Attendee Testimonials
Sholonda Stone, Director of IT at Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas, explains why she returns to Live! 360 every year. She notes that, unlike many other vendor-driven conferences, Live! 360 focuses on genuine learning, education and collaboration through specialized tracks.
Andrew Ferguson, Director of IT and Enterprise Solution Architect at Fazoli’s/Fat Brands, has a long-standing history with Live! 360 events, since 2016. He values the in-depth information and connection with a community that shares a "burning desire" for software development.
Brian Harris, Software Engineer at ONEOK, has attend Live! 360 since 2010. He values the "cutting-edge" sessions and high-level networking opportunities with industry leaders, professionals and colleagues he says he wouldn't meet anywhere else or by searching the internet or social media.
Chris Kelley, Senior Systems Admin at Diversified Trust, attended his first Live! 360 event after years of attending other conferences. He values the one-on-one interactions with attendees and instructors and the ability to openly discuss industry challenges and gain a "wealth of knowledge" through direct conversations.
Traci McPartland, Data Developer II at EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, enjoys the social and networking aspects of Live! 360, specifically the mix and mingle at the Hard Rock and the luau event. She values the opportunities to interact with presenters and other industry professionals and the benefits of the early "deep dive" classes, both a win-win for gaining extensive information while enjoying the Florida sunshine.
Jon Postiglione, CTO of the South Carolina General Assembly Legislature Services Agency, returned for his fifth or sixth time. He highlights Live! 360's strength in tracking the rapid evolution of technology, noting its growth from focusing on development and DevOps to current tracks in cybersecurity and AI.
Mark Perry, Lead Database Administrator at Atwell, LLC, returned to Live! 360 after an eight-year hiatus, noting that the skills he learned at his first conference are still relevant today. He emphasizes the necessity of attending to stay "on top of your game" as technology moves at an increasingly rapid pace. Mark highlights the dual value of the event: building a "personal tool belt" of technical knowledge and developing a professional network with speakers and peers that can prove invaluable throughout one's career.
Scott Laird, Cloud Administrator at Manufacturing Technology, Inc., is a returning attendee who values Live! 360 for the professional and personal growth it offers. He highlights the importance of building a network, particularly for those in smaller companies, as it provides a community to brainstorm with and troubleshoot technical challenges.
Yumei Wang, Database Administrator at Halifax Health, shares her experience from her first Live! 360 event. She notes the high energy of the in-person environment and highlights the value of having immediate access to industry experts who can answer technical questions directly. Yumei was particularly impressed by the helpfulness of the speakers and the networking opportunities, which she says provided valuable connections for the future.
Speaker Testimonials
Allen Conway, Vice Pres of Engineering at Xebia transitioned from an attendee to a prominent speaker at Live! 360 events over the last decade. He underscores the importance of the conference for professionals to learn from industry experts about emerging tech like AI and cloud-native development.
Andy Malone, a Microsoft MVP and international tech speaker, highlights the strong technical depth and over 20 year history of Live! 360. He values the community atmosphere and connections between attendees and speakers, noting that the lack of heavy marketing.
Carey Payette, Financial Finesse Principal Engineer, and speaker at Live! 360, loves the friendliness and openness of the Live! 360 community and the first-hand information, connections and conversations with other professionals and presenters. Something that cannot be replaced by anything else.
Speaker, Erica Burgess, Vice President and Lead Security Architect at Tyler Technologies, highlights how Live! 360 stands out by offering cross-disciplinary training across multiple tracks, such as AI and cybersecurity, catering to all expertise levels, providing deep dives into specific disciplines.
Heather Severino, Microsoft MVP and MCT at Severino Learning Solutions, emphasizes that Live! 360 is an essential educational hub for IT professionals who "wear many hats" in their roles. Having spoken at the event for three years across tracks like AI and TechMentor, she highlights the importance of addressing current challenges such as data security in Copilot and the setup of AI agents.
Lino Tadros, President and CEO of Events XD Corporation, emphasizes the unique value of Visual Studio Live! Attendees gain direct access to speakers who are active AI implementers and architects, experts who share real-world, day-to-day experiences—including the "walls" they've hit—to help attendees succeed.
Mads Kristensen, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, shares his enthusiasm for the audience interactions at Live! 360, where attendees often bring specific workplace challenges directly to him. These conversations are "win-win situations," as they allow him to either help users discover existing features or gather critical feedback to improve the products he builds. Mads emphasizes that these personal connections lead to both better products and a deeper sense of satisfaction for both the presenters and the technical community.
Rocky Lhotka, CTO of Cognizant Softvision, highlights that while VSLive! and TechMentor serve devs and infrastructure pros, AI & Enterprise Architecture Live! is specifically designed for architects focused on the "bigger picture." Attendees leave better equipped to handle enterprise architecture and AI, gaining a deeper understanding of how they integrate into their enterprises.
Thomas LaRock, Head of Developer Relations at Banyan Cloud and a Data Platform Live! Conference Co-Chair, has been involved with Live! 360 since its inception. LaRock highlights "hallway conversations" as the most important part of the conference, where attendees can commiserate over shared technical challenges and talk through practical solutions in a way that digital platforms like Teams or Zoom cannot replicate.