If there’s one event you should not miss if you’re into VMware technology and live in The Netherlands; it’s the NLVMUG UserCon! The NLVMUG UserCon is the annual event of the Dutch VMware User Group (VMUG). More than 100 different sessions (!), national and internal presenters, an interesting list of sponsors, a great atmosphere and a great opportunity to meet community friends.
NLVMUG UserCon 2019: a new venue!
The venue for the original “Dutch VMUG Event” was the Nieuwegeins Business Center in Nieuwegein. After the Dutch VMUG transformed to the NLVMUG a new location was chosen: the 1931 venue in Den Bosch. I think 1931 is a great congress centre, very spacious with rooms/salons of different sizes and more than enough parking space. After some successful events there, the VMUG leadership team decided it was time for something new. The NLVMUG UserCon 2019 took place in “De Fabrique” (The Factory) in Utrecht.
De Fabrique is located in an industrial building, with different warehouses, silos and halls. De Fabrique has a completely different atmosphere than the 1931 congress centre. To be honest: my first impression is that De Fabrique feels smaller, is a bit claustrophobic and looks like a labyrinth. At first it can be a little difficult to find the sessions you want to attend. But…you will get used to it pretty fast, and the De Fabrique becomes a attractive venue with a great atmosphere. I wouldn’t say that De Fabrique is better or worse than 1931…it’s just different…and I pretty liked it.
About the NLVMUG presenters & sessions
Where the original “VMUG Event” had three to four differents tracks with breakout sessions, NLVMUG UserCon has a mix of breakout sessions, lightning sessions and sponsor talks. With almost 100 different presenters (yes it’s true, check it here yourself) at the UserCon, it is a challenge (or actually impossible) to attend all the session that you think are interesting. But…luckily the session are recorded, so you can check them afterwards. Just keep an eye on nlvmug.com to see when the recordings are posted.
Some of the top speakers this year were: Kit Colbert, Jad El-Zein, Duncan Epping, Frank Denneman, Martijn Baeke, Stijn Depril and many more. That I personally like is that you will find the “usual suspects” to present at the NLVMUG, next to people you might not know but certainly have a good story to tell.
Presenting at the NLVMUG UserCon 2019
After my move to VMware earlier this year, for me the NLVMUG UserCon 2019 was my first speaking engagement at a big event for my new employer. Topic for my 45 minutes breakout session was VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). VCF is the foundation for private and public cloud and an integrated software stack that includes VMware’s Software Defined Infrastructure and the vRealize Cloud Management Platform. Together these two layers make up the Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) that consists of vSphere, vSAN, NSX, vRealize Suite and vRealize Network Insight. Since version 3.7 (released last week), it’s also possible to automatically deploy and run Horizon 7.7 on VCF.
Title for my session was VMware Cloud Foundation 3.7 Introduction: Architecture, design and sizing.
#NLVMUG it's great to see you on stage again @viktoriousss ! VCF rulez! pic.twitter.com/KOncJ4Vp1t
— Bouke Groenescheij (@boukeg) March 21, 2019
My session was scheduled in the Loods 8 room. Although it’s difficult to estimate the exact number of attendees, I can state that there was a lot of interest in the presented topic.
Goal of my talk was to get customers and partners that are new to VCF up to speed with the cloud platform. My personal experience is that it can be difficult to find the required information to get up to speed with VCF, with this talk at NLVMUG you’re ready for a “flying start” with VCF. I provided my presentation to the NLVMUG organization, the presentation and recording will be published soon at nlvmug.com.
To conclude
I think the NLVMUG UserCon 2019 was really awesome: A new venue, a lot…really a lot of different sessions, almost 800 attendees and of course VMware has a unique position in the industry and a strong vision that resonates in the market. I’m ready for all the good things 2019 will bring! Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts on this year’s Dutch VMUG. CU!
