VirtualBacon

Need help convincing your boss to approve VMworld 2012?

approvedIf you are thinking about attending VMworld 2012 you may know that early registration is currently open. Having attended every year since 2008 I can say that the event is more than worth it. In a time of diminishing budgets I have chosen to forego other training opportunities in exchange for VMworld for the past few years as I find that this event provides me with the most value by far. Of course there is some discipline required on your part in terms of signing up for and attending several sessions per day, sitting for one or more labs, and networking in the evening.

The knowledge that can be gained by having (hopefully) dedicated, uninterrupted time to sit through sessions, perform labs, speak with a large number of vendors, and network with peers is a real jump start to the following year. My employer has stated that they see value from the trip within weeks of my return. This is because I come back fired up with new knowledge and test and configure features which I have learned about or learned how to use, and I quickly spin up PoC environments for software that we are interested in learning about to see how they can help us add value. Once you perform setup and configuration tasks in lab sessions at VMworld repeating them on your own is a cinch.

Now I realize that my opinion as to the value of VMworld may not mean much if anything to your boss, though I am a real user. To help you make your case VMware has, as in years past, made available a letter that you can customize for your use. Get it at http://www.vmworld.com/community/conference/us/plan/convince . When you are ready to register simply go to the VMworld.com web site and create an account if you do not already have one. There you will be able to register for the event as well as book hotel accomodations. If you are a VMUG Advantage member you will save $100 off the registration fee (This could also help you make a case for VMUG Advantage membership!). You can also follow the buzz around VMworld on Twitter by following the hashtag #VMworld and on the Facebook page.

Hope to see you there!

   
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