My Time at OOW - What to Look Forward To

As ever I am writing this blog on the plane, which makes it too late, but never mind. What am I up to at open world this year?


First, as an ACE director I am at HQ for two days of briefings. I often talk about these days, but this is heads down, briefings from the experts, and a way of assimilating all the OOW messages in a calm environment before the event. We will be under NDA so may not talk about them yet but at least I will understand.

I have meetings at HQ with my partner manager and the SIA Community leader, a great chance to catch up be fire the madness begins.

Saturday things are a little quieter but I still haven't finished ( to be honest even started my presentations, although I know what I want to say), so it is my emergency time. In the evening I have an OakTable party to go to. A night with the worlds best DBAs, goodness knows what I will talk about.


Then Sunday OOW kicks off and I have the very first session. In total I have 3 sessions (see my last post). Oracle have mucked me around this year, which is annoying. This first presentation did not get approved till the last minute, and my other two got changed. Including moving one from Tuesday to thursday afternoon, I must really have pissed someone off. However one was moved from Sunday as a 30 minute session to Monday for an hour in a much bigger room because of advance registrations. So I guess they all equal out.


As a user group leader I have time to serve at the UG pavilion in Moscone West come along and check it out. I haw several meetings with people about how we can improve UKOUG. I also have analyst and press meetings. My Vice President and great friend Lisa is coming to OOW for the first time and has I am pleased to say bought comfortable shoes, she will need them.

The fusion Nation program will fill up any time I think I have but I am so pleased Fusion Apps are having their day and I really want to speak to those customers who are early adopters.

As Fujitsu I will pop along to our booth, met with analysts for them, meet customers from around the world, and attend our global practice day on Thursday ( just in case I feel the week has not been long enough).

There is plenty of fun as well, I have lunches and dinners planned with friends, colleagues and oracle executives; I am looking forward to Wednesday and seeing Sting. When I was 19 I lived in a bedsit in south London and listened to him playing live on Streatham Common with the police, so it may make me feel young again. And Friday morning Lisa and I are planning the Golden Gate Bridge cycle. Only this year I will try not to lose my camera!


I will come home with 100s of business cards, a very long to do list, too much information to share but lots of happy memories of another Oracle Open World.

My sessions at OOW are 'Your Path to Understanding Fusion Applications', 'Should I upgrade or go to Fusion Applications' and 'Conolidation to the Cloud'.

Try and come along, it may be the only time you get to see me. And if the title or extract doesn't appeal to you remember I have a lovely English accent.