COVID-19 has quashed in-person events worldwide. Red Hat Summit, Cisco Live, and VMware’s VMworld are just a few of the upcoming network industry events that will now be held virtually.
A digital event doesn’t offer the same opportunities to mingle and network with industry peers that an in-person event provides, but there are some silver linings. Attendees don’t have to travel, and in many cases, they don’t have to pay to register.
Stay on top of product roadmaps, hear from technical experts, and keep your skills sharp – all from the comfort of home – at these upcoming virtual events.
Red Hat Summit 2020
Red Hat is planning a blend of live and recorded content for its big summit, which will be held April 28-29. The event, dubbed Red Hat Summit 2020 Virtual Experience, is free for attendees and will include keynotes, breakout sessions, ask-the-expert sessions, and collaboration opportunities, Red Hat says. So far, more than 58,000 people have registered to attend, according to the company. More information is available here.
IBM Think
Think Digital is scheduled for May 5 and 6. The event will include streaming content focused on COVID-19 recovery and innovation, along with live Q&A sessions with speakers and IBM experts and chats with peers. Keynote speakers include CEO Arvind Krishna and IBM President Jim Whitehurst. IBM has also set the bar high for celebrity speakers: Writer, actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and artist and entrepreneur will.i.am are slated to speak at Think Digital. For technical training, IBM is holding free, instructor-led labs May 4-8. Certifications will be available at a discounted rate of $75, IBM says. More information is available here.
Open Compute Project Summit
The Open Compute Project (OCP) is taking its global summit digital. (OCP is an open-source hardware initiative, started by Facebook, to design efficient, scalable data-center gear.) The 2020 OCP Virtual Summit, scheduled for May 12-15, will include keynote sessions, executive tracks, engineering workshops, and a virtual expo hall. Registration is free for all attendees. More information is available here.
Cisco Live
Cisco Live is on for June 2 and 3, and network pros can expect executive keynotes, demos, training and more. “We’re dedicated to making sure this year’s digital experience reflects the Cisco Live you’ve come to know and love, from informative keynotes and deep-dive technical sessions to social engagement and stories of leadership and inspiration. All for free. All from your home,” Cisco says on its web site. The content catalog and scheduling tool will be available in mid-May. More information is available here.
VMworld 2020
VMware’s flagship conference, VMworld, will be held as a digital event the week of September 28, replacing physical events that were to be held in August in San Francisco and November in Barcelona. Details about registration costs (if any) aren’t available yet. The digital event will include perspective from VMware executives, educational and technical content, and opportunities to engage with industry experts, VMware says. The company also is considering holding regional, smaller, in-person gatherings later in the year. More information is available here.
This story, “Guide to virtual tech conferences, including Cisco Live, IBM Think and VMworld” was originally published by
