I’m fortunate enough to be going to VMworld Barcelona 2013 (thanks to my employer for footing the bill). This is my second VMworld and as such my plans are completely different to last years.
If you are going to VMworld for the first time this year, it’s an amazing experience, but really intense. What do I mean by that? Well first of all you have an array of great sessions, which you will want to be concentrating on to get the most from them, then their are the new products which you will no doubt want to see a demo of, then their are the parties in the evening which you most likely be attending, then you have the hands on labs, you see loads of stuff to do!
Last year, I came back from VMworld feeling like I needed a holiday, it was an overload!
My plan’s for this year are really different, I have a few work things to take care of such as client entertainment and meet various vendors. However, I haven’t booked any seminars, on purpose. The reason for this, is I want to try and spend that time networking, it would be great to meet loads of folks from Twitter and also to get to see some of the ‘cool tech’ on the stands, which I missed out on last year. Plus I want to try and spend some time over at the ‘bloggers area’ with the guys ‘n’ gals who take time out to put together awesome community content.
On a side note, a few tips:
- Wear some shoes/trainers which are comfortable, you will be doing an awful lot of walking
- It’s going to be about 22 to 24 degrees so pack accordingly
- Remember their is a free bus from Barcelona Airport directly to VMworld when you11 arrive
- Don’t pack to much stuff, think of you luggage allowance with all that SWAG you will accumulate
- Really important, don’t forget to pack a European travel charger
- Your phone/tablet are going to get hit hard, make sure you bring your charger with you to the conference each day.
So if you are going, look at for the ‘Brit’ who might be sporting a @vmfcraig top, don’t be shy come over and say hi!