Sunday is symposium day at Kaleidoscope - topics included ApEx, Web Development, Essbase / Hyperion, and SOA. Reviews were all very good.
I spent the day helping out with registration and making sure the labs were "rocking on ready". The traditional Speakers Meeting was held and while I saw a number of familiar faces, I noticed a significant number of new faces.
Next up was the Sunday Keynote presentation featuring Steve Miranda. Conference Chairman, Jeff Jacobs, and Mike Riley presented Steven Feuerstein with the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award. It was most deserving. Steven has helped ODTUG out in countless ways. His presentations are always some of the best attended. He's a great guy and I was able to spend more time with him at this conference than any other. I'm sure he's forgotten more about PL/SQL than the rest of us will ever know.
The next award was given to the ODTUG Volunteer of the Year. I should have suspected something when Crystal and Kathleen were insisting I sit up on the front row. Mike began by reading off a list of duties and responsibilities we've held during the past year. As soon as he mentioned Volunteer Coordinator, the gig was up. I was shocked as I thought my work with the Executive Committee would remove me from consideration. I really couldn't believe I won. When you consider past winners include Dr. Paul Dorsey, Maggie Tompkins, and Kent Graziano, makes me wonder if there should be a recount. I should only hope one day to deserve to be mentioned amoung such company. To those responsible, I say thank you.
Steve Miranda gave us a preview of some upcoming Fusion eye-candy. Looking forward to getting my hands on it at some point. Next it was off to the Sunday Meet and Greet where I bumped into a gentleman from Berlin, Ralf Schroeder. I've seen him now at three of the last four conferences. I consider him a good friend. Met Michelle Malcher of IOUG and introduced her to my friend Ralf. Little did I know Michelle's husband is of German descent. Michelle and Ralf spent the next 10 or 15 minutes chattering in German. It was really something else.
I made my exit and ended the night in the hotel bar
with Steven Feuerstein, Jeff Jacobs, Barbara Morris, Lisa Riley, Dianne Latiolais (wifey), and others. We got a little loud, a little crazy, but nothing compared to the spirited game of Jenga the AppliedOLAP crew had going.
Our journey continues...
