Today is 11th of November 2024 and I arrived back in Germany from Barcelona yesterday. Certainly nothing special for some of you, but I can look back on an eventful week. Specifically, I went on my first Explore in Barcelona, including a spontaneous live session on Youtube! I’d like to share my impressions of that week with you and tell you why it was so exciting for me and what I learned from my first Explore.
ITQ employees fly to Barcelona for Explore every other year. So there is always a rotation and it’s fair for everyone. I joined ITQ this year and thanks to our company policy, I was able to attend accordingly. Of course, I’m delighted about that and really appreciate the opportunity to take part in that event.
In general, I can already say that even though there were fewer participants than in previous years, the vibe, the event itself, the trip, the input and the discussions were all great in my opinion! Seeing colleagues from other countries again is a great feeling. It’s cool to talk to customers you may be meeting in person for the first time or simply with strangers who share the same interest and mindset. The best way to describe it is like a class trip, only we’re all (halfway) grown up 😀
Which sessions did I attend?
Anyone who has been following the situation around VMware and Broadcom in recent months knows that VMware puts focus on VCF. It is therefore not surprising that the majority of the sessions I attended revolved around VMware Cloud Foundation. In addition, there were exciting presentations on VCF Operations (formerly Aria Operations, vRops), vSphere, vSAN and Azure VMware Solutions. I had a special focus on technical sessions that addressed best practices to make my day2day work better and better. Apart from that there were of course a lot of new features that might not have been present before. When you weren’t in sessions or talks, you could try out hands-on labs which were newly provided. I actually tested a new lab for VCF Operations which was all in all okay.
The day was so busy with either sessions, hands-on labs or talks that there was little time for delicious food (at least at Explore itself). An important learning right away: Don’t plan too much. It will be difficult to take every session with you. Next time I will book sessions that are close to each other but not too close to have some breathing space in between and, above all, to process what I have learned!
What about the evenings?
Every evening there were cool after-parties with really fantastic food and again: cool conversations. You can tell that a community is gathering in Barcelona and accordingly there is only one topic all day: VMware! As there weren’t after-parties every evening (at least for me), it was also possible to have a more relaxed atmosphere. So three colleagues and I had the opportunity to try out various Smashburger stores in Barcelona. Anyone who knows me knows how much I appreciate good burgers and what a science I make of them. Conclusion, so as not to keep anyone waiting too long: Smash House Burger Barcelona is fine. Not the best in the world, but not the worst either. I rank the restaurant with a 9.0/10.
But what exactly is it about the live session I mentioned at the beginning? ITQ, as one of THE partners in Europe, naturally reported live from Explore in various languages. In order to be able to offer the German community some added value, my colleague David spontaneously asked me if I would like to report on the second day of the trade fair and what I thought of it. First of all, a little challenge. Live, uncut on the Internet where virtually everyone can watch and where nothing is cut out if something goes wrong? Of course I’m in! And so David and I spoke for a whole 6:30 minutes and exchanged ideas. If you’re interested, you can find the interview here (only in german):
I can really look back on a great week, which I was able to round off wonderfully with a few days of vacation. Even though the Explore was probably smaller than all the others, for me personally it was a successful trip with great impressions, conversations and important learnings. But the final question that needs to be answered is this: What did I learn from my first Explore and what are my tips for those going for the first time?
- don’t plan too many sessions! A full calendar is cool, but it won’t do you any good if you just run from session to session and have to stress too much!
- exchange ideas with people sitting next to you in the sessions. Everyone is usually in the same boat and is there to take their expertise to the next level. Take advantage of this opportunity and speak to the person sitting next to you. Maybe a cool conversation will ensue (admittedly, this wasn’t always the case, but when it was, it was cool!).
- wear comfortable clothes: the exhibition grounds are huge! I walked at least 15,000, if not 20,000 steps almost every day! So comfortable clothes are a must and no pants that are too tight!
- Barcelona is a great city: plan for the weekend! That’s exactly what I did. The weekend was booked spontaneously and my wife and I escaped the rainy winter weather in Germany for at least a few days.
- Smash House Burger Barcelona makes really good and solid smashburgers.
Finally, here are a few impressions and best wishes. Until the next post – then we’ll probably continue with our Aria Operations series.
