Blog : The first virtual VMUGBE is going to be awesome and this is why

Next Friday, Oct 23rd 2020, VMUGBE is coming up, the annual VMware User Group event, which traditionally takes place at the Lamot in Mechelen. But not this year, due to Corona, this will be the very first online VMUGBE in history, with live online presentations, a virtual expo and interactivity provided by chat and video functionalities. ITQ will be present as a Gold sponsor, but that is not the only reason for you to attend… ??

Erik Schils, founding father of the VMUGBE, has announced another great lineup for this year’s edition : https://www.vmug.be/#agenda

The key reason I very much like VMUG, is because this is THE community event of the year. Likeminded people, being it endusers, consultants, partners, vendors, … getting together to talk about technology, use cases, cool demoes, but also a lot of friendly chit chat, whilst enjoying a vBeer (or an rBeer ?? ). Together with Stijn Depril and Kim Bottu, both vExpert PROs in Belgium, we are always trying to motivate more and more vCommunity members to step up, share their wisdom and apply for the vExpert program. We will have a dedicated speaking slot at VMUGBE to discuss the vExpert program and invited a couple of vExperts to share their experiences also. I had a chat with Stijn Depril about that session, which you can watch here : https://t.co/AzDW98MHEq?amp=1

What is also cool about VMUGBE is that you have a mix of presentations provided by the sponsors and by vCommunity members. And let me point out immediately, that the presentations in the sponsor slots can be very, very cool also. The one and only Johan Van Amersfoort is going to do the ITQ presentation this year. And if you know that VMUG is all about the community, and Johan is all about nerdfest live demoes with new technologies, you just know that you cannot miss this session. Check out the short interview I did with Johan about it : https://t.co/obabhCmINg?amp=1  

I already highlighted that VMUG also provides speaking opportunities for community members, who can apply through the call4papers. There are several very interesting community sessions on the agenda (as also referred to by Stijn Depril in the interview above), nevertheless, there’s one session I would like to highlight specifically : Lessons learned - Successfully implementing a vRealize Automation project, by Stijn Vermoesen and Kristof Asaert.

Why? Because This. Is. What. VMUG. Is. About! Consultants meeting on a project, helping each other grow, helping the customer to realize value, then sharing their experiences together to the vCommunity at VMUGBE. I asked Kristof and Stijn some questions about the project and why they applied for a speaking slot at VMUGBE here : https://t.co/7KBMTwlhz3?amp=1

Not really sure what to expect from a 100% on line VMUGBE?  Well, to be honest, me neither, except that I’m sure it’s going to be awesome. The virtual booths definitely look very professional. 

Only one way to found out : make sure to enroll at www.vmug.be  and subscribe for all the sessions you’d like to attend.

These are the sessions, we referred to above :

-Why becoming a vExpert? (Stijn Depril, Kim Bottu and Tom Vallons)

-Building the datascience platform of the future with vSphere Bitfusion and Kubernetes (Johan Van Amersfoort, ITQ)

-Lessons learned: Successfully implementing a vRealize Automation project (Kristof Asaert and Stijn Vermoesen)

I’m looking forward virtually meeting you there!

Tom