One + June 2011 - (Page 50)

World Wide Open How OpenWorld—an annual event begun in 1996 to allow Oracle a two-way communication with its user community— has morphed into a massive user conference. BY I LO N A K AU R E MSZ KY PENGUINS IN SAN FRANCISCO? IN SEPTEMBER? YOU BET. The ﬂightless birds were part of Oracle’s annual conference dubbed Oracle OpenWorld, the software giant’s biggest tech show to date. From the minute CEO Larry Ellison took the stage for his keynote address, he was there to sashay and woo the more than 40,000 attendees. “This week, we’ve announced more new technology innovations than at any time in the history of Oracle,” Ellison said. Oracle, known globally for innovative computer tools and databases, has been holding its annual conference in downtown San Francisco, California, since 1998. In close proximity to Silicon Valley, the hotbed for major tech companies, it’s no surprise San Francisco draws record-breaking attendance for conventions such as Oracle OpenWorld. During the ﬁve-day event in September 2010, delegates had the opportunity to attend more than 1,800 sessions, viewed 400 partner exhibits, watched roughly 400 different Oracle demos, attended keynote sessions with the biggest tech brainiacs in the world and schmoozed at several special networking sessions. Nobody went unnoticed. Even the Oracle team—many of which are from headquarters 50 in Redwood Shores, California—were given an opportunity to be involved in the conference. “The ﬂoor was vibrant, alive with the energy of thousands of attendees looking at hundreds of booths and demos,” said Margo Davis, Oracle’s senior director of event marketing. But besides the launch of new tools for reducing e-waste, new environmental sustainability management, awards, the unveiling of the Exalogic elastic cloud and a long list of other A-list products, the delegates representing customers and users, techs and execs, partners and vendors culminated for the grand parties that the publicly traded company is well known for. Last year was no different. Consider the Oracle OpenWorld 2010 Appreciation Event on Treasure Island in the Bay. Picture crowds chanting “Fergalicious” (for the Black Eyed Peas’ lead, not the Duchess of York) and Oracle’s Tom Geck fronting his rock band, The Five Hundreds. “We’re going to try and play one song from each of the Appreciation Event bands,” recapped Tom on the company blog describing the gonzo concert with headliners such as Berlin, Steve Miller, Don Henley, Terri Nunn and the righteous Fergie. Some company party. Center stage throbbed with neon strobe lights, dancers and musicians all vying for a piece of the crowd. There was also one+ 06.11 ALL PHOTOS: ORACLE

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + June 2011

One + June 2011
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Paradigm Shifts, Part I
Ask the Experts
Agenda
Web Watch
Thoughts+Leaders
Overheard
Recognizing Individual Excellence
Sound Off
Art of Travel
River Mason
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
Plan It Forward
Great Thanking
Running on Defaults
The New Mobile Workforce
World Wide Open
Higher Education
Progress Through Technology
Step by Strategic Step
Meeting Rxcitement
Tame Social Media Chaos
Meeting Against Meat
Re-Designed for the New Rules of Engagement
Industry Insights
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again

One + June 2011