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VMware Partner Exchange (PEX) was a big event (usually in February) for all VMware partners: like a VMworld, but smallest and for several aspects better (see VMware PEX 2013: Why attend).

I’ve attend at PEX 2010 (where I had also my VCDX defense) and PEX 2013 and I consider this event really valuable for VMware’s partners with good technical sessions (better than in VMworld, in my opinion).

But seems that this year’s VMware Partner Exchange conference will be the last. Going forward, VMware will morph PEX into VMWorld and add the Partner Business Summit 2016 for the business audience within its partner base.

I cannot (yet) judge the VMware Partner Business Summit, maybe could be a good event, but moving it too much to high level (and maybe too much on marketing and sales level) does not provide a really value to the partners that really make VMware solutions effective, by plan, implement and maintain them. From a vendor point of view a good partner could be the one that sell more, but from the customers point of view a good partner is the one that make things work in the proper way and that can choose or propose the right solution for the customers needs.

PEX was good for this because was (at least in editions that I’ve seen) more technical… not sure if this new event (that probably will be still in February and again in Las Vegas) will be at the same level.

About the choice to join a small PEX before the VMworld, it’s not new at all considering that the European edition has always (in the past years) got a first day (Monday) for Partner Exchange event. But was really valuable?

What I’ve seen is an event too much sales oriented compared to the real PEX, and squeeze in one single day, too much simplest. The risk is that become the same also in the US.

And the choice (for the US edition) to make Sunday the Partner Exchange track, does not really help to have a good event (considering that there are also some technical pre-event before the VMworld).

In my opinion a big partner event with also a good technical track is needed and cannot be in the same days of VMworld: I hope that the Partner Business Summit will take care also of this aspect and could be a simple transformation of names.

See also: Bye-bye, VMware PEX conference.

Andrea Mauro

Virtualization, Cloud and Storage Architect. Tech Field delegate. VMUG IT Co-Founder and board member. VMware VMTN Moderator and vExpert 2010-24. Dell TechCenter Rockstar 2014-15. Microsoft MVP 2014-16. Veeam Vanguard 2015-23. Nutanix NTC 2014-20. Several certifications including: VCDX-DCV, VCP-DCV/DT/Cloud, VCAP-DCA/DCD/CIA/CID/DTA/DTD, MCSA, MCSE, MCITP, CCA, NPP.