The worst part about VMUG Connect 2025 is that it’s over. It was such a great event that was very unique. I say that because it felt small and personal, but the energy was booming. Its been a while since I have been at a conference and saw so many people interacting, smiling, and generally happy. So cool!

With that said, here are my ConnectFour top takeaways from VMUG Connect 2025!

Content

This was one of my reasons for attending the conference, and the VMUG team delivered. From the opening keynote to the closing panel, the content felt unique and personal. Each session I attended, I took something I could use in my professional development or in my day-to-day activities. It doesn’t always have to feel like I am drinking from a fire hose to have a session that is meaningful and useful. As I talked with other attendees, I got the impression that the feeling was mutual. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but this conference earns very high marks in my opinion.

Hock Tan

The CEO of Broadcom made an appearance at the conference for the closing keynote. The CEO of a multi-billion-dollar (50+ billion, but who’s counting) company made a special trip to St. Louis to speak to a group of 300+ VMUG members. Think about that for a minute and let it sink in. He has a great vision to ensure VMware creates the BEST private cloud for its customers, and while I do not agree with all of his decisions or things he says, I DO believe he will ensure that VMware succeeds! Before the closing keynote, I had the pleasure of having a small group conversation with him, he is a pleasant man who understands all the verticals of business. It was a great opportunity, and I cannot thank VMUG enough for that time.

Community

Look, 2024 was rough. Like really, really rough. But it’s in the past, and we ushered in 2025 with a whole different outlook! The community was very energetic last week. I could not walk around the venue without seeing groups of people talking, joking, carrying on about who knows what. It was amazing. It reminded me of a smaller version of VMworld from the early 20-teens. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Leader Summit, my first. It was a fantastic experience. I met so many new and experienced leaders. While VMware Explore offers you the opportunity to meet folks on your own, the VMUG Leader Summit forced us to interact, converse, and learn about each other. I’m generally a quiet person around new folks, but the VMUG team had us in group activities, which forced us to interact and, most importantly, learn about the other leaders. It is clear to me that Broadcom is 100% in support of the community. They showed up in force to support this conference, and not just people, they paid for any VMUG Advantage member to take a Certification exam! They want to provide the best experience for workers who need to support their products. This just proves to me the community is strong, vibrant, and has a strong future that I am excited to be a part of!

Connections

VMUG Connect increased my personal and professional connections, pun intended. I’m not exactly sure how many new LinkedIn connections and X followers I grew by, but it was more than any other event I have attended. The crazy thing is that I wanted to connect with people. People wanted to talk and connect with me. That is the type of energy this event had. Walking around the venue during the conference or the hotel bars after hours, we just found a place to talk about work, or any other topic that came to mind. It was super cool to meet so many leaders and VMUG members from around the world. Over 50 countries were represented, and I think I learned just as much about other cultures as I did about the tech they support.

Summary

The next Community event cannot happen soon enough. I look forward to talking with my fellow San Antonio leaders to get our next VMUG meeting scheduled. I cannot wait until the next VMUG Connect or UserCon! Thank you VMUG and Broadcom for such a great event!