Leaders from across the data center space recently gathered in arguably one of the most prominent locations in the industry, Loudoun County, for DCD>Connect | Virginia. Aptly referred to as “Data Center Alley,” Loudoun County has over 25 million square feet of data center space operational, and has not seen a single day without data center construction in 13+ years. This intimate, 500-person event took place at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, over the course of 2 days. 

DatacenterDynamics’ first event in Virginia kicked off on Monday, November 8 with DCD>Debates. Digital infrastructure leaders discussed topics such as environmental pledges, liquid vs air cooling, “Bring Your Own Power” and land availability. The day concluded with several networking opportunities and a cocktail reception. 

Day 2 began with a very engaging CxO Panel featuring Phillip Marangella of EdgeConneX, Chris Sharp of Digital Realty, Rob Morris of Skybox Datacenters and Anubhav Raj of Aligned. The panel, titled “How are senior leadership turning sector transformation into quarterly highlights?” dove into keeping up with demand while navigating challenging economic conditions, as well as the CxO outlook on the evolution of digital infrastructure.

Roaming the expo floor, you could learn more about energy efficiency systems at Janitza’s exhibitor booth, or grab an Irish Coffee from our Greener Data friends at Host in Ireland. 

Later in the day, JSA’s EVP of Account Strategy Laurel Burton alongside Michelle Moran, SVP of Sales, Product and Marketing for Involta, and Greener Data author Vicki Worden, President and CEO of The Green Building Initiative participated on a panel titled “‘Virginia, we have a problem’ – how big is the data center PR issue?” with Karen Petersburg of Digital Realty and Christine B. Ng of Ramboll. The panel dove into addressing negative media coverage and how we as a data center industry can get ahead of public opinion on digital infrastructure projects. 

After the event, Host in Ireland held North America’s first #DCsforBees Orchards in the Community event at JK Community Farm in Loudoun County. The event saw 120 volunteers build 35 pollinator-friendly Raised Planting Beds, where food will be grown to help local families facing food insecurity, at the same time as supporting the bee and pollinator population. 

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To see the calendar of upcoming DatacenterDynamics Events, click here. 

To learn more about the Greener Data movement, click here.