For those that are new to DrupalCons, don't worry, this post is not about a meetup of Drupal bird-watching hobbyists , nor are we asking anyone to pluck chickens. We just want to tell you that BoFs submissions are now open!

Birds of a Feather (aka BoFs) are informal gatherings of like-minded individuals who wish to discuss a certain theme. These sessions take their name form the proverb "Birds of a feather flock together", which couldn't be more appropriate, as precisely what happens in them is that people with similar interests come together in a ad-hoc fashion to participate in discussions that have no fixed agenda except the title and the subject suggested by the person which scheduled the BoF in the first place. Most of the time, these are just the starting points, and the discussion takes a life of its own. And it's a great place to meet other members of the community with similar interests.

If your proposed session didn't get selected for the conference program, or you've got stage fright or have a really interesting theme to discuss with other DrupalCon attendees, this is your chance to share your thoughts with others and to listen to theirs. This many-to-many interaction is what makes them awesome, and a special part of DrupalCon. Unfortunately, attending a BoF means that you'll have to miss all the great sessions at the same time, but that's unavoidable and they'll be recorded anyway. The same can't be said of BoFs, so if you're not there you'll probably miss it.

In past DrupalCons, there have been industry specific BoFs like the Drupal Library BoF, BoFs that serve as gatherings of multiple Drupal community representatives such as the Drupal Latino, and who can forget the Chicago BoF where we had our first DrupalCon wedding. Anyone can schedule a BoF, and you're only limited by your imagination, room availability and the code of conduct.

In DrupalCon Munich we'll have six rooms available for BoFs, and we just opened the online BoF scheduler where you can select from the different time slots the best one for your session. We have only released half the rooms for online scheduling, the other half can be scheduled onsite in Munich. BoFs can only be scheduled during regular session times, 10:15-17:45 Tuesday and Wednesday and 10:15-15:45 Thursday prior to the closing plenary.

Even if you don't want to propose a BoF, don't forget to check the latest BoF schedule regularly on the DrupalCon website. We'll also have it on highly visible displays scattered on the conference area, so that you can browse it easily. Your contribution as a participant in a BoF is equally important.

Of course, if you really do want to schedule a meetup with the other bird-watching Drupalists, you're welcome to propose that BoF. As to the chickens, for those who aren't vegetarians, nothing goes better with a Maß of proper Bavarian beer (also available in a non-alcoholic version), fortunately no plucking is required.

Grüße aus München, see you here in August!

João Ventura
Community Track Chair and BoF Manager