The twitterstream is buzzing, press releases are being announced, and everyone is preparing their livers for the awesomeness that is going to be next week. Last year's VMworld was my first and it is going to be hard to top, but I'm determined to make it better than ever. I wanted to throw some quick tips for those venturing out to Vegas next week. I learned most of these the hard way because it was my first major conference, but hopefully you can learn from my mistakes.
- Only register for the sessions you know you can't miss. This year is going to be a bit different with the scheduling routine. Last year, it was first come, first serve for the session and many people were disappointed. This year, you have to pre-register for the sessions you want to attend. Don't be that guy who has sessions back-to-back because I'm 100% sure you aren't going to make those. Leave yourself atleast 15-30 minutes between sessions to make the hike. If you aren't at the door 5 minutes before the session starts, they are going to let people in the waiting line in first. Plus, I'm sure they overbooked some rooms and sessions, so don't be mad if you didn't show up early and lost your seat.
- Don't spend all your time in sessions. This is the one event that you are going to be rubbing elbows with some of the brightest names in the industry. Make this time valuable by making face-to-face connections and sharing stories over lunch or a beer. You would be amazed by how close-nit the community really is. Just talk shop and have a good time.
- Learn about some new products in the solutions exchange. From what I hear, the solutions exchange is going to be MASSIVE. With the booming horizon of cloud, new vSphere releases, and the VDI trend, the show room floor will be packed with startups that bring a new angle. Make the effort to visit a few booths that you've never heard of so you can get a feel for what they do and how they might help your business. From a blogger's perspective, it's the easiest way you can share all the new tech hitting the market and capitalize on a startup's new release.
- Organization is key. Last year I only made it to half of the sessions I wanted to attend because I got caught up looking at the VMworld packet that you get once you register trying to figure out where I need to go. Look at tip number 1 and don't make yourself run around too much, you're going to need that energy for the night. Get the sessions you want to attend in your iPhone or Blackberry calendar the day before the conference. This way you don't look like a tourist in a new city.
- Lightweight tech is the new rage. If you ever thought about getting a MacBook Air or an iPad, you can now justify it. Leave your laptop in the hotel room. Your laptop is pretty worthless at the venue. Laptops weigh anywhere from 4-9 pounds and only have about a 2 hour battery life. Considering the power brick that accompanies, that's extra weight you don't want to carry around all day. A pen and a piece of paper is better to take notes on during a session than a laptop.
- Make time for the Labs. Skip a session or two and go try out the labs. This is one of the very few times you will be able to bring up a vCloud Director instance in an hour instead of an all-day task. The labs allow you to get hands-on with technologies that would otherwise take up hours upon hours of building it yourself. In addition, EMC is having a bunch of labs as well. How often can you break a VMAX and have nothing to worry about ;)
- Come see CIM1940 on 10 Best Free Tools for VMware vSphere Management in 2011, it's your last chance. Shameless self-promotion, i know. At VMworld 2010, this session was very popular. It ranked the 3rd highest session in voter feedback, it had 5 total sessions setup by popular demand, and sold out every seat in the house. This year, we have stepped up to the plate and listened to the feedback. There will be a whole new set of tools, with some oldies thrown in, and there will be a LOT more video demos. It's going to be 10x better than last year. The sad news... the powers that be dwindled us down to the bare minimum. CIM1940 has only one session on Wednesday at 4:00pm-5:00pm and we have been cut from VMworld Europe in Copenhagen completely. So come see us in our last hoorah!
- Don't wear sandals out at night! This was my fault of being a Vegas newbie last month at Cisco Live. Apparently, sandals aren't dress code for men. You have to be wearing closed toe shoes and a collard shirt to get in some places. Since companies are going to be renting out bars, this might not be a big factor, but you've been warned.
- Stretch your limits. I'm probably saying this because I'm 28 and have the need to re-live Spring Break, but don't leave the party early to fall asleep. There is going to be a tweetup after the tweetup that's after the party that's after the after-party. Forge on! If we didn't make it to 11pm vKaraoke last year to witness the rage that is VCEMonk and David Robertson, it wouldn't have been the same. At the end of the week, if you don't feel like you need 24 hours of straight sleep, you did it wrong.
- Make a to-do list to accomplish when you get home. Take notes of a few companies or sessions that stood out to you. Do some further digging and research to find out how it can benefit you and others. Share those notes with your managers or on your blog. Atleast this way your manager thinks VMworld was a real learning experience and you won't have to beg to go in 2012.
If you see my name tag, stick your hand out and say hi. I always enjoy meeting new people. Hope to see you in Vegas!
Also... I will be at the VCE Tweetup along with the other social medialites @jdooley_clt @qthrul @aarondelp @jellers to just talk shop if you want to come by, say hi, and join us for a beverage. Here are the details... Plancast VCE Tweetup - Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Bar @ Palazzo · Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 5:30pm
