Heading To Interop? Top 11 Things To Do & See

Interop kicks off tomorrow and our team is beyond excited for this year’s conference! Keeping with our goal of bringing IT pros the best independent, visionary content, we’ve focused the conference around modern day infrastructure. We showcase an end-to-end strategy that begins with the designing, maintaining and protecting of a reliable network infrastructure, and accelerates with the endless possibilities of what can be built on top of the network -- applications and systems that drive efficiencies, innovation and success. IT is changing rapidly and with more than 130 speakers, Interop is the number one place for IT professionals to get the education they need to keep up.

It’s also the show's 30th anniversary as an industry-leading conference, so the festivities will be in high gear. Hint: this means there will be cake. To give conference goers a quick rundown on what else is new and exciting, we’ve put together an Interop Top 11 (couldn’t pick just 10!) list below.

1. Summits & Workshops - This year’s summit program features two 2-day Summits: one led by Packet Pushers with a specific focus on the future of networking, and one by Dark Reading capitalizing on the growing problem of security threats in the IT world. Both of these Summits feature outstanding speakers and will offer invaluable education to attendees. We also are looking forward to two leadership Workshops by the ever-popular Rob Cordova and an all-day IT Leadership Summit that’s poised to be this year’s biggest hit.  

2. Keynotes - We have some GREAT speakers from big companies lined up for the keynote stage. Think Salesforce, Google, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Sacramento Kings and more. In addition, we'll host some insightful panels:

3. Cinco de Mayo - Since this year’s Expo falls on May 5th, we’re celebrating with a Cinco de Mayo happy hour on the Expo Floor! Our exhibitors have signed up to serve margaritas and to close the Expo off right.

4. Celebrating the next generation of technology pros - On Thursday, May 5 our IT Trailblazers Under 30 Panel features four panelists who have achieved great success at a young age. Join us for lunch and an open discussion with wise and adventurous panelists from Fitbit, Association of Public Health and 2 startups.

5. Expo Floor - Our Expo Hall is open for two full days: Wednesday, May 4 from 10am-6pm and Thursday, May 5 from 10am-5pm. Some highlights:

6. InformationWeek Elite 100 Conference - Again, we are co-locating with the InformationWeek Elite 100 Conference, which is taking place just next door at the Four Seasons on Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3. We have a number of exciting, high-level speakers lined up to address the CIO community.

7. Social Media: We’re stepping up our engagement on social media and encourage attendees and those following along at home to participate. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and, for the first time, Snapchat! Add us at @interoplasvegas. If you’re snapping on the Expo Floor on Wednesday and Thursday, make sure to use our specially-made Interop geofilter. Additionally, please don’t forget to tag your Twitter and Instagram posts with #interop.

8. Interop Party at LIGHT - Exhibitors and paid conference attendees are invited to join us from 8-10pm on Wednesday, May 4 at LIGHT Nightclub in Mandalay Bay for the official Interop party. We’re going 80’s themed this year!

9. Running Club - What better way to start off your day than with a jog along the Las Vegas Strip? Meet fellow Interop fitness fanatics in the Mandalay Bay lobby at 7am each morning for the Interop Fun Run.

10. InteropHQ - Located on the Expo Floor, this is the center for all things Interop. Stop by to score Interop swag, network with fellow attendees, check out the InformationWeek News Desk or redeem your Interop passport.

11. And the main attraction, our conference tracks - We have 97 amazing sessions across ten tracks lined up. Some of our most popular tracks so far are Leadership, Networking and Security. Our track chairs have assembled a great list of speakers and topics that will provide attendees with the stellar education they’ve come to expect from Interop.