Next week I go to VMware Explore on Tour in Frankfurt. For me that is a small first, and I have seen quite a few VMware events. It started with TSX, the Technical Solution Exchange, in 2007. Then VMworld Europe in 2008, every year from 2010 to 2014 and in 2019, and Explore Europe in 2022 and 2023. Plus one trip to Las Vegas in 2016.
So yes, I know my way around a conference center. But a tour stop is new for me.
Explore Europe as we knew it is gone. Barcelona 2024 was the last European edition, and Broadcom now takes the best content from Las Vegas on the road. In Europe that means Frankfurt on 13 and 14 October and London in November.
Frankfurt is a different kind of event. Two days instead of four, a selection of sessions instead of the full catalog, and probably less sun. So I prepare differently this time. Here is how, in three parts: before, during and after.
Before: do your homework at home
The sessions in Frankfurt are a selection from Las Vegas. That is good news, because many of those sessions are already in the Explore video library. I watch a few at home first, on the topics my customers ask about. In Frankfurt I can then go deeper, instead of hearing the story for the first time.
I also bring questions. Not general ones, but real questions from customers that I could not answer straight away. VCF 9 upgrades, entitlements, storage choices: they all end up on a small list on my phone. At a smaller event the experts are easier to reach, so this is the moment to use that list.
And then the practical part. I travel on Monday, a day before the event starts, by train from Emmerich. That gives me four quiet hours to watch one more session, and no parking stress. My hotel is within walking distance of Kap Europa, which helps a lot when days start early and end late. Frankfurt is a busy fair city, so book early.
During: fewer sessions, more conversations
After all those VMworlds I know one habit very well: running from session to session, afraid to miss something. I still planned a full agenda for Frankfurt, old habits die hard. But with only two days I keep some gaps open, because the real value is somewhere else.
That room goes to people. Explore on Tour is built around direct access to the architects behind the products, and at a smaller event they are not hidden behind a crowd. Ask your customer questions, ask what is coming next, and ask what other customers struggle with. Those talks give you more than any slide deck.
And then there is the vExpert community. I have been a vExpert since 2018 and a vExpert PRO since 2022, and every event feels a bit like a reunion. You meet people you normally only see on blogs and LinkedIn, and you pick up the conversation right where you left it. Are you a vExpert too? Come and say hi.
The Hands-on Labs and certification exams are there too. My Explore on Tour registration came with a free exam voucher, so on Wednesday afternoon I will try my Advanced VCF Operations exam. Wish me luck. And wear comfortable shoes. Some tips never change.
For me the event does not end on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday I stay in Frankfurt for the Broadcom Knights program, a smaller group that gets extra time with the people behind VCF. Roadmap, design decisions and the barriers customers hit when they upgrade or adopt VCF are all on the agenda. That last one is exactly what I hear about every week, so my customer questions come along to these sessions too. Part of it is under NDA, so I can’t share everything, but you will notice it in my advice.
After: turn it into something useful
The biggest mistake after an event is coming home with a full head and an empty plan. On the train back I write down three things I learned and which customer each one is for. A week later most details are gone, so this is the moment.
Then I share it. With colleagues, with customers, and with you: next week I will write about what I picked up in Frankfurt and what it means for the people who run VCF every day.
One more thing. ITQ comes to Frankfurt with a small orange army, and we have something new to announce. Keep an eye out for it, and feel free to tackle me or one of my orange colleagues with your questions.
Are you going to Frankfurt as well? Send me a message on LinkedIn and let’s have a coffee. And if you have a good event tip that I missed, I’d love to hear it.
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