The transition from summer to autumn is the season of Tech Conferences. Once again, I’ll be traveling to Las Vegas to partake in the splendor that is VMworld. There are a few things to keep in mind when traveling to a technology conference. For me, it splits into the three C’s: Climate, Conference, & Celebration.
Today, I’m just going to talking about the first of these: Climate.
Climate
I’ve been in Central Texas for a few years now and my body has started to acclimate to the climate. To be completely honest, I don’t think that it’ll ever fully acclimate to 100° F days (38° C). I’m not a native Texan, therefore handling extreme temperatures is not part of my body’s natural defenses. I’ve already got two summer conferences under my belt this season. I had the privilege of attending Cisco Live Melbourne and Cisco Live US. If you look at a calendar, you’ll notice that the Melbourne show was in February and that doesn’t seem to fit with the summer/autumn scheme of this post, but that show is in Australia, and that’s in the southern hemisphere, so it’s summer there. Trust me.
What’s required to attend a technology conference during the summer? It boils down to one thing: preparation. First off, know your location. As I said earlier, VMworld is in Las Vegas again this year. The last show before that was Cisco Live US, in Orlando, FL. For those familiar with the weather in these two locations, it’s very hot in both, but there’s a distinct difference between the two heats. Las Vegas is in a desert whereas Orlando is on a marsh. These are on opposite sides of the spectrum regarding humidity.
Thankfully, both heats require the same set of tools to combat conference fatigue. We should start with the basic needs for survival: water, food, shelter, and clothing.
Water
Let’s start with water. In the high temperatures that are part of the summer conference scene, keeping hydrated is key to having a healthy (and safe) experience. Many shows will provide drink stations all over the place. This is especially true in the mornings when many of us IT professionals crave that rush of caffeine. However, you should pace yourself. If you go full bore and drink your weight in coffee or colas, you can increase your chances of dehydration.
For these and many other reasons, my go-to is still water – because hydration is the opposite of dehydration, and H2O is the way to go. The next thing to do to combat the climate is food.
Food
Lunch is provided at these shows and you can (and should) certainly take advantage of that. You should also take the time to sit down for a few minutes and collect yourself. Summarize notes that you saw from the morning sessions, firm up your plans for the afternoon, doodle out a new virtualized infrastructure, do whatever you need to do to decompress. One of the things that you should do is make sure that you keep fueling your brain and body for the long days.
The conference hosts know that you need to keep your energy up, so there are going to be snacks everywhere. The issue is that these may not be the ideal foodstuffs for keeping energy and alertness at the peak. It’s always been my recommendation to bring your own and keep them in your pack. These can easily be supplemented with the snacks around the conference and expo floors as you need them, but bringing your own snacks tuned for your personal consumption needs has kept my energy up better for a marathon day of sessions.
Shelter
Now most of the summer conferences are in large conference centers, so shelter isn’t so much of a necessity regarding your direct survival, but there are a few things to watch out for. For me, shelter in this fashion means protection – like sun protection and/or weather protection. VMworld is in Vegas this year, so rain isn’t as much as a concern as it would be in other geographies, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a possibility. Having a small travel umbrella in your survival pack (aka your backpack) is worth the cost in space.
It may also be worthwhile to have a lightweight waterproof jacket. I’ve done this in the past with a windbreaker and some weather protectant sealing spray made for nylon. It crushes down to about the size of your fist but can keep the worst of the rain off you. This leads us directly to the last topic for this post, clothing.
Clothing
Light layers. That’s it. Pack lots of light layers. Scour your closet for lightweight t-shirts. You know all those t-shirts that you got at the previous conference? Pack them. You’ve got wicking shirts and undergarments? They go in the bag as well. The wicking clothing will pull the sweat away from your body quickly (cooling you in the heat of the days) and the layers can be added on as you enter the high air-conditioned areas of the conference and expo floor.
Let’s face it, cooling an area with very high ceilings and packed with tens of thousands of moving bodies is difficult and the only way that most venues can try and combat this is to crank the AC down to refrigerator levels. If you happen to go into a session first thing in the morning there’s a very real chance that you’ll move from the hot outside to the near-frigid room where the sweat will leave you in a rush and cool you even faster. Don’t contract a “conference cold” because of these rapid changes in your temperature. Keep a spare shirt with you to keep your core temperature at a reasonable level.
Summary
Conferences are some of the best ways to keep your skills sharp, gain an understanding of what’s on the horizon, and mingle with other technology enthusiasts. Understanding and preparing for the climate will ensure that you have a safe, educational, and fun conference.
Join me next time when I discuss the Conference itself. If you’d like to join me at VMworld, please feel free to sign up and find me and my team. I’d love to meet up.