VMware Explore returns to Las Vegas, bringing an expanded and enriched Hands-on Labs experience.
The labs you know and rely on are back, updated to showcase the latest VMware software products and capabilities and featuring a ton of content on VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0. New to Explore or Hands-on Labs? Check out this video from Explore 2023 in Las Vegas to learn more about what they do!
Location and Schedule:
Find us at Explore on Level 2 of The Venetian Convention and Expo Center (casino level) in Hall C. Just head past registration to The Hub and follow the signs for Hands-on Labs.
Expert-led Workshops
This year’s Expert-led Workshops, give you the chance to dive deep into VMware solutions in 90-minute sessions led by the experts who built them. Each workshop is limited to 40 participants and includes guided, hands-on experience presented by the product subject matter experts.
Workshops fill up fast, but we hold seats for walk-ins. Arrive 15 minutes early to join the waitlist and improve your chances.
Nearly all of the labs featured in these workshops are also available in our Self-paced Labs area—no registration required. Show up any time, launch the lab, and work at your own pace. Our experts will be in the room throughout the week to assist, guide, and answer questions.
Note: We’ll be releasing additional Expert-led Workshops to the VMware Explore Content Catalog starting the week of August 7. If you don’t see your preferred topic yet, check back then and plan accordingly.
Self-paced Labs
The Self-paced Labs catalog features over 35 titles and continues to grow. This year’s lineup puts the full VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 portfolio front and center, including Automation, Operations, Ransomware Recovery, NSX, VPC, vDefend, Private AI, and more.
All of these labs are the same as those featured in the Expert-led Workshops—just without the schedule. You can walk in at any time, launch a lab, and work at your own pace.
To make the most of your time onsite, we strongly recommend favoriting the labs you want to take in the content catalog. When you arrive at the Hands-on Labs room, you’ll know exactly what to launch.
Our lab authors and product experts will be available throughout the week to answer questions, walk through architectures, and help you get the most out of the experience.
VMware Odyssey by Hands-on Labs
Odyssey is back, with exciting new games and fantastic prizes! Test your VMware product knowledge and race against the clock to climb the leaderboard. Qualifying round games will be available on Monday and Tuesday along with study labs in the self-paced area.
- Monday: Open for all qualifying games
- Tuesday: Open for all qualifying games
- Wednesday: Tournament at 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT
After the Hands-on Labs area closes on Tuesday evening, the top 8 players will be invited to the Odyssey Tournament on Wednesday for a chance to win!
Odyssey Prizes:
- Participants may receive a branded baseball hat or a custom lapel pin.
- Finalists will take home a limited-edition duffle bag.
- The top 3 winners will each receive a custom plaque and one of the following grand prizes:
Whether you’re competing for the win or just climbing the leaderboard, Odyssey is your chance to walk away with bragging rights and exclusive gear.
Coming back to Odyssey in 2025:
- All games will be available on Monday and Tuesday allowing you to strategize and play at your convenience.
- Missed a game? No problem! Play any game on Monday or Tuesday to qualify for the tournament.
- Study labs are available in the Self-paced Labs area to help you prepare and maximize your points.
Cumulative points ensure that playing every game boosts your leaderboard standings. The live emcees will be back, providing entertaining commentary and hilarious dad jokes during the tournament. Be sure to come back to cheer on your favorites in the final round on Wednesday.
Hands-on Labs Tours and Command Center
Join a Hands-on Labs Tour at Explore in Las Vegas to meet the lab creators and engineering teams behind the scenes. These guided tours offer a closer look at how we operate at scale—and how we use VMware software products to power it all.
Each 30 – 45 minute tour wraps up at the Command Center Wall, where you’ll see real-time monitoring in action and learn how our team delivers thousands of labs through multiple clouds with zero physical infrastructure onsite.
Public tours are available:
- Monday: 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM
- Tuesday: 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM
- Thursday: No Public Tours
No registration is required—just check in at the Welcome Desk inside the Hands-on Labs room at least 10 minutes before departure. Space is limited, and tours depart promptly at the scheduled times. VIP tours available upon request — inquire at the Tours Desk.
Want a deeper look at the tour experience? Read our full blog post here.
We can’t wait to see you from August 25 — 28, in Las Vegas! If you haven’t signed up yet, register now!
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