VMware Explore 2027: Dates, Venue and Getting Approval

VMware Explore 2027 runs from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027 at Resorts World Las Vegas. That's a big change from the usual late-August slot at The Venetian. Broadcom first announced 3 to 6 May, then moved it back a week on 20 October 2026, so update your calendar if you saved the original dates. (The original dates would also have started on the UK's early May bank holiday.)

This post covers the key dates, what's changed, what it's likely to cost, how to get your manager to say yes, how to pick sessions, and the VMUG and community side of the week. If Las Vegas isn't going to happen, there's a section on Explore on Tour in London, which runs on 18 and 19 November 2026.

VMware Explore 2027 key dates

Date	What happens
30 September 2026	Pre-registration closed. It gave $100 off the Full Event Pass.
3 November 2026	Call for Proposals opens
12 January 2027	Registration opens
10–13 May 2027	VMware Explore 2027, Resorts World Las Vegas

If you're thinking of speaking, the call opens on 3 November 2026. The 20 October save-the-date doesn't list the tracks, what a submission needs, or whether speakers get a free pass. Check the Call for Proposals page when it opens.

What's changed for 2027

Spring, not late summer. Explore 2026 ran from 31 August to 3 September. A May event gives you about seven months to use what you learn before the end of the year, and you avoid Las Vegas in August.
A new venue. Resorts World is a smaller site than The Venetian. Broadcom promises shorter walks between hotel rooms, sessions and networking areas, plus direct access to the Vegas Loop.
The same format. Technical sessions, Hands-on Labs, onsite certification exams, and one-to-one time with VCF and private AI architects and engineers.

For me, the timing is the most useful change. vSphere 8 reaches End of General Support on 11 October 2027, so May is the right point to settle your upgrade or migration plan and still have time to carry it out.

What VMware Explore 2027 will cost

Broadcom hasn't published 2027 prices yet. For reference:

2025: Virtualization Review reported $1,995 for the full pass before the event, $2,195 onsite, and $1,195 for the Essentials pass. Essentials doesn't include meals or the party.
2026: the early-bird rate took $200 off the Full Event Pass until 16 June, and VMUG Advantage members got another $100 off. The Full Event Pass also included one VCF certification exam.

Expect a similar early-bird window after registration opens on 12 January, and book as soon as your approval comes through.

If you're travelling from the UK, budget for these as well:

Item	Notes
Event pass	Early-bird price if you can get approval in time
Return flights to Las Vegas	Book as soon as your approval comes through
Hotel, four or five nights	Use the event block at Resorts World when it opens, or somewhere close by
ESTA	$40 since 30 September 2025. Apply on the official CBP site only.
Meals not covered by the pass	Breakfast and evenings add up quickly in Las Vegas
Travel insurance	Check your company policy covers the US

How to get approval to attend

Your manager doesn't care about the keynote. They care about what the business gets back for a week of your time and a few thousand pounds. Tie the request to work you already have to deliver in 2027.

Good reasons for 2027 are:

vSphere 8 end of support. You need a plan before 11 October 2027, and you can get it reviewed by VCF architects in one-to-one meetings.
Licensing. Understand what you're paying for under VCF, VVF or vSphere Express before your next renewal.
Certification. If the 2027 pass includes an exam like the 2026 one did, you come back certified. That matters more now that VMUG Advantage home lab licences for VCF require a VCP certification.
Hands-on Labs. You can try VCF 9.1 features such as Memory Tiering and VCF Operations in a lab, without building one.
Sharing it. Offer to run a session for the team when you get back. It turns one person's trip into training for everyone.

For 2026, Broadcom published a justification letter template with travel and expense estimates already filled in. Look for the 2027 version once registration opens. If you'd rather write your own, this is the email I'd send:

Text

Subject: VMware Explore 2027, 10-13 May, Las Vegas
 
Hi [manager],
 
I'd like to attend VMware Explore 2027 in Las Vegas from 10 to 13 May.
 
Why now: vSphere 8 support ends on 11 October 2027. At Explore I can
get our [upgrade/migration] plan reviewed by VCF architects, go to
sessions on [VCF 9.1 / licensing / security], and test [features]
in the Hands-on Labs.
 
What we get back:
- a reviewed plan for [project]
- [certification] if the pass includes an exam
- a write-up and a team session within two weeks of getting back
 
Estimated cost: [pass] + [flights] + [hotel] + [subsistence] = [total].
The early-bird rate needs a booking by [date].
 
Thanks,
[name]

How to choose sessions

The content catalogue normally comes out a couple of months before the event. In 2025 it opened on 17 June for an August event. When it's out:

Book your certification exam slot first. Popular times go quickly.
Prioritise things you can only do in person: Hands-on Labs, expert roundtables, one-to-one meetings and the community meetups.
Add deep dives on whatever you have to deliver in 2027.
Leave gaps. Some of the most useful conversations happen in corridors, and you'll need time to walk between sessions, even in a smaller venue.
Don't worry if a breakout clashes with something else. Check whether it'll be in the VMware Explore Video Library afterwards.

The VMUG and community side of Explore

This is the part I'd protect in your schedule. At Explore 2026, the Communities Lounge ran a vExpert meetup, a Home Lab meetup, an AMA with William Lam and Duncan Epping, a VMUG Leaders meetup and VMware{code} Raspberry Pi sensor labs. The Hub Theater across from it had more than 40 short community and code sessions. Virtualization Review singled out the VMUG Member Reception and the WuPaaS community meetup before the conference as highlights.

Expect something similar in 2027, and check the agenda for the VMUG Member Reception once it's published.

VMUG Connect has replaced the UserCons

If you used to go to a VMUG UserCon, the larger regional events are now VMUG Connect. The 2026 stops were Amsterdam, Minneapolis, Toronto, Dallas and Orlando. They're two-day, paid events. Orlando was $240 for both days, and VMUG Advantage members get free certification exams onsite. The 2026 schedule had no UK stop. Local chapters such as London VMUG run their own meetings, so check vmug.com for your nearest one.

For UK readers, Amsterdam is the obvious alternative to Las Vegas. It's a short flight, and you get two days of sessions and labs for a fraction of the cost. VMUG had not published 2027 Connect cities or dates by 21 October.

If you can't get to Las Vegas

Explore on Tour London runs on 18 and 19 November 2026, so there's still time to register. It's a two-day regional version of Explore with breakout sessions, Hands-on Labs, plenary sessions and an onsite certification exam centre. It isn't free. Broadcom's London event page doesn't publish a pass price, so check it when you register.

The only 2027 Explore on Tour date announced so far is Sydney, on 3 and 4 March. I'll update this post when Broadcom confirms a 2027 London date.

Sessions from previous years are in the Video Library, so you won't miss all the content. You'll miss the conversations, though, and those are what I go for.

If you're still deciding whether Explore is worth it at all, my earlier posts on what VMware Explore is and why you should go and how it can help your career are still relevant.

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EOF · Published 2026-10-21

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