As the end of the first quarter of 2026 comes to a close, peak conference season is beginning to start. One of the key industry conferences each year is the VMware Explore conference held by Broadcom. This conference takes place each year during the last week of August. One of the pillars of this conference is all of the sessions presented by their customers and users. In my opinion, some of the best knowledge and information regarding the VMware product lines comes from these presentations. Why? Because these come from those actually working with the products in production environments each day.
To support this critical part of the conference, Broadcom announces a “Call for Proposals” each year around this time. The purpose of this is for the community to look at all of the information and knowledge they have gained over the previous year, and decide what they feel would be informative or interest others. They can then submit for a speaking session at the conference. For this year, the topic needs to follow under one of the following four pillars:
- Cloud Infrastructure
- App Modernization
- Security
- Innovation
While knowledge sharing is a key reason to speak at VMware Explore, there are other benefits to being a speaker. First, speaking helps build your personal brand. Besides speaking at past conferences, I was also interviewed on the Virtual Speaking podcast at the 2024 conference. These types of interactions not only help build your personal brand, but also expand your professional and peer network. It also gives you the opportunity to celebrate your personal, professional successes. Presentations from customers and how they solved challenges with VMware Cloud Foundation are always popular topics. Another advantage, although it does not apply to all types of presentations or speaker opportunities, is the possibility of receiving a free pass to the conference for being a speaker. However, be sure to read the details on the type of session submitted. Not all types qualify for a free pass.
If you are unsure about an idea or about submitting to speak on your own, possibly contact a partner you work with on your environment. This year, I am working with 27Virtual and submitting a partner session. We have worked together closely on our VMware Cloud Foundation journey for most of the last four years. Working in manufacturing, this seemed like a great partnership to present on the challenges and options of deploying VMware Cloud Foundation in a manufacturing or industrial environment. The advantage to working with a partner is that they make the submission on your behalf. They can also have some leverage in the approval process.
So, think about what you have accomplished over the past year. Is there a particular challenge you have overcome? Some unique way in which you use VMware Cloud Foundation? Share your knowledge and lessons learned with the community. Also, if you were not aware or have ever applied to join the vExpert program, presenting and generating content at the conference can go a long way on your application. So, if you have ever wanted to be part of the vExpert program, submitting and speaking will also help you towards your application being accepted and becoming part of a great community program. Who knows, is submitting, you may also receive a free pass to the conference.
Hurry though! There is a deadline to submit your proposal. The submission period closes at 5 pm PT on Friday, April 24, 2026. So, get your idea submitted and I look forward to seeing you at the VMware Explore 2026 conference in August. Have I peaked your interest? If so, click the link below to get started on your submission.