Technology is an ever changing field, and you must constantly broaden your skill set in order to stay ahead of the curve. Aside from studying and obtaining certifications and gaining hands-on experience, attending tech conferences can be one of the best ways to get ahead. Most tech conferences have a vendor solutions exchange or partner booths you can visit to meet some of the brightest engineers in the industry. Many of them also have large hands-on lab environments, where you can test drive the latest and greatest innovations in technology today. Perhaps the most valuable part of any tech conference is the networking you will do. You’ll meet bloggers, techies and make lifelong friends. Another added bonus: If you are currently in the market for a new job, many employers hold interviews at conferences.
The problem is, there are so many tech conferences out there today, it’s hard to know which ones are worth attending. These conferences can be quite pricey, ranging anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 just to get in the door. TrainSignal previously gave you a more comprehensive look at IT conferences, but now I want to share what I believe are the best ones out there and tell you what to expect from them.
Microsoft TechEd
How do we talk about tech conferences and not mention Microsoft’s TechEd? Year in and year out, TechEd has been one of the best tech conferences. Billed as “Microsoft’s Premiere Event for IT Professionals & Enterprise Developers,” this is the grand-daddy of OS-specific conferences. If you are a server guy, you are going to find the most up-to-date info on the Windows Server family. If you are a virtualization guy, you’ll find deep dives on Hyper-V, including how it’s grown and where it’s going. Are you a developer? There is no shortage of sessions geared toward developers and how they can further their skill set as it applied to Microsoft products and partner products.
Sessions, etc.: The name says it all: TechEd, or technical education, is what you’ll gain by attending this conference. As you thumb through the content catalog, you’ll see sessions such as “Deploying and Managing Windows 8 in the Real World” and “Implementing Next Generation Infrastructure Solutions with Windows Server 2012.”TechEd’s catalog allows you to follow a track that focuses on the topics that are relevant to you and your career path. If you chose the Architecture & Trustworthy Computing track, for instance, you will find courses such as “Architecting the Modern Data Center,” “Defending Against Hackers and Cybercriminals” and “Security Tools and Best Practices.” If SharePoint is your strong suit, you’ll want to follow the SharePoint & Enterprise Social track, where you’ll find sessions focused on SharePoint, Project, Visio, Access and Excel. Wherever your subject matter expertise lies, you’ll find a track that will align with your interests.
The TechExpo is where you can “engage and collaborate with Microsoft innovators, third-party experts and thousands of your peers.” While trekking through the show floor, you’ll come across such companies as COZYROC, DataON Storage, IronKey by Imation, Jabra, Microsoft Press and Riverbed. Microsoft also wants you to relax and find time to have fun. The welcome reception will be your first shot at unwinding and having some fun. For the cherry on top of an action-packed week, you’ll wrap up with another party. Finding time to attend the social events among the flurry of training sessions, will help your week be much more enjoyable.
Price, dates: Microsoft TechEd North America will take place June 3-6 2013 in New Orleans. The registration will cost you $2,195, with the option to add the pre-conference seminar for an additional $400, register here.
Cisco Live!
Networking gurus and fanboys of the world unite! Cisco Live is your landing spot if you are looking for an amazing networking tech conference. Much like VMwold, Cisco Live fills its vendor floor called, “The World of Solutions,” with over 200 partner companies and experts to answer your questions and demonstrate how you can better your Cisco environment with their solutions. You will find companies like VMware, Dell, Sonicwall, Symantec, NetApp and EMC. You have many great opportunities to mingle with some of the best minds in networking, and shoot, that may even include you! Cisco has all but cornered the market on networking equipment for datacenters, both large and small and everything in between. With the introduction of Cisco UCS in 2009, Cisco is attracting companies that want an all-in-one unified communications platform to include servers, virtualization support, switching fabric and security all in one chassis.
Sessions, fun, etc.: The great thing about Cisco Live is the opportunity to learn, with its combination of in-depth technical education and training from subject matter experts. You can plan ahead of time and lay out your complete conference agenda with the training classes you plan on attending, sessions you don’t want to miss and some time left for networking with peers (no pun intended). There are several different training paths you can follow at the conference, including the IT Management Program and Developer Network Program. The IT Management Program focuses on the business of IT and how to marry leading strategies with your current infrastructure. The Management program is best suited for VPs and managers. The Developer Network Program is a great path to take if you are the programmer/developer type. Cisco has built this path to give developers access to some of the best resources and tools they need to create imaginative and flexible solutions for their respective companies or projects. Training and education are a big part of Cisco Live, and it’s what helps the conference be one of the best there is.
