---
url: 'https://dri.es/album/drupalcon-lille-2023'
title: 'DrupalCon Lille'
author:
  name: 'Dries Buytaert'
  url: 'https://dri.es/about'
date: '2026-07-24T01:39:10+00:00'
license: 'https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/'
type: album
count: 9
---

# DrupalCon Lille

![A dark illustration showing hooded figures casting dark clouds. The figures and clouds represent the negative aspects of a closed web, and are described with words such as 'vendor lock-in', 'centralization' and 'data misuse'.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/closed-web-proponents-640w.png)
*The Closed Web proponents casting dark clouds over Drupal Village.*

![Opening slide of my keynote presentation. The slide reads "Driesnote, DrupalCon Lille, October 17th 2023".](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/driesnote-640w.png)

![A person wearing a blue cloak leaving a drop-shaped floating island known as Drupal Village.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/drupal-goes-on-a-quest-640w.png)
*The Drupal character leaves on a journey to visit nearby villages.*

![Illustrations of the Drupal character in historical clothing with captions: 'Easier to start', 'Easier to build', and 'Easier to maintain'.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/easier-easier-easier-640w.png)
*Drupal understands that for the Drupal Village to prosper, the builder's experience must be exceptional: it should be simpler to get started, easier to build, and effortless to maintain.*

![A scene of the Drupal Village showing hot air balloons, villagers celebrating, and picturesque castles.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/most-exciting-place-640w.png)
*The Drupal Village celebrates after the clouds vanished. Finally the world can see what a great place it is for ambitious villagers.*

![A person in a blue cloak on a stage in the middle of an old town square, speaking to villagers who gathered around.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/next-generation-page-builder-640w.png)
*Drupal announces a new strategic initiative: a Next Generation Page Builder.*

![Four illustrated characters, each representing a website building platform: "React" is a tall figure with a fashionable hat, described as great for developers but not for marketers; "Contentful" is a character with a floating head, known for being easy to begin with but suffering vendor lock-in issues; "Squarespace & Wix" are reptile-like figures, marked as limited but easy to use and auto-updated; and "Adobe" is a character with a posh outfit, labeled as expensive but powerful.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/react-contentful-squarespace-adobe-640w.png)
*Summary of lessons learned from Drupal's visits to Reactopia, Contentville, Squarix, and Edoby Heights.*

![Three wise sorcerers in robes and pointy hats, symbolizing members of the Drupal Marketing Committee.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/three-sorcerers-640w.png)
*Drupal seeks the assistance of three sorcerers with magical \(marketing\) powers.*

![Socked feet next to a laptop on a table, alongside a projector.](https://dri.es/files/cache/drupalcon-lille-2023/shoes-off-640w.jpg)
*The weekend before each DrupalCon, the Drupal Association's Board of Directors typically convenes for a two-day meeting. Occasionally, shoes come off ...*