The Cisco Live Cheat Sheet: 5 Must-Know Tips

What Did I expect last year?

In this POST I talked about my expectations for my maiden voyage to Cisco Live.  In the end, the post focused on why I thought my employer would spend the resources to send me, and what I thought I would provide in return for their investment.  It wound up being bigger than that.  I went in with the expectations that I would learn a lot about wireless (my focus), and I did.  I talked about meeting new people, and that happened as well.  Sounds great, so what?  As I look back, the expectations I had were met with the need to let them go, and just live within a loosely defined schedule.

TIP Number 1:  Prioritize your must do list

Let go of the idea that you need to pack every waking moment into a class room.  Yes you will want to take in all the amazing content Cisco provides.  But take a step back, take a breath.  Now make a list of the MUST DO classes.  Then make a list of nice to do classes.  You will find that you can’t do it all.  You will want to try, but you won’t make it to them all, and you won’t want to make it to them all.  You will find things you didn’t know you wanted to do that take precedent.  As you work your way around, you will find yourself getting into conversations on the show floor, with someone in the lobbies, and needing to just collect yourself and take a rest.  It is OKAY to do just that!

 Click the image below to find the classes that interest you most and favorite them.  This will help you remember your priorities.

In addition to the session catalog linked above, there is one specific session I would recommend to the fresh faces to Cisco Live.  This session is called “New to Cisco Live Orientation – NEWGEN-1001“.  It is describes as follows:

Is this your first time, or first time in a long time, to Cisco Live? Join us at the New to Cisco Live Orientation to hear tips on how to get the most out of your week and get your questions answered by our panel of experts – Cisco Live NetVets (alumni) and the Cisco Live Events team. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to mix, mingle, and network with other new attendees before the event begins!

It is hosted by fellow Cisco Champions Evan Mintzer, and Carole Warner Reese along with Cisco’s Heather Henderson Thomas and Laura Simmons.

Tip Number 2: Walk the show floor

Something for everyone, this is the theme of the show floor.  All of the latest and greatest Cisco technologies are here for your close up inspection.  In addition, there are knowledgeable people manning all of the booths that will engage in deep conversations about their area of expertise.  If they don’t know an answer to your question, they will enthusiastically go find someone that does and bring them to you.  You MUST engage here.  Beyond the Cisco booths, you will also find many other vendors that provide a supporting role to enhance your networks, whether it’s a network management software, new patch panels, cool new racks, WiFi enclosures, you name it, it is there.  Last year I has an idea about a wireless AP mount that I brought to a vendor and that turned into future conversations in which they are exploring the development of what I was looking for.  These are the interactions you should be looking for.  Vendors are there to support you.  If you need something that doesn’t exist and have a solid use case for it, then it is in their best interests to talk to you about it.  Don’t forget, you are what the vendors are there for, not the other way around.  You are the product they want to consume! They want your business, give them reasons to earn it!

 Beyond the tech, you will find labs, social media areas, demo areas, volunteer areas and so much more.  Last year some of the Cisco Champions got together and as a group built some solar chargers.  It was a great experience and one of my fondest memories.

 Take a look at some examples of things you can see on the show floor, including some experiences I took part in.

Tip number 3: Wear comfortable clothing

Ok, we aren’t breaking new ground here.  You will be walking a ton, even if you stay at Mandalay Bay, the convention center is still quite a hike.  If you are staying at the Luxor, the next closest hotel, the walk between them is .3 miles, and that is to the entrance.  I would say from the Mandalay Bay entrance to the convention center is about the same, so we are talking roughly a half a mile of walking one way.  I can’t stress wearing comfortable broken in shoes and casual attire.  People will be dressed down more than you expect.

My daily steps each day:

• June 13th – 15,994 steps
• June 14th – 17,802 steps
• June 15th – 20,247 steps
• June 16th – 23,917 steps

Total steps – 77,960 which equals roughly 36 miles!    

Tip number 4:  Pack light

You will not need your entire network engineering toolkit to attend classes.  I would recommend a small backback with ideally a tablet, or your computer if you really need it.  I used an iPad last year with a small lightweight day hiking bag.  Keep a charger in there, or maybe even a small battery charger to get through the day.  There will be areas in which you can charge your devices while you take a break in the convention center.  Keep some space available in your pack to pick up swag from the vendors.  Some people love to pick up everything they see.  I would stay away from this unless you just love to horde swag you will never look at again.  I can’t tell you the amount of things I throw away.  All of those items add weight to your bag, which will ever so slightly wear you down as you walk throughout your day.  See tip number 3!  If you don’t think you will keep it, don’t take it or this will be you….

Tip number 5:  Networking

If you listen to nothing else I have to say, hear me NOW!!!!!  Talk to everyone.  Cisco Live is about networking, and not in the “I configure routers, switches, wireless controllers.” kind of way.  It is about meeting new people, making new connections, learning new things.  I knew this going in before last year, but had no idea how relevant it would be.  As part of the Cisco Champions group, I was able to meet and talk to people that introduced me to new people, who introduced me to other new people, which led to being in discussions with industry experts I would not have normally had access to otherwise.  One of my fellow Champions and wireless guru, Troy Martin introduced me to some other well known WiFi geeks at an event one night, a welcome interaction that I did not think would be part of my experience.  Prior to the event I was studying for the ENWLSD exam and was using CBT Nuggets to study, so I had spent roughly 40 hours listening to the voice of Jeff Kish.  I saw him, Keith Barker and Lalo Nunez in the social media lounge and introduced myself.  He was great to talk to and took some time out to take a picture with me.  I passed that exam, thanks Jeff!

Bonus Content:  Who is performing at Cisco Live

Every year Cisco Live has a headlining performer at the celebration.  There have been notable artists like Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Aerosmith, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons, and Sam Hunt.  For more information from the Cisco Live official site, head HERE!

This year is no exception with the announcement of super stars Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton!!!!  Hollaback to the event on Wednesday, June 7th from 7:30 to 11pm.

As part of the Cisco Champions program, we had the privilege of getting box seats with catering to watch the performance at the UNLV Thomas & Mack Center.  Check out the video I took from last years event, starring Dave Matthews Band. 

Final Thoughts

I hope the information provided will help improve your experience if this is your first Cisco Live.  If it isn’t your first, I hope you can still take something from this or share with someone that would find it helpful.  If you are going to Cisco Live this year, reach out and lets say hi (Twitter and LinkedIn links on the right side of the page).  I love meeting new people (see Tip 5!).  It is what it’s all about.