Greetings, past, present, and future VMworld attendees! I’m honored to share the details and behind-the-scenes information about the “Inspire Change” track, which will premiere at VMworld 2021.
Prior to 2020, there was only a handful of Professional Development; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG); and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) sessions sprinkled across the VMworld content catalog. However, there was no dedicated track for these topics. In 2020, we introduced the Professional Development track. I was the first person to deliver a Professional Development session at VMworld in 2019. When the VMworld team asked me to be the content lead for the 2020 Professional Development track because of that session’s popularity, I quickly said “yes!”
A VMworld content lead is responsible for selecting the sessions in a track, working with the speakers to understand and meet their deadlines, reviewing presentations, and creating promotional content for the VMworld team for use on social media and other platforms. It was my first time as a content lead, and the experience was very rewarding — especially after watching the Professional Development content in its final form during the live event! I am proud to share with you that the VMworld 2020 Professional Development track was one of the most popular tracks last year.
Based on its popularity and VMware’s commitment to our 2030 ESG goals, we expanded the Professional Development track to include DEI and ESG sessions and renamed it to “Inspire Change” to represent the breadth of content that will be presented this year. The Inspire Change sessions are unique because the presenters are not only sharing information — they are also sharing experiences from their personal lives and professional careers. These types of disclosures can be difficult, and I applaud every person who does this, whether at VMworld, another conference, or elsewhere in your personal or professional lives. I hope that the important topics we cover in the Inspire Change track deliver on the promise of the track’s title and that each and every one of you are inspired to go out in the world and make a difference…whether for one person or for 10,000.
What may seem like a small gesture to you could make a huge difference in someone else’s life. For those of us in tech, the solutions we create and deliver have the opportunity to positively impact society on a regional or even global scale.
I encourage you to explore the Inspire Change content and choose at least one session you want to learn more about and one topic you know nothing about. VMworld is about expanding our horizons and learning new things. You never know — you might just find your new passion!
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