Program Overview

The VMware vExpert program is VMware's global evangelism and advocacy program. The program is designed to put VMware's marketing resources towards your advocacy efforts. Promotion of your content, exposure at our global events, co-op advertising, and early access to beta programs and VMware's roadmap. The awards are for individuals, not companies, and last for one program year. Employees of both customers and partners can receive the awards. In the application, we consider various community contributions from the previous year activities in determining who gets awards.

What are Community Contributions?

We are looking for IT Professionals who are sharing their VMware knowledge and contributing back to the community. Community contributions are activities that are not work or job role related. These activities should be significant, relevant to VMware and going above and beyond your day job. Some examples of community contributions are: Blogs, Hosting or Co-Hosting Podcasts, Session Speaking, Webinars, Authoring, Co-Authoring Books or Publications, Sharing Scripts, Video Publishing, VMTN or other Community Forum Participation (answering questions), Active VMUG Leadership, Active VMUG Steering Committee Contributions and more. We have some vExperts who contribute on a single platform and others who contribute from multiple platforms. Here is a good example of a winning application.

How to Apply for vExpert

You can fill out your application at anytime to keep track of all your activities throughout the year. We provide a place where you can log each activity in your application in real time. No more trying to remember what you did all year, just add it to the application anytime and hit save. In December we have a submission period that ends in mid January, during this period you have time to finalize your application before the submission end date. At the end of the submission period we lock applications and the vExpert PRO's start voting on you previous year contributions. Voting last for a few weeks until we announce the winners of the vExpert award. All applicants are sent a decision by email and we allow for application appeals for 2 weeks after the program is announced. In June we open the second half application submission period, finalize voting and announce award winners in July / August. All awards for first or second period expire when the new program is announce the following year. Example: The award is for one program year. If you win the award from the second half, you must reapply again in December for the following years program. The purpose of the second half application period is for those who missed the first period or didn't win the award want a second chance for the award.

vExpert PRO Mentorship

We have over 150 vExpert PROs ready to help you become a vExpert. We can help mentor you through the process and outline what you need to do to qualify. Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vmwarevexpert and or LinkedIn Group at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9057469/

vExpert Program Benefits

• Network with over 1,400 other vExperts
• Opportunity to apply for 9 Official VMware Business Unit lead vExpert sub programs.
• Invite to our private vExpert #Slack channels
• vExpert certificate signed by our VMware CEO
• Permission to use the vExpert logo on cards, website, etc. for one year
• Exclusive gifts from various VMware and VMware partners
• Private & technical deep dive webinars with VMware and VMware partners
• Access to private betas (subject to admission by beta teams)
• 400-day eval licenses for most products for home lab
• Private pre-launch briefings via our bloggers briefing pre-VMware Explore (subject to admission by product teams)
• Featured in a public vExpert online directory
• Access to vetted VMware & Virtualization content for your social channels through VMware Advocacy
• Yearly vExpert parties at both VMware Explore U.S. Europe events or Gifts for vExperts attending VMware Explore