This was my second V100, and it definitely had a rougher story than the first one. Mostly because my previous company — a Veeam VASP partner — basically shut down, and just a month before the event I had started at a new company. I had no clue what I’d be doing there, whether I’d still work with Veeam clients, or if they’d even let me attend.
Actually, they told me I’d probably be assigned full-time to a client using a totally different backup system. Not exactly thrilling, but the location was super convenient (close to home), and given the collapse of my old company and how hard it was to find something else, I took the job.
Luckily, the new company let me go and assigned me to another client using Veeam — a win, though one I’m paying for dearly 😅. At that point I regretted not flying in on Sunday to attend the Monday workshop I really wanted to join. But since spots were limited, I didn’t feel right reserving one without being sure I could go.
I also regretted it because I’d never been to Prague before (unlike Berlin), and I would’ve loved a half day of Sunday sightseeing. Anyway, late Monday I finally set off. I’ve never been much of a traveler — last year in Berlin I was in my comfort zone (I know Germany and a bit of German), but this time everything was new. Exciting though, because I’d finally see a new city. And I made a promise to myself: try to meet more people in person this year instead of sticking to the big Italian crowd like last time.
Arrival was… a bit shocking. The driver from Ryanair Transfer was creepy — unmarked car, parked far from the airport, taking weird backroads through sketchy suburbs. Note: I really wouldn’t recommend Ryanair transfers, especially if you’re traveling alone and you are a female.
What surprised me wasn’t that Prague looked a bit like Germany (we’re neighbors after all), but how clean and well-kept everything was — smooth roads, tidy buildings, nice cars even in the outskirts. Once we got downtown, the mix of modern buildings made me feel like I’d just arrived in Monaco coming from a poorer country. That feeling got stronger comparing airports (mine back home is basically frozen in the 1970s) and the streets — we drove 30 km and I didn’t see a single pothole. In Italy, you hit a crater every 100 meters. Bologna’s not a capital, sure, but even compared to Rome or Milan… no contest. Considering the Czech Republic was under Soviet rule 35 years ago, I really wonder what went wrong in Italy for us to end up so far behind.
At the hotel, I dropped my bag and ran to the reception. In the elevator I bumped into Raffaele and Rick — starting off with a bang! Then Nikola, our lovely host, handed me the swag box. I greeted everyone I knew, including poor Kira, who was moving around on a strange contraption instead of crutches (been there, done that…). After some drinks, we went out for dinner with a mixed Italian — Sardinian (Federica!!!) — French crew and Kira, who was bravely dragged around, nearly flipping over a few times but thankfully made it back safe!
A few beers and chats later it was 11 p.m.… but since I believe in never put off till tomorrow, I set off determined to see the famous Astronomical Clock and ended up crossing the Charles Bridge too. On the way back, I challenged myself to return to the hotel without checking my phone — and I did it (to be fair, it’s basically a straight line).
Next morning, I got lucky — met VP Dave in the elevator and had breakfast chatting with him. And believe me he was so nice withe me! Then the sessions began. This year’s schedule was tighter, with lots of parallel tracks, so you had to miss a few good ones. My favorite was the one with Hannes and Fabian on lesser-known new features in v13.
Since sessions ended early and dinner (Korean sushi at 7) was also early, I took a quick trip to a nearby mall — super fancy but full of the usual global brands, so useless for souvenirs. I eventually found some trinkets downtown instead. Dinner was great — amazing service, though they really can’t advise portions, and we ended up ordering way too much. We were split into two tables: ours went light with some appetizers, sushi, and grilled meat cooked right at the table. The other table made fun of us for ordering too much… until their food arrived and they realized they’d ordered double the sushi and quadruple the meat 😆 Payback time!
After dinner we hung out a bit outside the hotel (the weather was mild), then I took Marco on the same nighttime walk as before.
On day two, during breakfast and breaks, I met more people — especially the Brazilian guys André and Matheus. Then came more big sessions — the Enterprise Plugins Backup news: one might sound boring and “legacy,” but in the real world, we deal with that stuff a lot. Funny moment: Rick bluntly asked the speaker, “Why do we still support Windows 2012??” I jumped in to defend Petr, saying one of my clients still runs 2012, 2008… maybe even older 😅 Rick’s face was priceless, but hey, at least he got a glimpse of our messy real-world challenges.
I really enjoyed the sessions on the Veeam Health Check and the Calculators. The one under NDA about Coveware (the cybercrime response company) was fascinating — full of super practical, hard-earned tips.
Time flew by — suddenly it was almost over! But of course, there was still the party… and the after party 😎
The official party was held at a Pilsner Urquell venue — a big private floor, great setup, music by two V100 members. Around 10 p.m. they kindly asked us to go to bed. I honestly would’ve — I had a long travel day ahead — but I got pulled along by my Italian crew and the ever-caring Madalina to the traditional after-party at The Dubliner pub downtown. The place was awesome: live music from a three-piece band that hooked me instantly with Sultans of Swing. Later they drifted into 90s stuff, less my thing, but still a great vibe.
Around midnight I decided to call it a night and left with Hannes, Emilee, Michael, and a few others. Later I’d regret it, since the next evening plans fell through — could’ve stayed longer!
Next morning I shared a ride with three Roman Veeamers (Danilo, Claudio and Raffaele) who had flights at the same time, then — sadly — I headed the opposite direction from home. The only direct flight was Monday the 3rd, just that day. So I had to fly up to Amsterdam first… then all the way back down. And finally — home again!
P.S.: sorry for not mentioning all of you but… my memory is no longer working as it should 😘
and… hope to see you nex time!
