[Disclosure: I was invited by Dell Technologies as a delegate to their Dell Technologies World 2019 Conference from Apr 29-May 1, 2019 in the Las Vegas USA. My expenses, travel, accommodation and conference fees were covered by Dell Technologies, the organizer and I was not obligated to blog or promote their technologies presented at this event. The content of this blog is of my own opinions and views]
I just got home from Vegas yesterday after attending my 2nd Dell Technologies World as one of the Dell Luminaries. The conference was definitely a bigger one than the one last year, with more than 15,000 attendees. And there was a frenzy of announcements, from Dell Technologies Cloud to new infrastructure solutions, and more. The big one for me, obviously was Azure VMware Solutions officiated by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger, with Michael Dell bringing together the union. I blogged about Dell jumping into the cloud in a big way.
AI Tweetup
In the razzmatazz, the most memorable moments were one of the Tweetups organized by Dr. Konstanze Alex (Konnie) and her team, and Tech Field Day Extra.
Tweetup was alien to me. I didn’t know how the concept work and I did google tweetup before that. There were a few tweetups on the topics of data protection and 5G, but the one that stood out for me was the AI tweetup.
I arrived a few minutes late having to walk from the media coverage room to the Luminaries Yard where the AI tweetup was. There, waiting for me was J. Cory Minton, Dell Principal Systems Engineer of the Advanced Technology Solutions. Cory is also Founder and Chief Editor of Big Data Beard, a creative media and content marketing company on Big Data, Machine Learning, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things.
A few minutes into our conversation about Data Privacy and AI (something I have been very vocal about in Malaysia), like a magnet, Sally Eaves was pulled in. Sally, from the UK, is one of the leading experts in Artificial Intelligence and its social impact, and from that moment on, the conversation became livelier, and more interesting. We spoke about data privacy issues and the need for ethics when it came to AI. I was glad to hear that experienced practitioners like Sally and Cory shared the same views as well.
Cory then shared his story about Snotbot, where drones collect the contents of the blow exhaled by whales. I thought it was really cool.
Tech Field Day Extra
Tech Field Day Extra was a little excursion outside the Dell Technologies World time table, but being with the Tech Field Day group of friends (and new friends) was always serendipitous.
We were treated to introductions to Liqid, the unified, multi-fabric composable infrastructure technology, Kemp Technologies and Big Switch Networks.
All 3 companies have their partnership announcements with Dell last week.
Small is big
For me, it was not about attending Dell Technologies World. It was easy to get caught up in the glitter of the event. However, it was the little get-together like the AI TweetUp and the Tech Field Day Extra that made my trip as a Dell Luminary unique and special.
Influencer Programs – A Real Connection
Dell Influencer Program, through the well curated work of Konnie, her team and the people like Debbie Friez of TopRank Marketing, is making a difference. It is making real connection with like-minded luminaries and experts all around the world, sharing ideas and information, and learning from each other.
Likewise, I have been a delegate of Tech Field Day for almost 5 years now (with a gap in between). The Storage Field Days that I have attended were influencer initiatives personified. They are the real connection, the real deal where there are human connections without the fluff and the hypes. Tech Field Days are indeed special for me.
Concluding
The most meaningful experience is when a spark within connected with another spark of another being. The walls are brought down, and a faith is connected.
[Note: This article was published in my LinkedIn posting on May 5th 2019]
