Cisco Live is Cisco’s premier annual user conference where partners and customers learn new technologies, discuss business trends, share ideas and network!
This past week, we surpassed our attendance expectations and we had more than 25,000 attendees at Cisco Live in San Diego!
Let’s Build Tomorrow Today was the main theme of the event and I can assure you I felt the urgency all along the planning and the execution of the event! Innovation on the Internet of Everything was seen everywhere across the Cisco Campus in the World of Solutions. This year customers were shown complete Cisco solutions as to how connecting people, processes, data and things can create incredible opportunities for new revenues, compete with competitors, and offer better experiences to drive efficiency and value.
The excitement and the buzz leading to Cisco Live and more importantly during the event can hardly be described and captured in words, but I will try to give a glimpse into that frenzy mode.
Arriving early afternoon on Sunday, June 7th at the San Diego convention center for registration was my first action item. I scratched it off from my to-do list really quickly as it only took me a few minutes to register. The Cisco Live team had everything so well organized that made registration a nice and quick experience. Many customers and partners were already there actively participating in technical sessions or labs.
I ran into a couple of our Cisco Designated VIPs in the convention center hallways, took some fun photos,
and proceeded to go into the Hub area where the Technical Solutions Clinic was. Our booth area for the Cisco Support Community and the Cisco on Demand was in the Clinic. Coordinating with the technical leads at the technical solutions clinic for the hardware needed as well as some other logistics had to be taken care of right away. By early evening, everything was all nicely set up. Then, I proceeded to go into the World of Solutions to see the Collaboration area in the Cisco Campus where our Cisco Social Analytics was going to be showcased. The fast paced activities were everywhere!
Our other booth for the Entrepreneurs in Residence was still under construction – a large gathering area waiting to host 12 companies whom are actively participating in this special Cisco incubator program!
My first dinner in San Diego was with my colleague Bharat at a nice restaurant in the Gaslamp district specializing in Italian cuisine. The restaurant was called – Aqua Al 2 – Water for two in Italian. After having a nice cheese and fruit assortment as an appetizer, I enjoyed my main course which was pasta with fresh seafood. Sitting on the outdoor patio was the perfect choice to enjoy the cool summer breezy night. Right after dinner we headed back to our hotel as I had to be on the show floor very early the next morning.
For the whole week during Cisco Live, I was the first to arrive at the booth – just before 8:00 a.m. as the Technical Solutions Clinic was opening for our customers. As I am not a morning person, this early start was imbued with lots of coffee. The morning hours were the busiest. Many customers and partners flooded the area as they would come in to talk with our Cisco engineers one-to-one, aiming to resolve networking issues before going to their various classes and technical sessions. I talked with many customers who are current users of our Cisco Support Community and then there were those whom have not heard of it. There were also the customers who wanted to have fun in addition to learning so they participated in our Eye on Cisco contests!
Cisco on Demand was a new offering to all and very well received by most. Cisco on Demand is a cloud-based application for community-centric problem resolution that delivers a personalized, proactive support experience enriched by Cisco’s deep knowledge base. Cisco on Demand includes a complete cloud application with the ability to build new solutions through a RESTful API or integrate with your existing web application. It is designed for modern support team interactions, such as discussion forums and chat, which build deeper interactions with your customer base. Customers don’t have to wait in call queues or deal with the disconnected nature of email support. Instead they can have a dynamic and interactive engagement to support their needs. Through community and real-time engagement that spans your entire team. you can improve customer satisfaction, manage costs, and help achieve certain Cisco partner rebates for those eligible.
Monday night we had the Cisco Designated VIP appreciation dinner event. We had eleven of our Cisco Designated VIPs attend this special event which is planned to thank our VIPs for all of their contributions to the Cisco Support Community. Some of our senior executives were also present at the dinner. The restaurant venue we chose was Lou & Mickey’s famous for their steaks and seafood. The atmosphere and quality of food was exquisite! True to my Greek roots, I had to try their lamb chops. I have to admit that I am glad I made that choice. They were very tender and tasty. I thoroughly enjoyed the lively conversation with all of our customers. It was nice to see all of them again. After communicating over e-mail and WebEx during the past year, it was so much fun to see them again in person. Receiving their invaluable insights and constructive feedback was welcomed!
Tuesday afternoon, Bharat delivered a powerful presentation on Cisco Social Analytics at the Solutions Theater within the World of Solutions. He explained that Cisco Social Analytics is a comprehensive unstructured data analytics solution that combines Text, Graph and Predictive Analytics in a single offering that provides greater value than siloed analytics solutions. A vertical focused approach that provides deeper and more meaningful insights than a "one-solution-fits-all" approach. An extensible platform with capability for customers to fine tune results based on their needs.
As the Social Solutions and Platform (SSPG) team worked for several days and hours for our Cisco Live, we decided on a fun and relaxed team dinner. Wednesday night, we headed off to Sally's Seafood on the Water restaurant at the seafront Hyatt Hotel. I give our dining experience 5 out of 5. In fact, our entire team gave the thumbs up for the service and for all the entrees and appetizers.
Last but not least, when we hear the name Cisco Live, we immediately think about customer appreciation events. Every year, we wait with curiosity and anxiousness before the venue and nature that Cisco Live Event is announced. Well, this year was a concert with Aerosmith which made our customers super excited! As we headed off to the San Diego downtown Petco Park to listen to this legendary band, it started drizzling, but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm. Just take a look at all these photos as proof!
This was another successful Cisco Live Event where we connected with many customer and partners who use our portfolio offerings and connected with many new prospects!
See you next year in Las Vegas!
Litsa
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