This week I’ve been working in Palo Alto, CA at Corporate Headquarter. I’m here getting up to speed with all things VMware. Compared to others I’m not uber-busy, but somehow the pre-VMworld stress levels are rubbing off even on me. I thought coming out a week before would help me recover form the jounery, but I didn’t count on a bad layover at Houston, and the pulling a muscle in my neck. So if I’m looking at bit robotic at VMworld this year, its because I’m dosed up pain killers!
Being in Palo Alto meant I was for the first time able to do the VMTN Communities Roundtable Podcast in person with Eric Neilson. I tootled round to his place in Palo Alto and we did the recording from his home office come garage.
This weeks podcast had the folks from the VMware Foundation – Nicola Acutt who is the VP over there, and Jessa Chin who is the groups Sr. Corporate Citizenship Manager. In case you don’t know the VMware Foundation is the charitable arm of VMware, and amongst the many things it does is allow employees who raise money for good causes – and donate them via the Foundation. What VMware then does is match that donation. I used the VMware Foundation to do two donations associated with the EUC book that myself and Barry Coombs wrote a couple of years ago. Anyway, Nicola and Jessa were on the show to tells us all about how for the first time the VMware Foundation will have a booth on the Solution Exchange, and that there will be a fun event on at show that will help raise money for good causes (you get to select the cause). So I implore you – if you are at the event this year – please make your way to the Solution Exchange and do your bit for charity.
The second part of the show is about a VMworld Survival Guide – promoting tips and tricks to get you though the week. There’s a hashtag on Twitter #AdviceForVMworld where folks are offering up their tips. Personally, the last 3 VMworld I’ve gone on the Wagon, and gone dry for the whole event (okay, there might have been one or two small lapses). I’m not really a big drinker myself, and found the long days combined with drink lets me completely shattered. I left my drinking until the Thursday night when the event is over, and I know I can sleep in on the Friday. One other bonus is you get more sense out of me sober, than bellowing fussy opinons in a noisy bar. Second. Protect your voice. If you are speaking or doing booth duty like I am for the first time this year – you need to protect your vocal cords. Thirdly, decompression time. Any conferrence can be a very intense couple of days. I nearly always schedule sometime in late afternoon before dinner or parties – to go back to my room. Take of my shoes. Do/Say nothing. Before showering and going back out again.
Anyway, follow the hashtag for further tips – and enjoy the show! If you like the show please add us to your iTunes or RSS Feed…