they took a gamble and are sending me to Cisco Live in Vegas
I have dreamed of going to Cisco Live for quite some time, but to date that dream has not become a reality. Why do I want to go? What do I expect to bring back home from this storied event? What does my company expect to get in return for their generous investment? These are all good questions and ones I will try to address in this post.
What is Cisco Live?
Click on the image below to find out everything you need to know about registration, schedule, event hotels, and World of Solutions.
If we check in on what Cisco has to say about their event, we find the following.
Cisco Live delivers education and inspiration to technology innovators worldwide through large-scale in-person and digital events, as well as on-demand education. It is the premier destination for Cisco customers and partners to gain knowledge and to build community.
As the place where the best and the brightest minds in IT come to learn, Cisco Live will ignite creativity, deliver practical know-how, and accelerate the connections that fuel your digital future.
So based on this, I am one of the best and brightest in IT!
Why Do I want to go?
What do I think Cisco Live is to me? For me it is an opportunity to accomplish a couple things. First we have the educational aspect. The amount of presentations on every imaginable Cisco hardware platform and technology is mind boggling. As a wireless engineer, I aim to take advantage of some deep 9800 Wireless Controller presentations, as well as some deep dives into WiFi 6E, and a little DNA Center for good measure. I am sure there will be others that catch my attention.
Second, networking. No not in the L2/L3 sense, but in the people sense. I have made my career in IT by networking with my peers. If you spend time cultivating relationships, you can ensure longevity in this industry. Cisco Live drives social media and gatherings via Twitter, and Facebook (Meta??? don’t get me started) to help do just that.
Finally, this year year has been the advent of many firsts for me. The first time going to Cisco Live, the first time as a Cisco Champion, the first time as a Cisco IT Blog Award Top 25 Winner. To say I am deeply tied into the Cisco world would be an understatement. Cisco Live will tie all of those things together, allowing all of the talented people in each of those groups to collaborate together, share insights, and reveal how being part of this special society has shaped their careers. I even hear the Cisco Champions get a little extra special treatment. Looking forward to seeing what they have in store!
Why would my company invest in me to go?
We all know that Cisco Live is not cheap, not even a little bit. You have event tickets, airfare, hotel, food, Uber, and incidentals just to name a few. All of these things add up to a significant investment. So why do all of these people flock to this event. Surely some pay their own way, seeing the value as an investment in themselves, but I would be willing to bet many are funded by their employers. So what do they get out of it?
I work for Presidio, a global VAR providing IT solutions that span all technologies. We provide end to end solutions for whatever technology needs you desire, employing industry experts in all fields. This may come as a shock……wait for it……we are a Cisco Gold Partner, so there is the first tie in. We will have a presence at Cisco Live and I am expected to represent Presidio in a positive light. We will have a booth in which we are asked to man for a few hours as part of our experience and in an effort to interact with our customers both current and future. We will have customer appreciation events, meeting suites to talk business, and dinners to share experiences. We will network with our network!
I will be expected to participate in as much training as I can muster, taking in all there is to offer. I will drive myself to absorb all of the content I can to better myself as an engineer. I will take studious notes with the hope that I can bring content back to my team which they will find useful. If I bring them cool socks, that counts for a lot too. I will delve into areas that may be outside my comfort zone to push my understanding of new technologies to new levels.
Last, I will be expected to enjoy myself. I see this privilege as a time to unwind just a bit. I work hard so that I can be rewarded with special occasions like this one. I have earned this, and I will cherish the experience.
Will you follow up with your experience after?
I thought you would never ask. I will be trying to document all of my thoughts, maybe some thoughts from peers, and take tons of pictures. I can tell you with 100% certainty that I will be coming back to the blog with some great content based on my experience. For those of you new to this blog you can check out when I learned about becoming a Cisco Champion and my nomination for the IT Blog Awards right HERE.
I will leave you with one more thing….no I am not Steve Jobs….wrong company, but this video has me ready to go. I have watched it a few times and hope to experience something like it in 2022. Let’s hop on the way back machine and check out the beginning of the 2017 Cisco Live Keynote.
