Being my second Summit, I was more prepared traveling half way around the world this time, and excited to see everyone I previously met in Prague and Miami.
DAY 1
On Day 1 I received my swag and checked in. The trophy was such a awesome surprise! My nephews wanted to play with it but I had to explain it’s on my desk because it isn’t a toy. The jacket fits perfect and I’ve already put the screwdriver to use. Due to passport issues I had to book my travel last minute and couldn’t get a spot in the VRO workshop. I didn’t bring a laptop but would in the future as spots do open up. As I’m looking at a quote for VRO right now it would have been a great workshop.
DAY 2
To say I’m excited for V12.3 and V13 is an understatement. Some of the new Veeam ONE features are going to be game changers for me. I won’t dive too deep as there was some Yellow and Red content but I’m sure Veeam will be releasing some teasers shortly. If not VeeamON is going to be exciting next year.
Finding out we can test out some of the new versions is an amazing benefit for the Veeam Community. I got them installed in my lab and will be doing some writeups/testing when time permits. Everything from the new looks to the new features are great. Even the installs are simple which is something I appreciate with the wide scope of my job role.
The Dalrymple Toast was a well said passionate speech. You can really see how much the members here care about the community. It may sound cheesy saying it over and over, but this really IS the best community.
DAY 3
My new watch telling me I need more sleep and am tired. Thanks Garmin, I know lol. A few extra coffees at breakfast and it’s back to work. Getting to choose between the 2 rooms was a smart way to do it as some of the sessions aligned more with my interests and job role. (I’d still attend them all if it was an extra day however 
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As I am not a Service Provider I started off with the Hardened Repository ISO and Hypervisor markets. Hannes explained everything well and answered a bunch of questions for us. This is going to make every customers life MUCH easier.
Next up was the Hypervisor Markets session. As a nerd for statistics, data, graphs and analytics, this was quite interesting. The content combined with Jason’s speaking kept things very interesting. As someone who looks at his YouTube and Spotify analytics I think I could learn a thing or 2 from him. We even got a bit of Red content in a green session!
I followed this with the Security and Storage integrations and was able to learn about the new integrations with the storage I personally use. The PowerShell Deep Dive also gave some great advice for a PowerShell script kiddy like myself.
Finally, Generative AI and Veeam Data Platform. All I can say is wow. This one was over my head, but captured my attention the entire time. What a cool concept and project to be part of. I’ve already got a Curser subscription and want to start learning more
Finally, the AMA. While I can’t say much, I was equally impressed as last year. The Veeam team always blows me away with their knowledge and how quickly they have the answers to the questions. There was also a few laughs at this session which kept it light.
The party was on another level. I had some great conversations, played games, and as always, the photobooth was a popular item. I met several new 100 members learning about other countries, cultures, and had a blast.
I was able to book off some time for work and decided to stay another week in Berlin. A few 100’s also stayed extra days, so I was able to do a boat tour, bus tour, and some things I may not have chosen on my own. We saw several museums, a few touristy things, and had some great meals. Thanks Nico for being my personal translator and explaining things to me for a few days as well. 
After the others had left my wife and I walked around checking out parks, sights, restaurants, pubs, and cool looking buildings. Going back and checking things out at night was fun too for a different vibe.
It’s always good to remember Google Maps will take you on the FASTEST route, not the safest route. The short version of the story is walking for an hour or 2 can lead you into some interesting areas. “No Phones, No Tourism” signs, bars on windows, and burnt down buildings are usually not what you want to see as a tourist using maps your phone.
I did enjoy the experience of seeing some areas I would have not picked on my “must see” list, however. After an executive decision to deviate from the course, we were back looking at beautiful sights in Berlin.
Being in this program benefits both my work life and personal life with these experiences. I have made friends from all over the world, had conversations to help in my job, and hopefully helped develop the product giving insights and asking questions.
A huge thanks to
I’ll look forward to seeing everyone in the Zoom calls.
