I’ve been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to go to Cisco Live US twice in my career (2024 will be my third!) and I believe it to be one of the best weeks of training you can do.

My first visit to Cisco Live was in 2018 in Orlando. The sessions were awesome and there’s a million things to do and explore at the convention center. I’m a big fan of theme parks so I had a ton of fun at the customer appreciation event, which was at Universal Studios that year. I was even able to meet up with some friends that live in the area before the conference started to spend Saturday drinking in Epcot.

Scroll to the bottom if you’re just bursting with excitement to know who the (awesome) act will be at the Customer Appreciation event.

My second trip to Cisco Live was last year (2023) in Vegas and I had a completely different experience from the first one, but equally as fun and beneficial. My job role (and company) has changed quite a bit from my first Cisco live experience and thus I experienced Cisco Live differently. Additionally, I came as a Cisco Champion this time around which opens a ton of new opportunities that I didn’t have before. Vegas is of course a town full of experiences which gives you a lot of options to do in the evenings.

Sessions

I can’t talk Cisco Live without mentioning the main reason you’re there, to sit in sessions and go on a deep dive about anything and everything Cisco. If you’ve never been to Cisco Live before and you’re planning your first time, just know that you’re going to be talking to some of the best and brightest of the industry. They speakers are there to talk about things they’re super passionate about and are super willing to take questions during or after their presentations. So, bring a notebook to jot down questions you may have.

I’m by no means an expert but here are my tips for getting the most out of the sessions at Cisco Live:

• Do you research before registration opens

Registration for sessions will open a few weeks before the conference but the information about the various presentations being given is already available! Take the time to go through and star as many sessions that you can see yourself being interested in. It makes the registration step quicker and easier. Click here to check out the session catalog!

• Get registered early

Keep an eye on social media for when registration opens. Some of the more popular sessions will fill up quickly and you want to grab a spot. It can be tough sometimes to manage your calendar. I have difficulty with too many overlapping sessions sometimes and I must choose the best one of the bunch.

• Get to the sessions early

Get a good seat in the conference rooms and get settled in early, there’s usually good information to learn in those first few minutes.

• DON’T USE YOUR LAPTOP

I’ll admit that I make this mistake sometimes, but if you can help it, avoid using your laptop and checking email, responding to IMs, or scrolling social media. I have a hard time listening when I have the distractions in front of me so I just make the conscience decision to not even pull my laptop out during sessions so I can give my full attention to the speaker.

• Ask all the questions

As I said above, the speakers are some of the best and brightest and they’re talking about something they’ve spent months or years working on. If something’s confusing, raise your hand and ask, there’s often someone else with the same question in the room. If you’ve got a more in-depth question, ask after the presentation is over, the speakers are almost always willing to talk through things.

• Bring a jacket

It gets cold in those conference rooms. Be prepared or suffer.

Take an Exam

One of the best perks of Cisco Live is the free exam. In 2018 I pass my CCNA Data Center exam at Cisco Live. Be sure to take the opportunity to attempt an exam and advance your career.

My advice is, come prepared, schedule it early in the week so you don’t have to worry too much about it, and maybe don’t party too much the night before.

You do need to register for your exam separately from the conference registration and spots can fill up so make sure you book early. Exams are usually several hundred dollars so don’t miss out on a free opportunity to up your career and resume. Learn more about the exam process here.

Keynotes

The keynote sessions take up two morning of the conference and there aren’t any sessions scheduled during them. This is where Cisco will make big product announcements as well as give a bit of a “state of the union” update on the company.

Additionally, there’s usually a guest speaker for some additional fun and excitement. In 2023, comedian Jim Gaffigan was the keynote guest, and he was hilarious.

Get there early for a better spot and if you’re a NetVet or CCIE, make sure to get in line there for some of the best seats in the house.

People Networking

One of the most valuable opportunities at Cisco Live is the ability to network with peers. You’re bound to run into old coworkers, ask if they want to grab dinner or drinks one night. If you’re potentially in the job market, talk to as many people as possible, it might just get you in somewhere.

I spent my last Cisco Live trying to talk to as many people as I could and have some great online friendships because of it.

Cisco Champions

Being a part of the Cisco Champions program is one of the biggest differences between my 2018 visit and my 2023 visit. If you’re unaware of what the Cisco Champions program is, it’s a tech influencer community of people that are passionate about Cisco technologies. You get access to early information about upcoming Cisco products, exclusive access to beta testing opportunities, as well as a community of other like-minded people.

You get a lot of perks by being a Cisco Champion at Cisco live, some of them are:

• Behind the scenes tours

• Access to the Cisco Champions lounge in the World of Solutions

• Special Keynote seating

• Whisper suite access

• An exclusive Champions party (free food and drinks!)

• Meeting cool people

World of Solutions

Be sure to block off some time during the week to take a walk through the World of Solutions. This is where you’ll get to talk with vendors (and be tempted by conference swag) as well as talk with Cisco experts on the various product lines.

Check out some of the demos here and drop in on the self-paced labs or the capture the flag events to up your skill levels. The lock-picking station was particularly fun last year.

You can’t forget to meet the dogs! They were a bit hard to find last year but they were so sweet and made me miss my dog who had to stay back home.

Things to do in Vegas

This year’s Cisco Live is in Vegas again and there’s a ton of things to do. If you’re an experienced Vegas veteran, you probably know plenty of fun things to do but I’ll let you know what I did and had a blast doing.

• Go karting or drive a supercar – me and a buddy went karting after the conference ended and had fun watching the supercars on track.

• Have a drink at Ski Lodge – drinks here were great, décor was nice, and the entertainment was absolutely wild (I won’t ruin the surprise). You can eat dinner next door at Superfrico or order food to the bar in Ski Lodge. I had a great time talking to the bartender about her favorite drinks.

• Eat at a buffet – dining out in Vegas wouldn’t be complete without a trip to a buffet. We ate at The Buffet at Wynn, and while it was pricy, the food was top notch – and unlimited.

Customer Appreciation Event

Cisco Live US never seems to disappoint, and 2024 is no different. I’m happy to have an exclusive early preview of who the headlining act will be for the Customer Appreciation event on Wednesday June 5th, none other than the Rocket Man himself, Sir Elton John!

Elton is a huge name and I’m sure will be one of the most popular customer appreciation events in years! I definitely grew up listening to Elton John so I’m very excited.

Last Thoughts

If you can’t tell, Cisco Live is a lot of fun, and a lot of good learning. Be sure to do as many activities as possible. Be sure to get a stroopwafel, no trip to Cisco Live would be complete without one.

And lastly, if you see me there, be sure to say hi!