VMworld 2014 Preview: Personal Experience

Last year was my first visit to VMworld. I was very fortunate and happy to attend, however I was also quite overwhelmed. There is so much to take in and you want to try to experience it all but it’s just not physically possible. VMworld US 2013 was a milestone of sorts for me. It was an eye-opening experience. Once I adjusted to the glare I managed to take some things away that have injected a bit of pep into my professional endeavours that hadn’t quite been there before.

Since that time I’ve started participating in the online community more. I’ve started this blog, which if you’ve followed along so far, I credit CloudCred for motivating me to stop thinking about it and start doing it. I’ve been graciously accepted as a contributor in the PernixData published vSphere Design Pocketbook 2.0, which you can pick up at the PernixData booth at VMworld or pre-order here. I’ve also been performing technical reviewer duties for an upcoming book from Packt Publishing, details of which I’ll cover in a future post.

So here we are, one year later. What’s next?

Goals for VMworld 2014

I’ve put together a bit of a plan this time for VMworld. In order to make sure I come away from the conference enriched with new information, as well as sharing it back to the community at large, I’ll be posting regularly throughout the week (at least trying really hard to). There are two types of posts I’m going to work on, Roundups and Vendor Spotlights.

The Roundup posts will summarize what I’ve experienced each day of the conference. I’ll highlight some of the announcements made, sessions sat, and community events partaken. These posts will help serve both as a bit of an external memory for yours truly, as well as a launching off point for further investigation.

Vendor Spotlights will be exactly what they sound like. Each day I’ll focus on a different vendor and offer an overview of what they’re all about. Reflecting on last year I don’t feel I got enough value out of the Solutions Exchange, and this exercise is meant to give me some focus. They’ll also be the start of a community reference. If things go well, I may consider turning this into a regular feature.

Miles to go Before We Sleep

For most the countdown to VMworld is now expressed in hours instead of days. Many are already there, working to prep vendor booths, get the Moscone Center ready, and putting in a last bit of practice ahead of delivering their session. Cars will be loaded, planes caught, shuttles arranged. A small city will descend on SoMa. VMworld will officially be here. And it will be good.

PS – If you’re looking for a way to get around San Francisco, consider giving Uber a try. This link will give new users $30 off of their first ride. It’s an affiliate link, so Uber will kick some credit my way as well.

Feature image from @gurusimran.