EDITOR ’ S QUESTION

DEAN BOYLE , CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER , EKKOSENSE

arch sees the physical

Despite the wealth of information and opinion available online , events are still a great way for data centre professionals to seek out potential options and ideas for their own operations .

And there ’ s no substitute for seeing solutions in action with a live demo , and understanding more about how they can help support your key operational goals .

As we approach the second anniversary of the start of lockdown and the Omicron threat fades , it ’ s clear that we ’ ve all missed the buzz of industry events , crowded exhibition floors , award ceremonies and other industry meetings . In their absence we ’ ve had to make do with lots of different virtual substitutes .

However , while some of them may have given us the insights or answers we needed – or even helped us to understand what ’ s really going on in our sector – I ’ m sure most of us would be glad to see the back of what seemed like an endless diet of webinars .

Of course while we go to events for the conference programme , awards ceremony and exhibition hall , what we really enjoy is the chance meetings that allow us to catch up with friends and colleagues past and present .

We also hope for those random connections that often turn out to be the catalyst for potentially exciting new business opportunities . It ’ s these meetings that can only happen in-person . I ’ m sure Microsoft and Zoom are busy trying to come up with their virtual equivalents , but you know they ’ ll never work !

As EkkoSense grows , we ’ re obviously attending more and more industry events around the world , either directly or supporting our growing network of partners . We ’ ve succeeded in building out this network though largely virtual means , but as things open up and travel and events become much easier , I ’ m personally looking forward to attending and supporting partners at events .

And it will be the face-to-face meetings and networking that will really allow us to cement our virtual relationships and drive our business forward together .

So , whether it ’ s Excel London , the Austin Texas Convention Center for AFCOM ’ s Data Center World Global Conference , events in Silicon Valley or conventions in Singapore , I ’ m hoping that this year ’ s industry events will prove to be as busy and productive as their pre-lockdown counterparts . For 2022 , preparations are already underway to attend specialist industry shows around the world – such as the DCD New York show and also the smaller events such as DATACENTRE . ME – that continue to serve as networking hubs for data centre professionals .

And because there ’ s only so much you can achieve on Zoom or Teams , let ’ s hope that 2022 turns out to be a great year for our industry events .

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