The Challenges Of VMworld

Posted by George Crump
August 31, 2010

VMworld kicked off yesterday, and despite the crowd, everything seems to be under control. The media/analyst area is no exception. It is under strict control (i.e. too much), making it very difficult for industry people like myself to get information to you about what is going on at the event. VMworld organizers will let the analysts and press in the area, but not the vendors we need to speak to. Anyone see a problem with that?

At events like VMworld, Storage Networking World and others, there is a show behind the show, where analyst and media people meet with vendors to get new information or better details on their products and solutions. The value for the reader is that we can give you information and provide insight into the products that you may be or should be looking at to help enhance your virtualization, storage or networking project.

Maybe its just a personality flaw on my part, but it is difficult to have these conversations in the coffee lounge at the Moscone center surrounded by 500 or so attendees who just want to get their $3.50 morning cup of coffee. That is where the VMworld organizers suggested we have our briefings. Needless to say, we will do what we can, but it makes for a challenging work environment, at best. Ideally, there would be an area set aside like there is at other shows where we can sit and have a conversation with the suppliers, and where they can have enough room on the table to show a presentation if they want and not lose their voice in the process. We could then write this information up and post it so the users who could not attend would get a flavor of the experience and perhaps be more inclined to attend next year's event.

Wait--there is such a room, and it is called the "Press-Analyst Area," and in fact, there is one at this year's VMworld, but it is going almost entirely unused. Why? As I stated in my opening, for some reason the good people at VMware chose to only allow media and analysts into the room. Which is odd, because while I think a blog series of me talking to fellow Network Computing contributor Howard Marks would be wildly interesting and remotely entertaining, I'm not sure if you would agree. 

The good news is that the analyst and media types at the event are troopers, and we will rise to the challenge. You'll be able to get updates here on Network Computing about what is new and different at the event, but next year I may ask to borrow some office space at Network Computing's parent UBM down the street. Stay tuned and look for our updates. VMware people: if you are reading this, can you reconsider set the press-analyst area free?

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