had the pleasure of exploring the legendary c-base space station that crashed and is buried under Berlin. Few people know about it, although its antenna (aka TV tower) represents the city like almost no other building. The depths of the space station were kindly explained to us by Odras. Unfortunately, no one is allowed to write about it or even take photos. Just this much can be said: it was the ideal place to end the evening with this great community!

Second day - first shift at 9am. Seriously, why did I want to do this? 😴😴😴

I can briefly summarize the second day from a volunteer's point of view. It was actually like day 1, only less stressful. Hardly any preparation was necessary and there was no rush. Everything was very relaxed.

The job hoppers have not been mentioned so far as they were never where I was. Nevertheless, their work was essential to ensure that everything ran smoothly. So thanks to Rouven, Sinduri, Maria, Hanna and Olaf.

Once again, special thanks go to the organizers Niklas, Norman, Yannick and Sinduri. You have put together a fantastic event that will definitely be remembered. And I'm a little bit proud to have been a tiny cog in the system.

Of course, it should also be mentioned here that this event costs a lot more than the ticket prices recoup. So many thanks to the many sponsors who made the DrupalCamp possible in the first place.

And thanks to drunomics for making the trip to Berlin possible for my colleagues and me.

Yes, organizing and helping on site is a huge effort. But is it worth it? Absolutely. On the one hand, it's an easy way to get a coveted ticket 😁 On the other hand, there's an incredible amount to learn when you get out of your comfort zone and do tasks that are far removed from the everyday life of a software developer. It's also a great opportunity to make new friends, maintain old contacts and get to know the community even better. And one thing is also clear: without volunteers, these events would not exist, which enliven and network the Drupal community and make it what we value it so much. That's why I can recommend everyone to do the same, jump over their own shadow and sign up as a volunteer for the next event. There are plenty of opportunities. To name just a few:

• Drupal Dev Days 2025 in Leuven
• Drupal Mountain Camp 2025 in Davos
• DrupalCon 2025 in Vienna

So people: get in touch, you won't regret it!

P.S.: Surprisingly, the return journey by train was also on time 🤯