Off-Piste At UKOUG

The main event in my calendar each year is the UKOUG TEBSconference (this year 29 November). That doesn’t mean any others are less important, it is just this is the first event I ever went to and so it has a special place in my heart, as a director it takes so much time and as a contributor even more. It is also our flagship event and so many of my friends from around the world openly count this as their favourite and I look forward to it so much.

You can read about the content in our agenda, and I urge you look and to sign up and attend and to create your own agenda; but a conference is far more than just the sessions, and that is why although virtual sessions have their place they will never replace the actual conference experience. We also welcome MySQL to the event for the first time.

Our video taken after last years’ TEBS, shows what people think of this event and we are always looking for more quotes and comments. So to start building on the excitement I thought I would talk a little bit about the off-piste events at this year’s UKOUG_TEBS.

The line up of keynotes is exceptional and most will have roundtables or other opportunities to talk to them in person. David Callaghan will tell us the ‘State of the Nation in the UK & Ireland’ and what would TEBS be without our very own ‘AskTom’. Graham Wood will talk to us about Technology advancements and in the Apps arena we have Cliff Godwin back again after his runaway success last year and a full Fusion Applications program led by Clive Swan (more details on this in my next post).

You can talk to all our presenters in the Meet The Speaker opportunities in the exhibition hall.

Again we are really pleased to have back the Oracle User Experience team with us who give us the opportunity to be part of development decisions. If you are interested in taking part contact them direct.

The exhibition is full of third parties to have something to offer in the Oracle Economy. Don’t just skirt through on your way to coffee, take time to see what they have to offer. It may not be of use to you now but you never know. In these days of ever increasing economic pressures the obvious answer is not always the most cost effective, there are some great niche solutions out there. Pay a special visit to our sponsors without whom we would struggle to have such an event. If you area third party and want to be involved contact Alkesh Chavda for more information.

OTN are coming to town, I think to make sure the ACE Program behave, but actually they are going to sponsor the evening entertainment and the Inspiring Presenter Awards. These awards are to recognise our best speakers and to encourage new people to give it a go, the ACE’s of the future perhaps.

If you are an Apps user, come along to the Willow Table session where the top speakers from the event will be available to answer your questions. Yes the took the idea from the ever popular OakTable who are back by popular demand  and you can ask them any technical question in their challenge and know that you will get the only the best minds in the industry helping you. 

Mogens Nørgaard is also bringing a little extra to UKOUG this year, after a successful trail by he and Tanel Poder this summer the OakTableTopTableTennisTournament or OTTTTT has been born. Simple competition, sign up to play against your peers and heroes using a Technical Reference Manual as a bat. The only stipulation is that if you have written a TRM you must use your own. Watch here Mogens and Tanel to see how it is done, and the Japanese noises are purely optional.

Another OakTable member and great volunteer at UKOUG is Doug Burns who has taken up the challenge of Movember in aid of Prostrate Cancer Awareness. He will grow a moustache during November and it will be removed at conference. How this will happen we do not yet know all the details although Lisa Dobson currently has plans to do it on the main stage on day one with a Sweeney Todd knife. 

So you can see if you are not attending you are missing out, on the best education and fun you can have in the Oracle Community. Come join us and our friends from all over the world in just 4 weeks - 29 November 2010. Remember if you are a paid up usergroup member from outside the UK, you will still recieve our membership discounts.

If you follow Twitter the tag is #UKOUG_TEBS, set up a search now and follow the buzz, otherwise join Facebook group  and in LinkedIn.