From March 23–27, 2026, the Dogwood team headed to the shores of Lake Michigan for DrupalCon Chicago. This marked our third consecutive year attending the premier event for the Drupal community, and the insights we gained this year were among our most transformative yet.
Our attendees included owner Brian Harris (joined by his son, JC) and web developers Zoyace Shrestha and Jesse Jones. We set up camp at the historic Hilton in downtown Chicago, right across from Grant Park, a stunning venue that kept us in the heart of the action.
What is Drupal, and why is it Dogwood’s Choice for Enterprise?
If you aren’t familiar with the technical side of the web, you might wonder why we travel across the country for a Drupal conference.
Drupal is a high-performance, open-source Content Management System (CMS) used by some of the most influential organizations in the world, from government agencies to global corporations. Unlike “out of the box” website builders, Drupal is a flexible framework designed to handle massive amounts of data, complex user roles, and high-traffic demands.
At Dogwood, we choose Drupal for our enterprise-level sites for three key reasons:
- Unmatched Security: Drupal has one of the most rigorous security teams in the world. For our clients who handle sensitive data, this “security-first” mindset is non-negotiable.
- Scalability: Whether you have 10 pages or 10,000, Drupal doesn’t flinch. It allows us to build custom features that grow alongside our clients’ businesses without needing to rebuild the foundation.
- Integration Power: Drupal is evolving to be the “brain” of a digital ecosystem. It connects seamlessly with AI tools, CRMs, and external databases, making it the perfect hub for a modern brand.
Technical Takeaways: The Future of Drupal
Between the networking and the deep-dish pizza, our developers were busy absorbing the latest shifts in the Drupal ecosystem. Here is what our guys had to say about their observations:
Jesse Jones: Enterprise Power vs. User Experience
“Drupal is very much still an enterprise-grade piece of software that involves a lot of expertise to get done right. I noticed that Drupal Canvas (previously Experience Builder) is still quite a bit behind tools like Elementor when it comes to being a friendly page builder, but its power is in its architecture.”
Jesse was particularly intrigued by the Context Control Center:
- Central Repositories: New site builds are moving toward requiring a central repository of information for AI agents to work from.
- Client-Specific AI: Without this structured data, AI-generated content stays at a “basic average.” Drupal allows us to feed AI-specific parameters to generate high-value, client-specific page building.
Zoyace Shrestha: AI Adaptability and Layout Evolution
“I found out there are even more ways we can optimize our current workflows. Getting to talk shop and share codebases with the ‘Hounders’ boys was a major highlight.”
Zoyace’s key takeaways included:
- Layout Builder: For any new Drupal project, it’s the way to go. While it is “developer-heavy” to set up, it results in a much more user-friendly experience for our clients.
- AI Integration: Drupal is staying ahead of the curve by expanding its Model Context Protocol (MCP) to all AI tools, ensuring the CMS remains the most adaptable tool in our kit.
Exploring the Best of Chicago
While the sessions kept our brains buzzing, we made sure to soak in the local culture. Chicago in late March offers a unique vibe, and we took full advantage of it:
- The Classics: We visited Millennium Park to see the iconic Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”) and headed over to Navy Pier for a ride on the Ferris wheel.
- The Ledge: For a late-night thrill, we visited the Willis Tower to stand on a 1.5″ piece of glass hanging off the side of the 100+ story building.
- The Food: Great food was had by all, including a traditional deep dish pizza from Giordano’s, one of Brian’s favorites.
- Opening Day at Wrigley: To celebrate the end of the week, the crew attended opening day at Wrigley Field. We watched the Chicago Cubs take on the Washington Nationals. The Cubs unfortunately lost, and the weather was a true “Windy City” experience—the temperature dropped nearly 30 degrees during the game with 25 mph gusts!
Final Thoughts- DrupalCon 2026
DrupalCon 2026 reinforced that Drupal remains the powerhouse choice for enterprise web development. We’re returning to the office with fresh perspectives, new code snippets, and a roadmap for better integrating AI into our clients’ digital strategies.
Are you planning a new Drupal project or looking to upgrade your enterprise site? Let’s talk about how the latest innovations from DrupalCon can work for you.
