Dell will be at Interop, and of course Dell Data Protection will be in the booth. Swing by and check out the booth, or find me (twitter is always best at conferences: @gminks). Hoping to get demos of our DP products (AppAssure, NetVault, vRanger, LiteSpeed) on my laptop … I say hoping because I am swamped with other stuff. At the very least I’m happy to have a discussion about Dell’s Data Protection strategy.

I’ll get to Vegas Tuesday morning and leave Friday morning. I’m coming down to the Venetian once I get settled, mostly to hang out and see old friends. If you are attending EMCWorld please let me know, I would love to connect (or reconnect!).

It’s not a secret that I don’t like Vegas very much. I hate the excessive drinking and the smoking and general “what.happens.in.vegas.stays.invegas” atmosphere. Even though I believe beer (or some other tasty beverage) is essential for building community, I also believe that the bigger the events get, the harder it is to build and really grow the connections that lead to real community. Plus its just too much of a challenge for me to party like I’m still in college and still get up and get all my work done. (Yeah – conferences are work if you are there representing a vendor!)

So this time I’m planning to attend more low-key events. So far, this is what is on my evening plans look like:

• Tues:
  • 2-ish: High tea. Still working on this one, will be down by the Venetian (this one is not looking likely…but would really like to do it!)
• Wed: 
  • 6-8: Interop Party
  • after 10 – ?: Gilley’s for #SocialWednesday
• Thurs:
  • 8: Munchkin get-together. still working on the where for this one, if you are interested let me know. I’m bringing my normal set, if you have expansions or cheats, bring them! I’m bringing my cheats but won’t use them unless other people have them too. myahahaha.

I also want to walk every morning (another reason not to hang out till 4AM every night). The Interop breakfast starts at 7:30, and keynotes at 8:30…so logistically not sure that’s gonna happen. I’d like to try though, and would love company.

If you are in Vegas next week and looking for a low-key time, hope to see you there!