Month: August 2016
Before You Go, Viva Las Vegas Edition
Viva, Las Vegas…
At this time next week, all the pre-show chaos for VMworld 2016 US will be over, and many (most?) of us will be sitting and listening to the opening keynote.
We’re excited to present the third instance of Opening Acts and the 10th Anniversary of VMunderground! A little “who, what, why, when & how” will help make the most of your pre-event plans with us.
Although we have all events being held in the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, it’s a large place and we’re using two different spaces within…
Main Venue
New York-New York Hotel & Casino
3790 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
The venue is approximately 1 mile (or 1.5 Km) north of the main VMworld campus at Mandalay Bay; depending on your starting point within the resort, the true distance will of course vary. MGM (the owners of the Mandalay Bay and other properties in Las Vegas) has a free tram you can board at the Mandalay resort in order to get north to the Excalibur; the Excalibur, in turn, is across Tropicana Avenue from New York-New York. It might not be the fastest way to get there—based on tram scheduling—but it does create the shortest walk without relying on a paid transportation.
UPDATE: The tram service runs every few minutes during the day; it’s posted service hours end at 12:30am, so if you like to stay out late, plan accordingly. There are actually two different tram runs on the Mandalay campus, one which runs between the three hotels (Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay) without easy access to The Strip, and another “Express” that runs between the far-north Strip station and Mandalay Bay.
You want to use the Express for the shortest walk to NYNY, even if you’re at Luxor: Board the tram at Luxor and head to Mandalay, then board the Express back to the Strip. See the image below and it should make more sense…
Opening Acts & #vBrisket
Liberty Loft (link to the property map) is the official name of the meeting room for Opening Acts and #vBrisket. Access is located near the Shake Shack and Gonzales Y Gonzales; you can reach it quickly from The Strip at the north end of the property, as well as through the interior via any other available property entrance. We will have signs posted and the activity will be published on the video displays throughout the venue.
Opening Acts is free to all attendees; although there is registration, that’s for internal planning and tracking, so even if you haven’t registered, you are welcome to come. If we end up with SRO, but that’d just be gravy.
Speaking of gravy… #vBrisket is not a free event; only those attendees wearing the appropriate wrist band will be allowed to participate. If you purchased a ticket—they’re currently sold out—you will be able to exchange it for the proper wrist band during or prior to Opening Acts. Physical tickets will only be required if you are unable to provide an electronic ticket, so make sure you can get to your e-ticket on your smartphone before you come over.
Panel sessions start at 11am, and we run through 4pm; don’t worry if you can’t arrive at the very beginning. You are free to come and go as it suits you.
We will have light snacks for Opening Acts, but if you’re not doing vBrisket, they will not constitute a meal. There are a bunch of places both inside the casino as well as in the area to grab a real lunch.
VMunderground
Nine Fine Irishmen will be the site of this year’s tenth anniversary bash. Not coincidentally, we were there the last time VMworld was in Las Vegas and it was our fifth anniversary (also held on Sunday, August 28th!!!). Like Opening Acts, there will be signs to assist you in finding the entrance to the venue; although the pub has outdoor access, we don’t plan to use it for party access: you’ll need to come inside to gain entry.
Doors open at 7pm; there’s no “VIP” access prior to that time.
As with previous years, this is an adults-only event. Although non-alcoholic beverages (smoothie bar!) will be served, US and state laws require attendees to be 21 years old and be able to prove it using a government-issue photo ID. Driver’s license and passport are the most common forms of ID; your VMworld badge and/or party ticket/wristband will not be sufficient.
That’s not to say, however, that you should leave your badge at home… On the contrary, having your badge helps fellow attendees see your name…and if you’re anything like me, getting a reminder of the name that goes with the face is always appreciated!
An important departure from previous years: This year the party is restricted to only those who have a wrist band. No public access—with or without a VMworld badge—is going to be permitted. As in previous years, your best bet to get a free wrist band is to hit up the sponsors; if you know you’re a sponsor guest, you will coordinate getting your wristband directly with the sponsor, not with the VMunderground organizers. As of this writing, there are still general access tickets available for purchase, but the number is few and when they’re gone…they’re gone. If you’d skipped purchasing a ticket and figured you’d “just show up” at the last half, you will be disappointed.
Also, if you have a GA ticket, you won’t have to wait until the party to get your wristband: we will be exchanging them during Opening Acts; if you purchased both vBrisket and VMunderground tickets, let us know so we can get you both wristbands at the same time. Like vBrisket, physical tickets will only be required if you can’t produce your e-ticket.
#VMunderground 