Last July, after arriving at Cisco Live (Networkers) and picking up my much anticipated, but subsequently inferior conference bag, I wrote a blog complaining how cheap they were. It seems like I got to Cisco. ;-)
Cisco sent an e-mail today titled "Cast your Vote - Networkers Conference Bag":
Following the link in the e-mail takes you to the main Cisco Live website where you are entertained by a somewhat strange, but understandably tongue-in-cheek video of people modeling each bag.
When this Golden Globe video is over, you are presented with a picture of last year's bag and link to vote:
Now, why they would show last year's awful bag as the link to pick the new ones....but I digress.
There are three bags for this year's upcoming conference.
All three look much better than the 2007 bag. They appear higher quality with more options. It seems silly, but I really look forward to getting a nice bag at this conference. For $2500 I think I should get two...but anyways. Besides, these are pure advertising for Cisco, with the Cisco logo in three locations and made with the company colors. Although next year's bags are black and grey (a change in Cisco colors coming????). :-)
So, I'm going with B. I like the backpack design. I used the 2005 bag for 2 years until I recently started using the 2006 bag which was nicely stored under my desk for a while.
No matter what, everyone can thank me for putting the pressure on Cisco to provide each of you a better conference bag in 2008.
;-)
Michael Morris is a communications engineering manager at a $3 billion high-tech company. His background is in enterprise WANs working with telcos, and developing large-scale routing designs. He has worked on networks at government and corporate organizations, including networks at two Fortune 10 companies. In his current role, he leads large-scale IT networking projects and develops and maintains architectural standards for data networks, storage area networks, IP Telephony, and security. Michael is a CCIE and has 11 years experience in networking and communications, including four years as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He has a bachelor's degree in MIS from the University at Buffalo. Recently, he was awarded the Network Professional Association® (NPA) Professional Excellence and Innovation Award for his work on network architecture, templates and enterprise MPLS design.
The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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Pressure for CCIE gatherings.
The bag was one of the many things lacking this past year. What happened to the CCIE Party?
CCIE's are some of the people most intertwined with Cisco in terms of capabilities and recommendation skills, and yet there was nothing special this past year to recognize that.
We all see that Networkers is a huge marketing push for Cisco all around! Many people need/want those presentations and social gathering ideas and have nothing better to do for the better part of a week.
Those who are doing more for Cisco should get rewarded as such though! A CCIE may gain from some presentations (although that was a big gamble this year) but many that I know go for the "networking" idea and ability to meet others.
The only identifier this year was if you went to the Certification booth, you could get a robin-egg-blue hat with a CCIE logo on it.
Maybe your blog can do some good for CCIE's as well. I seem to remember that you are one of them.
RE: Pressure for CCIE gatherings.
That's a great point. The 2005 CCIE part in Vegas was incredible, 55 floors above the strip at the Palms Casino Ghostbar. Now that was a party !!!
2006 wasn't as good, but still nice.
2007 - nothing.....that stunk.
Come on Cisco - bring back the CCIE party.
For those of you who are trying to get your CCIE - beyond the extra pay, peer respect, and job offers - the 2005 party was reason enough to study and pass the lab. ;-)
Mike
CCIE #11733
NOTHING for the CCIEs in 2007?
Yikes! There's fiscally responsible, there's cheap, and then there's just plain stupid!
All kidding aside, though, that really is a shame. I've heard there's some kind of "lunch" for the CCIEs at Networkers 2008 - no offense to anyone, but don't they serve lunch to all attendees?
Sigh...
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