If you’re looking to be at VMware Explore this month but need to watch your pennies, let us help you plan your trip!
For 2025, we took a look at options for community members to enjoy a quality experience for under $1,200. That’s right – under $1,200! Consider that the usual costs for any community-minded Explore attendee would include your flights and hotel, your food, and your Explore Pass. The new lower cost Meetings+ Pass for $695 makes this significantly less expensive than in previous years, and still includes access to The Hub – where the Discovery Theater and Communities Lounge are located.
Flights:
Heading to Las Vegas from various locations across the United States will cost between $75 and $200, for example:
DC, Atlanta, New York = $169 (Round Trip Spirit/Frontier).
Ohio, Wisconsin, Texas = $188 (Round Trip Spirit/Frontier).
Colorado, Seattle, San Francisco = $75 (Round Trip Frontier)
Hotels:
Treasure Island is a beautiful hotel right next to the Venetian.
Nightly Rate: $42 + $56 Resort Fee, Taxes $27 = $125 per night * 4 = $500. You can shave off $10 a night by staying at the Excalibur hotel, but the commute is a 30-minute walk and probably not worth it.
Food:
There are events every night, however the Meetings+ pass doesn’t include event meals during the day.
Monday – Thursday: We have added $40.00 a day to cover low cost fast-food options.
Monday Night Light Dinner: Explore Welcome Reception includes free food, or join the Hackathon for free pizza.
Tuesday Night Light Dinner: The VMUG Reception is open to VMUG members and includes food at Wakuba in the Venetian.
Wednesday Night Dinner: Head to the Explore Party if you have the Full Event pass – but this requires an additional purchase if you have either the Essentials or Meetings+ pass.
Daily Snacks: The Rewards space in The Hub offers Espresso in the mornings and snacks in the afternoon.
Conference Pass:
Meetings+ (includes The Hub, Community Sessions, and General Session access): $695 (Rate Valid through August 24th).
Note: The Meetings+ pass gets you access to the Discovery Theater (including community sessions) in The Hub, but you might consider upgrading to the Essentials pass $1195. The extra $500 provides access to all sessions in standby mode – so you’ll need to queue in the hall and hope to be allowed in after Full Event pass holders are admitted.
Total Cost for VMware Explore 2025 Vegas:
Low Cost Summary: Airfare $160.00, Conference Ticket $659.00, Cheap Food $160.00, Hotel $500.00
Sunday – Thursday $1,479.00
Monday – Thursday: $1,354.00
Monday – Thursday (split your hotel room with Friend): $1167.00
So there you have it, nothing extreme other than eating and drinking free food at the parties and flying on Frontier Airlines. If you bring a friend and share a room (which I have done) you can get out the door easily under $1,200. Given you get a fun week in Vegas and if you plan correctly and should get some nice pool time, this is a great way to invest in yourself, get out of the office, and improve your mental state of mind. Considering you might normally spend ~$200.00 at home on fuel, coffee and a few dinners, your additional out-of-pocket expenses might be under $1,000.
Hope to see you there, either on your own dime, or at your company’s expense.
