2025-03-11 –, Parsenn
We all need to work with clients that need things done. Like in every human relationship, sometimes you need to make compromises. This session is about the confrontations when things don’t work out as planned. When it’s about money and about delivering what was promised — and when you can’t. This session is the follow from Imre Gmelig Meijling’s talk ‘Who cares about Drupal? How to win the hearts and minds of businesses’ at Drupal MountainCamp 2019. It shares real-life examples from smaller and enterprise projects and ways to make those compromises. Including analogies with Star Trek and Back To The Future. ‘For good or for worse: making happy client relationships’ rated no. 5 in the DrupalCon Lille 2023 Attendees Satisfaction Survey.
Whether you are a developer, a project manager or a business owner, we all need to work with clients, often in person or online. Clients that need things done, putting pressure on, being happy, being unhappy, getting the most out of your project. Like in every human relationship, making websites calls for compromises and the need to give and take, by all of us, including your client. This requires essential ingredients of understanding, openness, passion and creativity which are key in making software development a success and ensuring happy relationships. Which often seems quite hard to achieve. How do you do it? This session is about the confrontations about contracts and when things don’t work out as planned. When it’s about money and about delivering what was promised — and when you can’t. And about those uneasy moments we all experience when we work with clients, for good or for worse.
This session is the follow up on Imre’s talk ‘Who cares about Drupal? How to win the hearts and minds of businesses’ at Drupal MountainCamp 2019. He also presented in 2016 at DrupalCamp Helsinki and DrupalCon Dublin. This follow up session will cover how to sell, manage and deliver digital projects with inexperienced Agile teams. It’s about contending contracts and how to divert from requirements and obligations, if you need to.
Imre will share more real-life examples from his 25 year experience as digital professional and tell you how to overcome fears by being open, fair and remaining tenacious in your methods and your client-relationships. It contains analogies with Star Trek and Back To The Future too. ‘For good or for worse: making happy client relationships’ rated no. 5 in the DrupalCon Lille 2023 Attendees Satisfaction Survey.
About Imre Gmelig Meijling
Imre Gmelig Meijling is business owner and CEO of React Online digital agency based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. In his 25 years Imre has worked in various roles in different agencies in Europe. With a digital ‘maker’ background he has learned many lessons across many disciplines in the digital industry. Imre worked for Heineken, United Nations, Suzuki and Disney. Imre has also been an active member of the Drupal community since 2006 and is on the Executive Committee of the DrupalCon Europe Advisory Board and he is active Board Member at the Drupal Association. He is former chair of the Dutch Drupal Association and cocreator of the Splash Awards and Drupaljam.
Imre Gmelig Meijling is business owner and CEO of React Online digital agency based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. In his 25 years Imre has worked in various roles in different agencies in Europe. With a digital ‘maker’ background he has learned many lessons across many disciplines in the digital industry. Imre worked for Heineken, United Nations, Suzuki and Disney. Imre has also been an active member of the Drupal community since 2006 and is on the Executive Committee of the DrupalCon Europe Advisory Board and he is active Board Member at the Drupal Association. He is former chair of the Dutch Drupal Association and cocreator of the Splash Awards and Drupaljam.