LocalGovCamp was the perfect kindling for a digital fire

LocalGovCamp is the leading UK digital “unconference” aimed at the local government sector. It’s always well attended by representatives from councils and local government organisations across the UK, as well as digital suppliers - of which Annertech is one, and Birmingham 2024 was no exception. 

LocalGovCamp took place on 26 September at the STEAMhouse in Birmingham. Annertech was a sponsor, and our booth was a great meeting point for councils looking to move away from their current systems. 

These are some of my highlights from the day: 

The atmosphere 

This was my first LocalGovCamp. I’ve been to other conferences and Drupal events, but this was my first foray into the local government sphere and I was quite impressed with the atmosphere and the level of conversations with people, who seemed genuinely interested in Annertech, and how we can help them achieve their digital goals. 

The Annertech booth 

Having our own stand, as a sponsor, was great. It gave people the opportunity to stop by and meet some of the team, and it was busy. We had lots of people who approached us, and we had some great chats about digital experiences and open source options.

Developers Simon White and Daniel Pickering set up the Annertech booth at LocalGovCamp 2024. 

The concept 

LocalGovCamp was first held in 2009. In 2014 the event was extended to two days and has, since then, been organised by LocalGov Digital. 

It’s been described as a festival for local government, and takes place in the form of an unconference, where everyone attending has the option of pitching a topic for discussion or actively taking part in sessions. This means the agenda is decided on the day by participants. 

‘Our’ session 

One of the items on the agenda was facilitated by Annertech’s Director of Delivery Mike King. It was all about LocalGov Drupal Microsites – the platform that takes the pain of managing a fleet of microsites away and allows users to manage them all from one Drupal installation. 

This session was aimed at product owners and developers working with or thinking of working with LocalGov Drupal, but because the microsites platform is a standalone offering, people seemed to like the fact that their main website doesn’t have to be on LocalGov Drupal in order for them to use the platform.

Mike King gave a presentation on Microsites which is a LGD product that has a stand-alone microsite system and allows a single site to run many individual sites. 

The beauty of open source was laid bare 

The power and potential of open source continues to amaze me. Moving to an open source platform like Drupal or LocalGov Drupal means not being locked into a vendor or a platform that you hate for years. And I think this is something that councils are coming to appreciate. 

And it’s incredibly valuable for an industry such as the public sector, where it’s so important to have skill and good judgment in the use of resources. 

LocalGov Drupal 

LocalGov Drupal continues to exceed my expectations. This dynamic open source CMS is powered by Drupal, and is available for free to any council to use. 

Out of the box, it has all the features that councils need – certainly enough to give them a user-centred, accessible website that focuses on service delivery. 

One of its many benefits is that, if there is a shared desire for something, if many councils feel they would benefit they could all pool their resources and have it developed - all councils fund the development and they all benefit from it. 

Talking to councils about open source made me appreciate what has been created with the LocalGov Drupal platform. 

The big picture 

A change of scenery was just what I needed to see things from a new angle, it was good to see Annertech in action, within the larger ecosystem and that helped broaden my understanding of LocalGov Drupal. 

I liked the fact that we had a strong presence, and it was great to represent this company. 

There was a good vibe. I spoke to people from different councils who seemed interested in moving away from a closed source system, explaining that it's about the freedom to study, modify or move their code to different servers should they wish and not be locked in to a vendor or a licence - it’s freedom. 

I really enjoyed LocalGovCamp 2024, and am already looking forward to the next one.