Cisco Live US 2019: Sessions, Networking or both?

-Timothy D Harmon, CISSP

Cisco Live 2015 - Cisco Live Sign

Cisco Live US, the annual conference Cisco Systems puts on, is almost here! This year, the conference will be in Sunny San Diego, California and it will take place June 9 - 13, 2019. Sessions will be held at the San Diego Convention Center and Manchester Grand Hyatt, and there are various activities going on throughout the conference around the Downtown San Diego area. There are decisions to be made before the conference starts and the first decision is to figure out what you want/need to do during the conference. I will discuss the decisions attendees need to make before the conference, mainly deciding between all sessions, all networking, or a mixture of both.

First time attendees may want to do as many sessions as possible to gain as much knowledge as possible but it is definitely not wise to do this. Having to go to sessions the entire time will get you burned out in no time and you will not have time to recharge throughout the conference. There is no way that you can see and do everything you want in one Cisco Live conference. I know this because I have been to two Cisco Live US conferences so far (2012 San Diego and 2015 San Diego) and still haven't done everything.

Me at the Cisco Live Sign - San Diego 2012 & 2015

Some attendees have been to Cisco Live a few times and feel they should focus on networking with other professionals and not do any sessions as they may have felt the sessions give them the best experience. I personally have done this at my first Cisco Live back in 2012 in which I had the Explorer Pass and I could not get into any of the breakout sessions. This pass only allowed me to do the Keynotes and World of Solutions (WoS). I was a member of the Cisco Collaboration User Group (now called Customer Connection Program) and they were giving out Cisco Live Customer Appreciation Event (CAE) passes for members of the group. This allowed me to go the the CAE and it was fun because of the free food and live bands, Zepparella (Led Zeppelin tribute band) and Weezer.

Cisco Live 2012 - San Diego, CA - Mythbusters, Weezer, Shwag Guy

Attendees with a Full Conference Pass should maximize their time to the fullest potential by scheduling a few sessions and doing some networking while not in the sessions. The WoS is a great place to learn about partners of Cisco and network with other professionals. There is so much more going on at Cisco Live now than before and it is best to not be stuck in so many sessions. They even have things going on in the Marina Lawn, such as the IoT Playground, NetVet Lounge & Beach Club, and the Customer Connection Program Lounge. It is highly recommended that all attendees with the Full Conference Pass and IT Management Pass take advantage of the free Cisco certification exam if you are wanting to become Cisco certified or have your certification(s) renewed.

I was a part of the Cisco Live Dream Team in 2015 and this team consists of students and alumni of Cisco Networking Academy. This team is handpicked and they help setup and maintain the wireless network at Cisco Live US. I wrote about being on this team and it is called "2015 Cisco Live Dream Team: The Elite Group." While on this team, I was able to do a few sessions and network with Cisco engineers and other professionals.

2015 Cisco Live US San Diego - Dream Team and CyberPatriot with Chuck Robbins & John Chambers

For myself, Cisco Live US 2019 in San Diego will be filled with a few sessions, networking, and activities with the Cisco Champion program. It will be a time of learning, seeing old friends, and meeting new people. This year, Cisco Live might help me break out of my rut and launch me into my cyber security career. Come join me by registering for the conference. If you are not able to be there in person, you may watch it on the livestream on Cisco Live's home page.