If you usually enter the United States with just a passport, this change is important to you. Starting in 2009, you'll be required to fill out this online form at least three days before getting on a plane to the United States. Once you fill out the form, it's good for two years and for multiple trips, so why not fill it out right now? You can read more about this change here and here.
Please help us spread the word about this to everyone who's coming from abroad. We don't want anyone being stopped from coming because of this change. Thanks chx for the heads up on this.
Not sure if this affects you? See if your country is part of the visa waiver program.
We'll be giving out scholarships to 20 people who'd like to come to DrupalCon DC but need a little help to do so. If you'd like one of these scholarships, go see how to apply for one and be sure to submit your information by December 31, 2008.
So who will these scholarships go to? People who are actively developing with Drupal, who would benefit from attending DrupalCon, and who are already helping the community. Special preference will go to students and to people living in the Western hemisphere (just since this is the Western hemisphere conference, we love you eastern hemisphere Drupalers too). You can see all the details here. Our goal with this is to make it possible for everyone who wants to be at DrupalCon to be there. Please pass this on to any Drupal developers who you think should apply.
One month ago today we opened registration for DrupalCon DC and launched the conference website, and wow, a lot has happened since. So far, 685 people have registered for DrupalCon, putting the conference on path to being the best attended Drupal event yet. If you haven't bought your ticket yet there are just over 100 left at the $200 rate and then prices will increase to $250.
It's been amazing to see how excited people are about DrupalCon DC, and that goes beyond just registering for it. Over 100 potential sessions have been submitted by the community, plus an additional 20 BoFs. Voting on sessions is open and active, so cast your vote for the ones you're most interested in. If you'd like to present a session, submit it soon - the submission deadline is December 10. Also, 165 websites have been swagged with DrupalCon badges helping us get the word out to more people, and 31 t-shirt designs have been submitted.
We've also gotten incredible support from sponsors, which is crucial in allowing us to have a high quality, professional conference at a low cost to the attendees. Thirty-eight companies have signed on to sponsor DrupalCon, and 49 individuals have donated money as individual sponsors. This incredible support means we've raised more money in sponsorships than ever before, and all of this will go towards putting on a great DrupalCon and supporting the Drupal Association.
Great work everyone, and let's keep this momentum going!
Hotel Harrington - located just seven blocks from DrupalCon DC - has a great deal on hotel rooms. You can get a single room for $109 a night, or a room for two (two twin beds) for $135 a night. Other types of rooms are also available at great prices. There are only 40 rooms still available in the hotel, so book yours fast!
This is a great price for a hotel room located in downtown Washington, DC, and it's just a short walk to the conference and to many restaurants, bars, shops, and tourist hang outs. Hotels can get quite expensive, so I recommend booking now. I'll post other deals as I find them too, so follow us here or on twitter if you miss this deal.
The last day to submit sessions proposals for DrupalCon DC will be December 10th, so if you'd like to present but haven't yet submitted your idea, please submit your session in the next three weeks.
There's been an amazing turnout for sessions proposals - 98 sessions have been submitted so far and touch on a great variety of topics. In the weeks after the deadline, we'll work with a volunteer committee (more on the to come) to go through the proposals - and in conjunction with the votes each has received - select the best sessions for each track, merge ones that overlap, and ensure that each track has good depth and representation.
In January, we'll post the final schedule online. We know many of you need to show your boss an official schedule before registering and many are anxious to see a final schedule so you can plan ahead and make sure you get the most out of DrupalCon, so we'll get the final schedule posted well before DrupalCon. If you have a last minute session idea, we have plenty of space for BoF sessions which will be scheduled on the fly.