Digital Circus Sparks Regional Momentum with DrupalCon Nara Sponsorship

DrupalCon returned to Asia this year, and for Digital Circus, sponsoring the Nara event was more than a way to gain visibility. It reflected the company’s long commitment to strengthening Drupal in Japan and across the region. As Japan’s only Drupal Certified Partner, the company has worked exclusively with Drupal since 2008 and sees its future tied to the growth of the Asian Drupal ecosystem. Ken Taguchi, CEO of Digital Circus, explained the motivation clearly: 

“We see DrupalCon's return to Asia as a crucial opportunity for our region. As Japan's only Drupal Certified Partner, we strongly believe that to strengthen Japan's Drupal community, we must strengthen the entire Asian ecosystem.”

Digital Circus had already taken part in DrupalCon Singapore 2024, where Taguchi presented a session. When DrupalCon was confirmed for Japan, the company saw a moment worth investing in.

“When it was decided that DrupalCon was going to come to Japan, our home country, in 2025, we recognized this as a significant opportunity and made the strategic decision to participate as a sponsor.This sponsorship reflects our long-term vision: to grow alongside the Japanese and Asian Drupal communities and to become Asia's No.1 leading Drupal company.” 

Digital Circus' work is introduced at https://www.dgcircus.com/en.

During the conference, the company looked for ways to connect Japanese and international attendees. At their booth, they introduced Risley, a Drupal package built for Japanese enterprises with full Japanese documentation, and they used bilingual materials to make the product accessible. More information is available at https://www.dgcircus.com/drupal/risley. Taguchi delivered sessions in Japanese and English to help lower the language barrier for participants. A recording of his session can be viewed at https://youtu.be/BhGid_dVrxo?si=NYkDqkb4_gl6u8ye.

Digital Circus also encourages regular global participation. As Taguchi put it,

“We even offer a company benefit that allows employees to attend DrupalCon once a year with company support.”

Their presence in Nara reached across many parts of the conference. At their booth, team members spoke with attendees about Risley and about Drupal adoption in Japan. Taguchi presented “First things to keep in mind when building a worldwide multi-site, multilingual site with Drupal”, which drew on seventeen years of implementation experience. Members of the company also joined Contribution Day, where they contributed code and Japanese translations to drupal.org projects. Several employees supported event operations as volunteers after the organizing team opened applications. Digital Circus also shared updates and reports through its own media channels before and after the event. These can be found at https://drupal-navi.jp/news/742 and https://www.dgcircus.com/news/1087.

Nara gave the sponsorship added meaning. The city is known for its history and cultural sites, and it is now building a role in the technology field. Taguchi noted how encouraged he felt during the welcome session when Nara’s mayor expressed interest in becoming a Drupal friendly city.

“This willingness of a municipal government to embrace open-source technology and position itself as a hub for the Drupal community is remarkable and quite forward-thinking. While Nara is renowned for its cultural heritage, the temples, the deer, the history, the city is not content to rest on its past. It wants to write a new chapter, one where technology and tradition coexist.”

Digital Circus also invested in promoting DrupalCon Nara to people who might not otherwise discover the event. The company reached out directly to clients, included information in newsletters for prospective customers, and used its presence in local Drupal activities to build awareness. They also posted announcements and follow up reports on their media channels, and they are preparing a promotional video that can support future DrupalCon events. Taguchi summed up the intention behind this effort. 

“DrupalCon Nara's success would benefit the entire Japanese and Asian Drupal ecosystem.”