It’s Fall 2020. In a normal year, IBM i personnel would be making reservations for COMMON’s 60th anniversary POWERUp conference. But 2020 is not a normal year. For the first time in 60 years, COMMON will not be held as an on-site event.
But that does not mean there won’t be COMMON POWERUp this year. POWERUp is going virtual…along with some other IBM POWER-centric conferences you may not have realized are happening.
Here is a calendar listing several Virtual (and a few on-site) IBM Power and IBM i conferences occurring this Fall and next year. If you have been cooped up all year, here is a chance to virtually stretch your legs and get some IBM i and POWER systems training.
September 10: COMMON IT Executive Conference (Virtual Conference)
The COMMON IT Executive Conference will still occur on September 10, 2020. The IT Executive conference is a peer-to-peer event, designed to let you network with IBM executives, industry experts and peers. The event will include IBM Power platform directions, future IBM technologies, Power system and Cloud offerings, and security.
September 14—18, 2020: COMMON POWERUp 2020 (Virtual Conference)
COMMON POWERUp 2020 will be virtually held from September 14 – 18, 2020. There is everything you have always loved about COMMON POWERUp, right from the comfort of your home or office. POWERUp2020 features the Keynote session, Expo, all kinds of classes, labs, workshops, and of course, the evening live Networking Event formerly known as CUDS.
Check out these links If you want to see what COMMON POWERUp has in store this year.
- Class Schedule
- Speaker List
- Labs
- Workshops
- COMMON’s Got Talent, a virtual competition show (Advanced sign-up required to compete)
The nice thing about COMMON going virtual is that you did not have to plan to be there months in advance. You should still be able to register right up until the day of the event.
September 15, 2020, IBM Z Day (Virtual Conference)
In this case, Z does not stand for Zombie. IBM Z Day is a free 1-day virtual conference, highlighting IBM z/OS and Linux. They are advertising 45 industry speakers who will be exchanging Z tips.
Click here to get more information about IBM Z Day.
September 24, 2020, VTMUG 16th Annual Tech Conference (On-site conference)
The Vermont Midrange User Group (VTMUG) is still advertising their annual tech conference as an on-site conference (no virtual). Scheduled speakers include Charlie Guarino, Scott Forstie, and Ted Holt. Check out their Web site for more details.
October 20 – 21, 2020 iTech Solutions iAdmin Fall 2020 (Virtual Conference)
iTech Solutions will be offering a virtual conference focusing on IBM i administration, along with other topics such as Cloud, High Availability, BRMS, Access Client Solutions, NVMe, POWER9 Hardware, Storage, and more. Over two days, they are offering 15 sessions, along with 4-6 lunch boutique sessions and a virtual happy hour featuring trivia and prizes.
Click here to get more information about iAdmin Fall 2020
October 26—29, 2020, IBM TechU (Virtual Conference)
IBM TechU offers advanced technical topics across all of IBM’s Power systems, including AIX, IBM i, IBM storage, IBM Z, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and LinuxONE. With 500+ sessions, it runs the full gamut of Power system products.
Click here to get more information on IBM TechU.
Click here to search on the session catalog. To view IBM i sessions, filter on IBM i under the Platforms filter.
November 9 – 11, 2020, Annual MAGIC Conference, Virginia Beach, VA (On-site Conference)
The Mid-Atlantic Group of IBM i Collaborators (MAGIC) is still advertising their annual conference in November, on-site at Oceanaire Resort – Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach, VA. They feature both an IBM i developer agenda and an IBM i Systems/Administrator/Operations agenda. Check out their Web site for more information.
May 3 – 5, 2021, NEUGC i Am the Future (On-site Conference)
The 2020 Northeast User Groups Conference was cancelled due to Covid-19 and moved to May 3 – 5, 2021. NEUGC bills itself as the largest IBM i educational event in the Northeast United States, with over 65 technical and professional sessions. Check out their Web site for more details.
And there are always Webinars
While not as large as a conference, many IBM i vendors, such as SEA Software offer regular Webinars on IBM i topics of interest. Keep an eye on your favorite IBM i vendor sites to spot the latest Webinars.
Keeping on with Education
As you can see, IBM i education is still available, mostly moving to virtual conferences, although there are still some on-site conferences planned. You should be able to attend the same great IBM I conferences (and maybe a few new conferences) that you have always relied on for your training needs.
