VeeamON is only one week away. So it is really time to prepare for some days full of learning, networking, and fun in beautiful New Orleans.
The best way to start is downloading the VeeamON Mobile App (Mobile Event Guide for VeeamON) from your App Store. The mobile app is really good and supports you in the planning and organization during your stay in New Orleans.
The app offers you some important possibilities – here the ones I like most:
Schedule
Here you can find the agenda of the conference and build your personal schedule. Personally, I prefer the Technical Sessions. But take a look at all available tracks and pick the ones you want to attend.
You can select between 85+ breakout sessions this year, grouped in seven different tracks:
- Technical 200-level / high level
- Technical 300-level / Architecture
- Technical 400-level /Internals
- Business
- Allicance Partner
- Veeam ProPartner
- Cloud (Programs and Technologies)
Maps (New Orleans City Map)
This is a really helpful feature as the map is also available if your device is not connected to the internet. As I have no internet connections on my cell phone during my stay in the USA, I really appreciate this.
All important places for the conference are marked and described on the map: the Host Hotels, Party locations, and the Convention Center.
Extremely helpful, if you are not a local!
Sessions
All available sessions with a short description of contents, date and time and the presenters
Attendees
Are you looking for someone? Here you can search by name, title, organization, or keyword. But you can do more – eg. write a message, add the person as a contact or add a meeting with her/him.
Ground Information (Hotel Shuttle Service)
Good to know: if your hotel is not in walking distance to the Conference Center you can use one of the Conference Shuttles. They run every 10 minutes on two routes. To find out, If the shuttle stops at your hotel take a look at the map and select it for more information.
There are much more features available in the App. I recommend you to invest some time and get used to it.
Places to be:
During VeeamON you can attend a lot of events and activities to improve your knowledge and/or to get in touch with other attendees to expand your network:
Breakout Sessions
Take a look at the content catalog and build your schedule using the mobile app. As I wrote above, you can choose between 85+ session – an invaluable source to learn!
VMCE Training
Veeam offers the possibility to attend VMCE/VMCE-Advanced classes the days before the conference for a really good price. Learn more about this here: https://www.veeam.com/veeamon/vmce
Lab Warz
Knowledge always pays off! In the case of Lab Warz, you can win $ 10.000 using your skills to solve some exciting scenarios designed to challenge you. Lab Warz is located in the Expo Hall, no need to schedule a time.
Hands-On Lab
I really love the possibility to spend some time in the Hands-On Labs during a conference. During VeeamON labs will be available, too – led by Veeam systems engineers
Expo Lounge
One of the best places to spend time during a conference! Here you can find the Expo Lounge floor plan: Expo Lounge Floor Plan (pdf File)
More than 40 vendors have a booth there to answer your questions and present their solutions (alphabetical order):
| 1105 Media | Hytrust | Pure Storage |
| Arrow | Ingram/Promark | Quantum |
| Avant | Insight | ResQ |
| Cisco | Lifeboat | SHI |
| Cloudian | Microsoft | Singlehop |
| CMA | NetApp | softchoice |
| Cohesity | New Cloud Networks | Starwind |
| Connectwise | Nimble | TBA |
| Data Gravity | Nutanix | TBA |
| Data Strategy | Offsite Data Systems | Tech Data |
| Dell EMC | PCM | Veeam |
| ExaGrid | Petri Podcasts | VMware |
| Global Data Vault | phoenixNAP | Webroot |
| HPE | Pivot3 |
Gatherings/Parties
The best reason to attend a conference is the interaction with other attendees and to meet people of the vCommunity.
This year, it is the first time that I can attend VeeamON (thanks to the Veeam Vanguard Program) and I am really looking forward to catch up with all the people I normally can only meet in person during VMworld or other IT events.
In New Orleans, a lot of gatherings will take place where you can build relationships:
Monday, May 15, 2017
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm vBeers New Orleans: more information/registration
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
8:00 am – 10:30 am VeeamON #vBreakfast (IHOP, 833 Canal Street) -> Pre-register here
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Veeam User Group (must pre-register) in the New Orleans Convention Center
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm VeeamON Welcome Reception
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Rafflethon in Expo Hall
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Premier Partner Parties in the Fulton Street Area. You can find more information about the Premier Partner parties in the mobile app/schedule:
- Cisco Premier partner Party Location: Republic NOLA
- HPE Premier Partner Party Location: The Howlin‘ Wolf
- Microsoft Premier Partner Party Location: Fulton Alley
- NetApp Premier Partner party Location: The Chickory
Thursday, May 18, 2017
6:30 pm VeeamON Party
Some last hints:
- take care to bring comfortable shoes and enough socks with you 🙂
- If you are coming from the outside USA it will make your life easier at the border, if you do not forget to apply for an ESTA. But I guess, this is no surprise and you already cared if necessary.
- Follow me on Twitter if you want: @lessi001 and check back to this blog to read about VeeamON 2017!