VM Workshop 2012

Attend the VM Workshop in 2012 for some great education and entertainment at a great price ! !

Come to the beautiful University of Kentucky on Wednesday, June 27 to Saturday, June 30, 2012 and enjoy two and a half days of technical discussions and presentations with members of the z/VM and Linux on System z community.

There's nothing to join, no membership requirements, and it's the best value around for your conference and education dollar.

2012 Location

The 2012 VM Workshop will be held at the University of Kentucky!

Put these dates on your calendar: June 27-30, 2012

2012 Fees

Great News! The 2012 VM Workshop has NO price increase -- it's still only $100 per person to register!

Registration includes:

Entrance to all the technical sessions and social functions
A exclusive, ultra-fashionable (well, at least for IT folks, anyway) shirt indicating that You Were There for the 2012 VM Workshop. Please make sure you indicate the size shirt you need on the registration form.
Whatever other goodies the sponsors come up with
A lot of fun.

Past conferences have been referred to by the small-minded as a large number of system programmers with some limited adult supervision, but it will be a great conference with great content.

2012 Registration

Preregistration ends on: June 23, 2012

Onsite registration is not likely, and will involve additional fees to the university, so register now!

To register for the 2012 VM Workshop, read and follow these steps exactly:

Register for this WWW site using the Create New Account button on the main page.

We ask you to do this only because useless spammer lusers have been overwhelming any web form they can find, and asking you to sign up for an id lets us separate the REAL teddy bears from the luser weasels. Sorry. Best idea we can think of.
Come back to this page and click on the PayPal button below. You'll be taken to PayPal where you'll pay for your conference fee. Follow the directions there. DO NOT CLOSE YOUR BROWSER.
At the end of the PayPal interaction, click "Return to VMWorkshop". This completes your payment and you'll be redirected to the the attendee info page.
Fill out the attendee information page. Make sure you specify your shirt size, and an emergency contact, just in case.
When you see the confirmation page, you're done! Don't forget to book somewhere to sleep -- there are suggestions on the 2012 Hotels page. The dorms are recommended if you want the full experience, and what other conference offers a $17/night housing option, hmm?

You'll get an email receipt from PayPal that you can use for reimbursement. Please let us know ASAP if you encounter any problems.

Ready to Register?

Please make sure you have:

a site ID and have logged in to this site

read these instructions completely

BEFORE you try to register!

The registration process will fail if you do not have a valid site ID or are not logged in.

2012 Housing

The University of Kentucky dorms are available at a unbelievably cheap price: they're nice, and it adds to the experience to bunk in the dorms with a bunch of friends. If you can, we recommend the dorm experience -- it adds a lot to the "community feeling". Also, the dorms are about 300 feet from the meeting rooms -- quick access!

Staying in the UK Dormitories

The University of Kentucky offers dorm room rentals at great prices. The VM Workshop dorm rooms are located in: Baldwin Hall 701 Sports Center Drive - There are four options:

Double Adult (two persons per room, share a bath down the hall, bring your own soap, linens, etc)
$17/night
Single Adult (bring your own soap and linens, single room, share a bath)
$21/night
Double Adult Suite (suite with adjoining bath, double occupancy, bring your own soap and linens)
$28/night
Single Adult Suite (suite with adjoining bath, single occupancy, bring your own soap and linens)
$46/night

Linens (soap, towels, sheets, pillowcases, blankets, pillows, etc) are an additional $5/night.

The Married Couple option is equivalent to a Double Adult Suite. The Universal Access rooms are equivalent to a Single Adult Suite.

To Register for A UK Dorm Room

To register to stay at the UK dorms:

Use the form below to request a room at the UK. You will receive a copy of your registration request as a confirmation. Bring this confirmation with you to the Workshop as your confirmation of a reservation.
Information about where to go when arriving on campus and parking options is at the bottom of your confirmation email.

Payment will be due at check-in. You will receive a receipt from the University of Kentucky when you check in at the site.

Submit a Room Reservation to University of Kentucky

To reserve a room, fill out the following fields. Your reservation will be emailed to the UK reservations coordinator. You will pay for your reservation when you arrive at the campus, and your credit card will be charged at that time.

Hotels Offering VM Workshop Discounts

We have confirmed with the following hotels that VM Workshop attendees would be able to receive discounted rates. Note that all these hotels are approximately 0.5 to 1 mile from campus -- most offer shuttle service to campus, but remember to ask when making your reservations. The weather in June in Lexington is likely to be very warm and humid (mid-70s in the mornings, and upper 80s in the afternoons; 85% humidity or higher), so walking will likely be a hot and sticky exercise.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
1000 Export Street
Lexington, KY 40504
Rate: $99.00/night Room Tax: 13.42%
Cutoff Date: June 6th , 2012
Group Code: “VMW”
Individual Registration: (859-389-6800)
SpringHill Suites by Marriott
863 South Broadway
Lexington, KY 40508
Rate: $94.00/night Room Tax: 13.42%
Group Code: “VM Workshop @ UK”
Individual Registration: (859-225-1500)
Hyatt Regency of Lexington
401 West High Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Rate: $129.00/night Room Tax: 13.42%
Individual Registration: (859-253-1234)
The Hyatt normally offers only shuttle service to the Lexington airport. They may offer shuttle service to campus if a sufficient number of people (currently undetermined) are staying there for the conference. Ask the registration representative when making your registrations if the magic number has been reached.

