Chicago Drupal @ Flourish Conference

Flourish Conference 2008 starts tomorrow! Flourish 2008 will run from Friday, April 4th till Saturday, April 5th. Everything seems to be coming together and everyone on the Flourish Team believes they are about to put on a great conference for you. They have 16 speakers, 6 special events and activities and currently over 325 registered attendees. If you know someone who has yet to register for Flourish 2008 who would like to take advantage of the free online registration, that person should sign up by 8:30 PM today! If you miss registration it will be $5 at the door.

CDMUG has organized with other Midwest Drupal User Groups and will be flying our colors at a Drupal table during Flourish 2008. The tables were free to any organization/club that doesn't turn a profit. Check out a map of the tables. The directions for how to get to UIC and Flourish 2008 are posted below this e-mail message. You can also refer to the venue page for the directions, a campus map, a link to the Flourish 2008 location in Google Maps and pictures of event locations.

Also the Flourish 2008 Schedule has changed considerably in the last few days. Yesterday they added a new speaker and changed a couple of speech times. Unfortunately, these changes will not be reflected in your Flourish 2008 phamplet (although they might provide a corrective insert).

One event I would like to bring to your attention is the Code for a Cause Hack-a-thon, it is being organized by the Chicagotech.org who are CDMUG members. The Code for a Cause Hack-a-thon is a great way to get involved with writing open source software while performing an act of community service. Dozens of open source developers and enthusiasts will collaborate to build open source websites and applications for local non-profit organizations. Projects include an interactive map of homeless shelters in Chicago, a website for a reforestation program in Ethiopia and a Facebook widget framework for raising awareness about critical social issues. Volunteers of all skill levels and backgrounds (including development, design, documentation, etc.) are welcome to attend!

Directions to Flourish 2008:

By CTA Train:

1. Take the CTA Blue Line to the UIC Halsted station.
2. Walk east to the Halsted St. exit.
3. Once on Halsted St., turn right and walk south past Harrison St. to Polk St.
4. Turn right (west) and enter UIC Student Center East (SCE).
5. Take the escalators up to the third Floor of the building to enter the registration area.

By CTA Bus:

1. Take CTA #8 Halsted Bus to Polk St.
2. Exit at Polk St. and enter UIC Student Center East (SCE)
3. Take the escalators up to the third Floor of the building to enter the registration area.

By Car from I-90 West (Dan Ryan Expressway West):

1. From westbound I-90, turn off at Exit 52B (Roosevelt Rd./Taylor St.).
2. Continue north past Roosevelt Rd.
3. Turn left (west) on Taylor St.
4. Cross over the bridge and turn right (North) into the UIC Halsted Street Parking Structure. Parking costs about $12 on Friday and $7 on Saturday. When entering the parking structure, use the left most lane unless you happen to have a parking permit.
5. Walk northwest to Polk St. and Halsted St., cross the street and enter UIC Student Center East (SCE).
6. Take the escalators up to the third Floor of the building to enter the registration area.

By Car from I-90 East (Dan Ryan Expressway East):

1. From eastbound I-90, turn off at Exit 52A (Taylor St./Roosevelt Rd.).
2. Turn right (west) on Taylor St.
3. Turn right (north) into the UIC Halsted Street Parking Structure. Parking costs about $12 on Friday and $7 on Saturday. When entering the parking structure, use the left most lane unless you happen to have a parking permit.
4. Walk northwest to Polk St. and Halsted St., cross the street and enter UIC Student Center East (SCE).
5. Take the escalators up to the third Floor of the building to enter the registration area.

By Car from I-290 East (Eisenhower Expressway East):

1. From eastbound I-290, exit onto I-90 East.
2. Before merging onto I-90, turn off at Exit 52A (Taylor St./Roosevelt Rd.).
3. Turn right (west) on Taylor St.
4. Turn right (north) into the UIC Halsted Street Parking Structure. Parking costs about $12 on Friday and $7 on Saturday. When entering the parking structure, use the left most lane unless you happen to have a parking permit.
5. Walk northwest to Polk St. and Halsted St., cross the street and enter UIC Student Center East (SCE).
6. Take the escalators up to the third Floor of the building to enter the registration area.