Must-See DrupalCon Chicago 2026 Sessions for Marketing and Content Leaders

If you are a marketing or content leader, DrupalCon Chicago 2026 is already calling your name. You are the special audience whose creative spark and unique perspective shine a light on Drupal in ways developers alone never could. You promote Drupal’s capabilities to the world and ensure the platform reaches the users who need it. You translate technical innovation into stories that resonate with everyone.

Drupal is increasingly built with you in mind. Making Drupal more editor‑friendly has been a clear priority in recent years. Thanks to your feedback and insights, great strides have been made in providing tools and workflows that truly support your creative vision.

This year’s DrupalCon sessions are set to spark bold insights, fresh strategies, and lively discussions. Expect those unforgettable “aha!” moments you’ll want to carry back and weave into your own marketing and content playbook. Here is a curated list of standout sessions designed to help marketing and content leaders turn inspiration into action, build meaningful connections, and discover new ways to make the most out of Drupal’s strengths.

Top DrupalCon Chicago 2026 sessions for marketing or content leaders

“Generative engine optimization tactics for discoverability” — by Jeffrey McGuire and Tracy Evans

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has long been one of the web’s most familiar acronyms when it comes to boosting content visibility. But new times bring new terms, and it’s time to meet “GEO” (Generative Engine Optimization).

Indeed, traditional SEO alone is no longer enough in a world where tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are everyday sources of advice. Today, SEO and GEO must work hand in hand. DrupalCon Chicago 2026 has an insightful session designed to introduce you to a new way of helping your content reach its audience in the age of AI-driven recommendations.

Join brilliant speakers, Jeffrey McGuire (horncologne) and Tracy Evans (kanadiankicks), to stay ahead of the curve. Jeffrey A. “jam” McGuire has been one of the most influential voices in the Drupal community for over two decades, recognized as a marketing strategy and communications expert. With their combined expertise, this session is tailored for marketing and content leaders who want practical, actionable guidance.

You’ll explore how to make your agency, SaaS product, or company stand out when large language models decide which names to surface. Practical strategies will follow, helping you position your expertise, strengthen credibility signals, and align your content with the data sources LLMs rely on. The session will draw from real-world research, client projects, and observations.

“Context is Everything: Configuring Drupal AI for Consistent, On-Brand Content” — by Kristen Pol and Aidan Foster

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the next session on this list is also about AI. Of course, you already know that artificial intelligence can churn out content in seconds. But how to make sure it’s consistent with your brand’s voice, feels authentic for your organization, and resonates with your audience? 

That’s where Drupal’s latest innovations, Context Control Center and Drupal Canvas, step in. Expect more exciting details at this session at DrupalCon Chicago 2026, which is a must‑see for marketing and content leaders.

This talk will be led by Kristen Pol (kristen pol) and Aidan Foster (afoster), the maintainers behind Context Control Center and Drupal Canvas. Through live demos, you’ll see landing pages, service pages, and blog posts come to life with clear context rules.

You’ll also leave with a practical starter framework for building your own context files, giving you the confidence to guide AI toward content that supports your marketing goals and strengthens your brand presence.

“From Chaos to Clarity: Building a Sustainable Content Governance Model with Drupal” — by Richard Nosek and C.J. Pagtakhan

Content chaos is something every marketing and content leader has faced: fragmented messaging, inconsistent standards, and editorial bottlenecks that slow campaigns down. At DrupalCon Chicago 2026, you’ll discover an actionable plan to make your content consistent, organized, and aligned with your brand’s goals.

Join this compelling session by Richard Nosek and C.J. Pagtakhan, seasoned experts in digital strategy. They’ll show how structured governance can scale across departments without stifling creativity. Explore workflows that make life easier for authors, editors, and administrators, including approval processes, audits, and lifecycle management. Discover clear frameworks for roles, responsibilities, and standards.

And because theory is best paired with practice, you’ll see real-world examples of how this approach improves quality, strengthens collaboration, and supports long‑term digital strategy on Drupal websites of every size and scope.

“Selling Drupal: How to win projects, and not alienate delivery teams” — by Hannah O'Leary and Hannah McDermott

Within agencies, sales and delivery departments share the same ultimate goal, client success. However, sales teams chase ambitious targets, while delivery teams focus on scope, sustainability, and the realities of open‑source implementation. Too often, this push and pull leads to friction, misaligned expectations, and even dips in client satisfaction.