If You Do Choose to Walk to Campus:

The Holiday Inn and the Springhill Suites are within one mile of campus (note caveat about weather above!). If you choose to stay at either hotel, here are the walking directions to get to campus:

Walk down Virginia Avenue toward Huguelet Drive. Virginia Avenue will become Huguelet Drive as it approaches the UK campus.
At the point Virginia Avene becomes Huguelet Drive, you should see two towers. Continue on Huguelet Drive.
When you reach University Drive, cross the street. Continue toward the towers and you will be at the dormitory complex where the conference is located.

If you are driving from the hotels listed above, you will be forced to turn right on University Drive. To reach the dorm complex, turn right on University Drive and then take the next left (Complex Drive). The dorm complex where the conference is located is the first building on the left.

Other Hotels in the Area

Staying In A Hotel

There is “Lexington Hotel Discount Rate":

http://www.uky.edu/Travel/hotel.html

Other hotels in the area are (list kindly provided by the UK visitor info center):

Best Western Lexington Conference Center
5532 Athens-Boonesboro Rd.
Lexington, KY 40509
8 mi. southeast of campus
$69 plus tax
859-263-5241
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/priceAvail.do?disablenav=true&su...
Crowne Plaza - Campbell House Inn
1325 Harrodsburg Road
Lexington, KY 40504
1 mi. southwest of campus
$99 plus tax
859-255-4281
800-354-9235
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/lexington/lexsb/ho...
Courtyard by Marriott
775 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511
2 mi. north of campus
$89 plus tax
859-253-4646
Courtyard by Marriott - South
1951 Pleasant Ridge
Lexington, KY 40509
5 mi. east of campus
$101 plus tax
859-263-9090
Doubletree Suites by Hilton Lexington
2601 Richmond Road
Lexington, KY 40509
3 mi. southeast of campus
$111 plus tax
859-268-0060
Embassy Suites
1801 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511
4 mi. north of campus
$129 plus tax
859-455-5000
Fairfield Inn by Marriott
3050 Lakecrest Circle
Lexington, KY 40513
4 mi. southwest of campus
$88 plus tax
859-224-3338
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott - Lexington North
2100 Hackney Place
Lexington, KY 40511
4 mi. north of campus
$89 plus tax
859-977-5870
Four Points Sheraton
1938 Stanton Way
Lexington, KY 40511
4 mi. north of campus
$85 plus tax
800-917-7252
Gratz Park Inn
120 West Second St.
Lexington, KY 40507
1 mi. north of campus
$99 plus tax (must reference UK Customer)
859-231-1777
Griffin Gate Marriott Resort and Spa
1800 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511
4 mi. north of campus
$139 plus tax
859-231-5100
Hilton Garden Inn
1973 Plaudit Place
Lexington, KY 40509
5 mi. east of campus
$87 plus tax Thurs. - Sun. 15% off regular rate Mon. - Wed.
859-543-8300
Hilton Lexington Downtown
369 West Vine Street
Lexington, KY 40507
1 mi. north of campus
$99 plus tax - UK rate for all other dates
859-231-9000
877-539-1648
Homewood Suites by Hilton
249 Ruccio Way
Lexington, KY 40503
3 mi. south of campus
$104 plus tax (additional discount for over 6 nts.)
859-223-0880
Hyatt Place Lexington
2001 Bryant Road
Lexington, KY 40509
5 mi. east of campus
$89/night
859-296-0091
Hyatt Regency of Lexington
401 West High Street
Lexington, KY 40507
1 mi. north of campus
$119 plus tax
859-253-1234
800-233-1234
Residence Inn by Marriott - South
2688 Pink Pigeon Parkway
Lexington, KY 40509
5 mi. east of campus
Studio Suite $109 plus tax/1-Bedroom Ste. $109 plus tax/2-Bedroom Ste. $149 plus tax
859-263-9979
Residence Inn by Marriott - North
1080 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511
2 mi. north of campus
$109 plus tax (additional discount for over 5 nts.)
859-231-6191
Residence Inn by Marriott - Keeneland/Airport
3110 Wall Street
Lexington, KY 40513
4 mi. northeast of campus
Studio Suite $99.99 plus tax/2- Bedroom Suite $159.99 plus tax
858-296-0460
Sleep Inn of Lexington
1920 Plaudit Place
Lexington, KY 40509
3 mi. southeast of campus
$59 plus tax
859-543-8400
SpringHill Suites by Marriott
863 South Broadway
Lexington, KY 40508
1 mi. west of campus
Rates include deluxe breakfast buffet. $94 plus tax
859-225-1500
University Inn
1229 S. Limestone
Lexington, KY 40503
across street from campus
$69 - $95 plus tax
859-278-6625

2012 Travel Hints

If you're joining us in Lexington this year, here's some helpful travel hints:

If you can, fly into the Lexington, KY airport.
The airport actually in Lexington is pretty well served by Delta and some other smaller airlines, and is fairly easily reached from most metropolitan areas. Your next best choice is Cincinnati, which is a major Delta hub. It's about a 2 hour drive from Cincinnati to Lexington, so plan on renting a car if you go that route.

