Erin O’Quinn, Senior Manager, Customer Marketing, Broadcom

Erin O’Quinn has been in the software industry for over 20 years, helping engage customers in events, and helping them share their stories at VMware Explore for years.  A proud mom, foodie, and media and arts lover, Erin has spoken at VMworld and the Customer Marketing Alliance events previously, and recently performed at Carnegie Hall.

Connect with Erin O'Quinn
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5 Questions with Erin O’Quinn

1. What would you say is the #1 reason someone should attend Explore?

I think the answer is different for everyone, depending on your point in the VMware by Broadcom journey.  I remember the first one I went to as an employee, and I was drinking from the firehose, immersing myself in the lingo and getting context for what’s possible.

As my knowledge grew, and I was getting to know about what our well deployed customers were getting from the experience, it was catching that Meet the Experts moment, or attending hands-on labs for those who work with the products themselves, and for the decisions makers, I’ve never seen a conference that connects those executives in more meaningful ways with customers.

I used to run trade show and conference experiences in my past life, and I’ve always been blown away by how available the VMware experts are to our customers. It’s special.

2. What innovations are you most looking forward to learning about this year?

Honestly, the delivery on the promise made last year for Private AI has me intrigued.  Those two letters have been the shiny object of tech for the last year or so, but until people acknowledge that organizations aren’t going to make all of their data open to everyone(nor should they), Gen AI tools will have novel, less meaningful benefits.  This offering has the chance to make AI compelling and more secure, without opening your IP to the world, and I want to better understand how it’s done.

3. Can you give us a brief description of what your session/sessions will cover at Explore?

In “How to Succeed in Business with Communities and Advocacy,” I’ll be leading a panel of involved customers, talking through how there are more benefits to being a part of a community than just people to hang out with and commiserate, and I’m not discounting those benefits either. We’ll get real world examples of the benefits the panelists have obtained by participating in communities, and advocacy, from job satisfaction to ways to position your success to secure funding, and even recruitment. You’ll get to hear from people in a variety of levels of their career, with participants from US Senate Federal Credit Union, Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, JBS, and Toppan International.

4. What is something you think someone new to VMware Explore should know before going to the event?

Hydrate and plan to sleep on the plane both ways.  It really does matter.  You’ll be walking a lot, and you’re in the middle of a dessert, even if you stay in the air conditioned Venetian, and never step foot outside during the conference. While you’re there, make a point of talking to people. The expo floor will give you a great chance to learn about complementary and integrated tech, but visit the hub and learn more about the communities around the VMware ecosystem. Sit in a few quick, compelling talks on the community stages too! 

Talk to other attendees between sessions, and network. The speakers are often thrilled to answer a question that you have for them, so don’t be afraid to ask them after the session. It’s not always easy and sometimes feels unnatural to people who are more introverted, but I recommend that you make a point to meet at least 1 new person a day.  The people at Explore are part of the same tribe, so to have someone else to discuss challenges you’re not sure how to tackle, or sanity check feature functionality or automation approaches will help you at the least expected times.  Meet up with people you came with from your organization, and ask them to introduce you to someone outside of your org that they know. Have a coffee, or maybe at a hall crawl, a beer, and socialize.  The content is queen, but building your network will help you truly prosper coming out of the event. To be corny, explore!

5. What is your favorite memory from attending Explore?

Wow, it’s a weirdly hard question for me. I’ve been on many sides of this event (and VMworld before it). I was a vendor exhibitor at the very first VMworld and every time I’ve been there, for whatever reason, it’s a bit of a reunion for me. 

Since COVID, it’s been a chance to reconnect with customers and a lot of my co-workers who are scattered across the globe.  I also often see classmates from high school and the like who might be vendors supporting the event for their companies. I’ve also seen the reaction of customers when their logo or story gets featured on a big stage, and they’re high fiving, or grinning or bringing out the finger guns in the audience as the work they’ve done gets lauded at the event. 

Watching people who get to hear their work get oohs and aahs or applause, and seeing how big a smile someone can wear is probably my favorite thing about my job, and thus, my favorite thing about Explore.

Bonus: Check out Erin’s Hot Picks Session Playlist ?

Curious about what sessions you can’t miss at Explore? We’ve got you covered. Dive into this curated playlist of Erin’s favorite sessions, and add them to your agenda. ⤵

Gain valuable insights that could impact the trajectory of your career.

Make sure you check back each week for the upcoming interviews, and don’t wait another minute! Register now for VMware Explore 2024 Las Vegas so that you can maximize value for your business and learn from industry-leading experts in one convenient location.