Cisco Live US 2015 was an extravaganza this year, its 30th year!  Even before the welcome reception, I attended two powerful events:  The Cisco Solution Partner Forum and the Cisco Empowered Women’s Network.  At the Solution Partner Forum, Cisco channel executives and product management team shared important information about the programs, marketing and product portfolios for solutions partners.  As Plantronics is a Solution Partner for Cisco, the Collaboration update was particularly valuable to the team.  The Cisco Empowered Women’s Network session was a potpourri of panels, mini-coaching roundtables and a rousing talk by Mel Robbins.  Mel challenged the audience to “reDEFINE Success for Tomorrow, Today,” focusing the group on how to seize opportunities and will oneself to act, with the 5 second rule as the guide.

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At Cisco Live, Plantronics unveiled new products, including the Voyager Focus UC, a breakthrough offering that is the industry’s first wireless stereo UC headset with Active Noise Cancellation, intended for open work environments where there may be significant background noise.  The Voyager Focus UC as well as new Blackwire 315 and 325 corded headsets with both USB and 3.5mm connectivity options were extremely popular and interest among customers and partners was through the roof.   Plantronics demonstrated how its products work with the Cisco DX80 as well as the Cisco 8845 handset.  Both products were displayed in our booth to show the integration and seamless experience for enterprise users.  The BackBeat PRO was another popular product, as many folks visiting the booth tried on the headsets and enjoyed the surround sound and great noise canceling features of the BBPRO.

 

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Cisco’s overall conference theme, “Let’s Build Tomorrow, Today”,  resonated with Plantronics message of mobility, workforce transformation and effective collaboration and communications.   As John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, shared his vision of the future and passed the baton to the incumbent CEO, Chuck Robbins, he shared his own view of how the industry will evolve and how partners and customers can participate in the market transitions and disruptions in order to build a better future.

 

 

 

Top 10 List from Cisco Live:

Here is a re-cap of my Top 10 list of favorite things about Cisco Live that I tweeted throughout the show: cisco live don

#1 Aerosmith plays tomorrow & sighting of Steven Tyler at World of Solutions today!

#2-partner runs fun contest with as the prize!

#3 Cisco’s focus on Midmarket portfolio and solutions; session today with Sherri Liebo.

#4 Cisco belief in Strategic partnering. Chambers said in keynote-Strategic partnerships define winners

#5 hunt gets a little help booth with Elvis -and fearless Don

#6 4 key focus areas-and has a new announced today at CiscoLive

#7 Getting team together for Cisco keynote!Cisco live - elvis

#8 Top CiscoLive likes: hunt – Stop by booth 1401 for a photo op!

#9 @ announces first wireless stereo UC headset w/active noise cancellation

#10 Great event on empowering women thru extended Cisco network of employees, customers & partners.

 

To see more pictures from Cisco Live 2015, check out our Instagram. For more information on how Plantronics and Cisco are improving enterprise collaboration make sure to visit our website.