Taxi fares from the airport to campus or the local hotels are (on average) $25-$30.
Consider driving to Lexington

If you live inside 2-3 hours drive (or just want a great road trip), consider driving to Lexington. It's a beautiful drive, and the weather should be terrific this time of the year. In years past, it's been a great opportunity for attendees who own motorcycles to take a road trip.

If you have more tips, please contact webmaster@vmworkshop.org and we'll get them posted here.

2012 Sponsors

2012 Sponsors

The following organizations have committed to sponsoring the 2012 VM Workshop:

Sine Nomine Associates
Velocity Software, Inc
Vicom Infinity, Inc

How Can My Organization Contribute or Sponsor?

The sponsorship deadline is May 30, 2012.

If your organization would like to contribute or exhibit at the VM Workshop, here's what you do:

Ensure that the person submitting the sponsorship request has a VM Workshop site id.

Click on the Create an Account button on the main page and create a id. Complete this process BEFORE going any further.

There is a $1000 flat fee to exhibit or sponsor at the workshop. Click on the button below to pay the sponsorship fee. The fee puts your logo on the materials, lists your organization as a sponsor, and gets you a space to exhibit your wares.
Return to this page and click on the PayPal button to pay your sponsorship fee.

Once you have created an id, click on the PayPal button at the bottom of this page. Follow the instructions on the Paypal page. DO NOT CLOSE YOUR BROWSER.
At the end of the Paypal process, click "Return to VMWorkshop".
When you do this, you'll be redirected to the sponsor information page. Fill out the information there, and click Submit.
Register your attendees

Since the workshop is so cheap to attend, you must register your exhibit staff as attendees. You can do that by going to the 2012 Registration page off the main web site. Use the button there to register each person.
Send a 2"x2" GIF or JPG version of your logo to itadmin (at) vmworkshop.org ASAP.
We want you get the most value out of your sponsorship, so we need the artwork as soon as possble.
Show up and enjoy the sessions and the conversations!

You'll receive an emailed receipt from PayPal suitable for reimbursement submission.

Ready to Sponsor VM Workshop?

Before proceeding, make SURE you are logged in with your VM Workshop ID! The sponsorship request will fail if you are not logged in.

Submitting a Presentation or Talk for the 2012 VM Workshop

VM Workshop is all about the attendees talking to each other about what they're working on or thinking about. EVERYONE is welcome to speak about their experiences, no matter how minor or trivial you might think they are.

Why Should YOU Speak at VM Workshop?

What YOU Do Matters!
Got a neat new tool you wrote that saves you time and effort? Tell us about it. Got an idea you want to try out on a bunch of people? Tell us about it. Want to champion a change or an idea to IBM? Tell us about it.
Yes, we have some IBM speakers, but the "VM Way" has always been to do something nifty and then share it with as many friends as possible. Speaking at VM Workshop is a great way to get the word out about what YOU do, and it'll get you great feedback. No topic too strange, as long as it's related to VM in some way.
Friendly Audiences

The audiences at VM Workshop are your peers. It's one of the greatest places to speak because the people in the audience have the same problems and concerns you do. You'll get great feedback, and it's the best way available to get new contacts, and maybe even some assistance!
It's Great Practice

Is your boss bugging you to get out more and develop your personal speaking and presentation skills? Do you want to give a talk a dry run against a room full of subject matter experts before you present somewhere else? VM Workshop is a great place to practice-run. We've all been through it at some point, and as mentioned above, it's a friendly sort of place to try things out.
It's a Great Career Enhancer

Speaking gets you known in the industry. It's a great resume booster in that it tells employers that people WANT to hear what you have to say, and that your opinions are taken seriously by industry professionals. That makes YOU more valuable as an employee, and more desirable if you're trying to land a job.

What Topics Are We Looking For?

We're looking for 45-50 minute presentations or discussions on:

User experiences with z/VM and Linux
Tools that you have written or found that others might not know about
Tutorials (how to use a product, how to learn new parts of the system, how to use CMS tools, etc)
Future ideas (what should happen with VM, suggestions, requirements?)

If you've got a shorter session, go ahead and send it it -- we'll try to match it up with another shorter topic to fill a 50 minute slot.

We are NOT looking for:

Any form of advertising or marketing materials -- technical material only

To Submit A Presentation or Talk Idea

Use the form below to describe your session, and click submit! We'll contact you shortly to let you know whether you're on the schedule.

Submit A Session

2012 Draft Agenda

Coming Soon!