At DrupalCon Chicago 2026, Hannah O’Leary hannaholeary and Hannah McDermott (hannah mcdermott) will share how they turned that challenge into a partnership at the Zoocha team. Through transparent handovers, joint scoping, and shared KPIs, they built a framework where both sides thrive together.

This session will highlight how open communication improved forecasting, reduced “us vs. them” dynamics, and directly boosted the quality of Drupal delivery. You’ll leave with practical strategies to apply in your own organization. This includes fostering empathy across teams, aligning metrics, and creating a culture of transparency.

“A Dashboard that Works: Giving Editors What They Want, But Focusing on What They Need” — by Albert Hughes and Dave Hansen-Lange

Imagine logging in and instantly seeing what matters most to your content team: recent edits, accessibility checks, broken links, permissions, and so on. That’s the power of a dashboard built not just to look good, but to truly support editors in their daily work.

Join Albert Hughes (ahughes3) and Dave Hansen-Lange (dalin) at their session as they share the journey of shaping a dashboard for 500 editors across 130 sites. You’ll hear how priorities were set, how editor needs were balanced with technical realities, and how decisions shaped a tool that keeps content teams focused and confident.

You’ll walk away with practical lessons you can apply to your own platform and a fresh perspective on how smart dashboards can empower editors and strengthen content leadership.

“Drupal CMS Spotlights” — by Gábor Hojtsy

As marketing and content leaders, you will appreciate a session on Drupal’s latest innovations that can make a difference in your work. One of the greatest presentations for this purpose at DrupalCon Chicago 2026 is the Drupal CMS Spotlights.

Drupal CMS is a curated version of Drupal packed with pre-configured features, many of which are focused on content experiences. For example, you can instantly spin up a ready-to-go blog, SEO tools, events, and more.

The session brings together key Drupal CMS leaders to share insights on recent developments and plans for the future. You’ll hear about Site Templates, the new Drupal Canvas page builder, AI, user experience, usability, documentation, and more.

Gábor Hojtsy (gábor hojtsy), Drupal core committer and initiative coordinator, is known for his engaging style, so you’ll enjoy the session even if some details get technical.

“Launching the Drupal Site Template Marketplace” — by Tim Hestenes Lehnen

For marketing and content leaders, the launch of the Drupal Site Template Marketplace is big news. Each template combines recipes (pre‑configured feature sets), demo content, and a Canvas‑compatible theme, making it faster than ever to launch a professional, polished website. For anyone focused on storytelling, campaigns, or digital experiences, this is a game‑changer.

The pilot program at DrupalCon Vienna 2025 introduced the first templates, built with the support of Drupal Certified Partners. Now, the Marketplace is expanding, offering a streamlined way to discover, select, and implement templates that align with your goals.

Join Tim Hestenes Lehnen (hestenet), a renowned Drupal core contributor, for a session that dives deeper. He’ll share lessons learned from the pilot, explain how the Marketplace connects to the roadmap for Drupal CMS and Drupal Canvas, and explore what’s next as more templates become available.

Driesnote — by Dries Buytaert

The inspiring keynote by Dries Buytaert, Drupal’s founder, is a session that can’t be missed. Driesnote closes the opening program at Chicago 2026 and sets the tone for the entire conference. It’s your perfect chance to see where Drupal is headed, and how those changes make your work easier, faster, and more creative.

At DrupalCon Vienna 2025, the main auditorium’s audience was the first to hear Dries’ announcements. Among other things, they heard about the rise in the AI Initiative funding, doubled contributions into Drupal CMS, and site templates to be found at Marketplace. 

Marketers and content editors were especially amazed to see what’s becoming possible in their work: content templates in Drupal Canvas, a Context Control Center to help AI capture brand voice, and autonomous Drupal agents keeping content up to date automatically.

This year, the mystery of what’s next is yours to uncover. Follow the crowd to the main auditorium at DrupalCon Chicago and expect that signature “wow” moment that leaves the audience buzzing. 

Final thoughts

Step into DrupalCon Chicago 2026 and reignite your marketing and content vision. Connect with peers, recharge your ideas, and see how Drupal continues to evolve. The sessions are designed to spark creativity and provide tools that can be put to work right away. As you head into the event, keep an open mind, lean into the conversations, and enjoy the energy that comes from sharing ideas across our amazing community.

Authored By: Nadiia Nykolaichuk, DrupalCon Chicago 2026 Marketing & Outreach Committee Member