Cisco Live isn’t all work. No tech conference is worth attending if there isn’t a healthy work/play balance. You can’t expect to spend all day and night learning and talking tech without getting burnt out, so it’s good to unwind and there’s no shortage of fun at Cisco Live. To kick the week off, you’ll party at the World of Solutions Welcome Reception with food, music and drinks while mingling on the show floor. At the Customer Appreciation Event, you’ll get live performances from Journey and the Grammy-award-winning band Fun.
Price, dates: If you get a chance, this is one conference to attend at some point in your career. Cisco Live US 2013 will be held in Orlando from June 23-27 and registration will cost you $2,195. Register here.
VMworld
At the top of my list is VMworld, the premier virtualization conference in the world. How can I describe it in two words? Virtualization Nirvana. If you are a datacenter administrator, systems engineer, systems administrator, developer or really have any inclination towards virtualization technology, this is the event to attend. At first, VMworld was probably geared toward a much smaller niche in the IT community, however these days virtualization technology (especially VMware software) has crept into every aspect of our datacenter. The typical vendors you see at VMworld (just to name a small few) are NetApp, EMC, VMware, Veeam, PHD Virtual, Symantec, Drobo, Cisco, Dell and many others. Each year there are over 300 vendor booths on the floor at VMworld’s Solutions Exchange. You can get hands on live demos at just about every vendor booth, which is a great opportunity to see things you might not be able to see on a regular basis.
Sessions, fun, etc.: Although VMworld is one of the more expensive conferences, I believe it has the best ROI of any. Included in your full conference pass rate is a week of breakfast and lunch, snacks and all the drinks you can possibly imagine (alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike). You will get a conference backpack, which in recent years were very decent bags embroidered with the VMworld logo. In the bag is a conference t-shirt, vendor flyers, a conference map and agenda and usually a nice water bottle (this comes in handy for those long days on the Solutions Exchange Floor). The amount of free stuff or swag is unreal, and it can get out of hand quickly. Only take what you think you will use or things that your kids will play with.
The conference sessions at VMworld are priceless. You can usually find at least five sessions that pique your interest and are worth your time attending. The best thing about the sessions is that afterward, you can usually corner the speaker and grab his or her ear to discuss what they spoke about in more detail. What’s nice about VMworld is that everyone you come across, fellow attendees or speakers or executives, are always very welcoming and willing to spend any amount of time speaking with you one-on-one. Take advantage of getting the opportunity to chat with some of the industry’s most-talented admins, engineers and speakers from around the world. Session voting just launched this week, so if you plan to go, support your favorites.
VMworld is all business during the day but at night it really comes alive. I highly doubt you will find more parties at any other conference. Every vendor hosts its own parties, and at times, you’ll have 3-4 parties to attend in one night. It can be a blast and also super tiring, so pace yourself.
Price, dates: Now for the all-important question, how much does it cost? Well, VMworld is one of the top tier tech conferences and therefor the price is pretty high. You can expect to pay $2,500 for a full conference pass. VMware celebrates 10 years of VMworld this year atVMworld 2013 in San Francisco August 26-29.
Can you afford NOT to go?
Tech conferences seem expensive, but only if you think of them as just a tech conference. To take that mode of thinking would be a mistake. You have to think of these as an investment, just the same way you would a training course or certification exam. If you can, convince your boss to pay your way, present it as an opportunity deepen the company’s talent pool. In an effort to make it easier to convince your boss, VMware has a “convince your boss letter” for you to fill in the blanks.
These conferences truly are amazing learning opportunities and forums for furthering your IT career. You may even find that you want to follow a completely different career path. Lastly, I’ve said it before, but the people you meet at conferences will expand your professional network of associates more than you can imagine. Take lots of pictures, relax and have an open mind. Don’t forget to call home to your spouse or better half and let them know you aren’t having too much fun without them. Or, as in my case, bring your spouse and have an even better time!