As I prepare for VMworld 2010 and the third year of spouse activities, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at activities from previous years. While reviewing pictures from the activities during the past two years, I find myself getting excited all over again. I’m really looking forward to making this year’s activities better than ever!
Some of you might be wondering about the origins of the term “spousetivities”. Clearly, the term is a combination of the words “spouse” and “activities”. Last year, Joep Piscaer (one of the VMworld attendees) coined the term and registered the domain for me. Thanks, Joep! My husband, Scott, worked to bring this website online so that I could share more information about the spouse activities–or the spousetivities, as they are now known–with everyone. Thanks to both Joep and Scott for their help.
The spouse activities first started in 2008, when VMworld was held in Las Vegas. About 25 spouses participated in activities that year, and we had a fun-filled 3 days of activities planned. We spent a day at the Hoover Dam, a day at the Grand Canyon, and visited various notable places there on The Strip. But the great thing about the spouse activities is that they are flexible: some people went to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, others went to Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden, and still others just relaxed at the hotel spa or pool. The feedback from the activities was positive.
The next year, VMworld was held in San Francisco, and the spouse activities were bigger than ever. With VMware’s help in getting the news out, we had about 125 spouses that participated in a wide range of activities. These activities included trips to Alcatraz and Angel Island, a day trip to the wine country (and tastings at the wineries, of course), and sight-seeing in San Francisco. With the help of a few other spouses, we also arranged a day trip to Korbel and a Segway tour of the city. Again, the feedback from the participants was great and everyone indicated they had a great time.
For pictures from both the VMworld 2008 and VMworld 2009 spouse activities, visit my Facebook page.
And be sure to stay tuned for more information on the VMworld 2010 Spousetivities! I’m in the planning process now and more information will be available soon.
