This series is intended to be a collection of advice on how to get the most out of attending the Cisco Live conference (aka Networkers). Some of it is applicable to any training event, but most of it is more specific.

If you have corrections or additional suggestions, please comment so I can keep this information up to date and accurate. I’d like this to be a resource for everyone.

Session Signup

I have never been to a conference before Networkers where you need to sign up for your sessions before you go. I’m used to conferences where you can wander in & out of sessions if you hit one that turns out to be uninteresting or you have a sudden change of heart about the one you want to attend. Networkers is different. It’s not just a helpful schedule. You need to sign up beforehand because it’s your reserved seat for the session. It won’t matter for many, if not most, of the sessions but it’ll make the difference for the most popular sessions.

At the doors for every session will be attendants with a computer and a scanner. They’ll scan you as you attempt to enter and you’ll get a green light or a red light. If you are registered for the session, you’ll get the green light and you’re good to go. If you aren’t registered or are on the waiting list, you have to wait. If it’s not full, you’ll get the opportunity to enter. I’m not sure how long they wait before letting you in.

NetVets are conference attendees that have been to 3 of the last 5 Networkers. NetVets get first dibs on session sign-ups. This is done because many sessions repeat from year to year, and you may not have been able to get into a popular session in the past. This gives the repeat attenders an opportunity to sign-up for sessions they haven’t been able to get into.

After the NetVets have had a few days to get their spots, everyone else will be allowed in. Get in as soon as possible to get the sessions you care about the most. You can go back later and change things, too. Last year I signed up for all kinds of interesting sessions, but after a while I realized that despite there being 4 days of sessions, you can only squeeze so much into your schedule and had to prioritize the topics that were most important.

I’d like to make a list of sessions and speakers that are recommended as particularly good, so if you have recommendations to make please comment on this post or let me know on twitter. I’m @scottm32768 on twitter.

FIN