Cisco Live 2022

Cisco Live US 2022 will be June 12-16 in Las Vegas. After two years of virtual conferences and being vaccinated three times against Covid-19, I’m more than motivated to go in person! However, for those who are still hesitating, there is also an online version, over two days, probably in a similar format to 2021.

I am really looking forward to it and being able to talk and interact with my former colleagues, friends, and peers again. This is probably the best part about attending a conference in person: meeting and talking with people facing the same challenges, asking questions to the speakers right after their sessions, interacting with partners presenting solutions, testing solutions live, etc. Of course, there are also exciting technical sessions and presentations, but the opportunity to interact with people is the most fundamental for me.

For those of you who have never attended Cisco Live, here is a quick guide to what I think is essential to know. Cisco Live US 2022 will be my ninth Cisco Live in person, including three in the U.S., so I can say that I have some experience, although the conference has changed a lot since I first attended in 2009.

The week and activities of Cisco Live 2022 in detail

You can see here a summary of each day of the week, it’s a good way to have a quick overview of the entire Cisco Live US 2022 week. Then, in detail:

Sunday is reserved for the Technical Seminars. These classroom-style seminars give you a chance to kickstart your Cisco Live week. Seminars dive deep into a specific technology, design principle, or best practice, and complement their corresponding technology breakout sessions happening during the following week. Seminars are priced in addition to the conference fee. A 4-hour seminar costs $595 (6 Learning Credits). But if you want to go deeper into a subject, it’s worth it.

Then, from Monday to Thursday, there are plenty of activities:

Presentation-type sessions

There are different types of presentation-style sessions or breakouts:

• Technical Breakouts – These 45-minute sessions cover highly technical topics on a specific Cisco solution. Breakouts focus on technology strategy, design, deployment, implementation, and troubleshooting, and cover all skill levels.
• Product or Strategy Overviews – These 30-minute sessions provide a high-level overview of new Cisco products, features, and solutions.
• Customer Success Stories – These 30-minute sessions are delivered by Cisco customers and staff, focused on best practices and recommendations for deploying, managing and extending Cisco product features and capabilities.
• Cisco Insider: User Group (CCP) – Cisco’s digital user group (formerly Customer Connection Program) exclusively for Cisco customers and partners. Engage with product teams and share best practices around Cisco technologies in private community forums. Discuss product roadmaps, participate in early adopter trials, attend monthly briefings, and more.

You can see the complete list on the session catalog and build your own schedule.
My advice here: register only for the sessions where you would like to ask questions. And don’t overload the boat, leave yourself time to discover other activities. The technical breakouts sessions are recorded and the presentations will be available on the Cisco Live website after the conference. And another tip: use the learning maps to choose your sessions.

Labs & Seminars

Instructor-Led Labs – Hands-on learning at its finest with Cisco instructors. 80+ labs will take place throughout the week. The labs are four hours in length and priced in addition to your conference fee. A lab costs $695 (8 Learning Credits).

Walk-in lab – These labs are available without pre-registration, all week long. Practical hands-on work on predefined scenarios, at your own pace, with Cisco experts available to answer questions and guide you. Expect to wait in line, but it never takes too long. Another good tip: if you do one walk-in lab, you will receive access to the documentation of all labs after the conference. For the complete list of available labs, take a look at the Session Catalog here.

World of Solutions (WoS)

Explore over 500,000 square feet of interaction and engagement from Cisco and partner experts, other leading technology companies, and emerging startups. With:

• Villages – Each village will feature technology-specific content, and theaters will host subject matter experts. Take a few hours (yes, it’s big) to drop by the booths, there are always things to learn and good contacts to make here!
• Cisco Showcase – Immerse yourself in the Cisco Showcase where hybrid work takes center stage through more than 100+ demos.
• Content Corner – Visit the Content Corner and expand your knowledge with sessions focused on best practices, performance benchmarks, successful deployments, and more. Sessions will range from 10-minute lightning-fast and informative presentations, to 30-minute presentations, which are interactive and conversational.
• Meeting Zone & Meet the Engineer – Talk with a Cisco engineer, distinguished engineer, or senior development engineer in a one-on-one meeting focused on your unique questions and challenges. Meetings are 45 minutes and must be booked in advance. This is a great opportunity to discuss your challenges directly with a Cisco expert!
• DevNet Zone – The DevNet Zone is awesome! You don’t want to miss it! Learn to code, get hands-on with APIs, do a learning lab, take classes, demos, workshops, panels, etc.
• Social Impact – Take a moment to participate in hands-on activities and help assemble raised planters, compost bins, solar chargers, etc. All finished products will be donated to local schools and environmental organizations in Las Vegas. I think this is great, if each participant spends 30-45 minutes of their time on this, imagine the possibilities!

Events and more

Keynotes – Hear from Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, Cisco executives, and industry experts on how Cisco is building an inclusive future in this new era of hybrid work. In addition, there is usually an exclusive announcement during the keynote.

Take a Cisco exam – Take advantage of the industry-recognized Cisco Certification Program onsite. The Pearson Vue Center will be open throughout the week. Attendees will have access to all written exams, from Associate to Core/Professional, and across all technologies, including Networking, Software (DevNet), and CyberOps. Please note: Free Certification exam is only open to Full Conference and IT Leadership pass holders.

Celebration events – There are so many events during the CLUS week! Here’s a shortlist of events you don’t want to miss.

• Arrival Tweetup – Sunday, June 12,  5:45 – 7:15 pm at the Social Media Hub
• World of solution Welcome Reception – Monday, June 11, 4:00–6:00 pm
• Cisco Customer Appreciation Event (CAE) – Wednesday, June 15, 7:30 – 11:00 pm
• World of Solutions Brunch – Thursday, June 16,  10:00 am – 1:00 pm
• Departure Tweetup – Thursday, June 16, 10:00 – 11:00 am. at Cisco Live 3D letters

And more – In addition, there are plenty of other activities that I didn’t mention above, like social media hub and contests, Capture the Flag, Technical Solutions Clinic, and more. More info here.

Conclusion

In conclusion, don’t just do technical breakout sessions. Take enough time to visit the WoS and the DevNet Zone. Participate in the social impact project. Book in advance a meet-the-engineer meeting. Do at least one walk-in lab during the week. And above all interact with people, make new contacts, and participate in discussions.

I can’t wait to go to Cisco Live US 2022, and hope to see you there!

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