Quest is a Gold sponsor of VMWorld 2016, August 28th -September 1st at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center in Las Vegas – and we can’t wait to hear about the latest offerings from VMware, show off our complementary technology, and most importantly, meet with our current and future customers!
But, conferences can be overwhelming. If this is your first time at VMworld, or even if you’re an old pro, here are a few tips to help you plan your adventure.
Pre-register for Sessions
VMworld offers a wealth of training sessions. Be sure to check out the Content Catalog in advance for a complete listing – and if you’re already registered for a full conference pass, you can pre-register for sessions and build a personal agenda. Do this soon, as sessions tend to fill up quickly! And be sure to arrive at least 5 minutes before each session starts in order to guarantee your spot – after that, it’s first-come, first-served, even if you were pre-registered.
Of course I have to include a pitch for our breakout session, “It’s Time to Expect More from your Virtual Environment”, in which Foglight senior product manager Hassan Fahimi and Data Protection senior product manager Jeremiah Mason will talk about how our solutions can help you manage performance, track downtime, and proactively respond to issues:
It’s Time to Expect More from your Virtual Environment
Date: Wednesday, August 31
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Virtualized applications, databases and system resources should be easy to manage but frequently are anything but simple. What if you could have a robust visual picture of your virtual environment and protect data with ZERO data loss? Dell’s System and Information Management solutions have the intelligence and power to help you reduce downtime, track performance, and respond to issues BEFORE they occur. The result? You save valuable time every day while delivering consistent dependable service to your users. It’s time to EXPECT more so you can deliver MORE.
Build in extra transit time
First and foremost, pack comfortable shoes! Las Vegas is a bit different from San Francisco (for those of you who are used to attending VMworld in SF) – while things may *seem* self-contained, you seem to wind up walking much farther than you’d expect, even if you were lucky enough to get a hotel room at Mandalay Bay. I recommend packing a pedometer or fitbit just to see how much ground you cover. Keep in mind that you have to get to session rooms at least 5 minutes early – and depending on how popular a session is, even that might get you the worst seat in the room.
Plan your Solutions Exchange (aka Exhibit Hall) route
You can opt to wander up and down the aisles (if you have time and want to pick up a few free t-shirts), OR, you can prioritize, and visit the sponsors of your choice in order based on where they’re located. You can see a list of sponsors on the VMworld website now, and when you get onsite, you’ll receive a map of the hall and there will be large signs with the floorplan. I also recommend scoping out the booths giving away free fancy coffee towards the beginning of the show, so you’ll know where to go for your Java fix during the rest of the event.
While you’re in the exhibit hall, stop by the Quest booth, #2111, to see our virtualization management & data protection solutions in action and meet with our technical experts. Plus, there will be fun activities and prizes! You’ll have a chance to see demos of the latest releases of Foglight for Virtualization, Foglight for Storage Management, and get a sneak peek at the upcoming release of the Foglight Capacity Director cartridge – plus, the latest features in Rapid Recovery (formerly known as AppAssure) and upcoming features for the DR series of backup to disk appliances.
Network, Network, Network
I don’t mean the kind you have to administer ;) Social opportunities abound at VMworld. There’s the opening reception in the Solutions Exchange, the Hall Crawl the following night, and of course, the customer appreciation party, as well as by-invitation events for VMUG members and, no doubt, a number of your partners and vendors. If you registered early for a full conference pass, you should have received an email from VMware reminding you to complete your waiver to attend the customer appreciation party at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Don’t miss out, be sure to log into your VMware profile and update the information so you aren’t left out!
Book Meetings in Advance
Want to spend some time with one of our technical product experts? We’d love to meet with you at the show! Booking a meeting in advance – with us or any of your other partners/vendors/customers/prospects - guarantees you time with the right people, at a time that works best for your busy schedule. To book a meeting with a Quest representative onsite, contact:
Data Protection – product marketing manager Kay Benaroch
Virtualization Management - product marketing manager Danalynne Menegus (that’s me! Stop by the booth and say hello if you’re at the conference – I’ll be the one with the partially purple hair)
Can’t make it to VMworld?
We know how hard it can be to get out of the office – so in conjunction with Windows ITPro, we’re offering a pre-conference webcast for VMware Administrators on August 24, that you can watch from the comfort of your own chair:
Webcast: The Top Challenges of VMware Administration
Date: Wednesday, August 24
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm PT
The efficiencies offered by virtualization are impressive and undeniable. Your organization has come to depend on your VMware environment, but virtual environments give rise to challenges that aren’t found in physical server environments. From monitoring to security and disaster recovery, VMWare administration calls on unique solutions and specialized practices to ensure maximum efficiency and uptime.
In this webcast, we’ll identify the top challenges of VMware administration and offer techniques and solutions for addressing them. We’ll also cover how Quest allows you to proactively manage VMware performance, improve user satisfaction, and protect your data.
Don’t Forget to Follow….
Last but not least, whether you’re at VMworld or not, be sure to follow us on Twitter, using #VMWorld2016 during the event dates (August 28th - September 1st) for the latest & greatest conference information!
