By Allison Dixon, Event Marketing Manager, Oracle Applications Users Group
The COLLABORATE 14-OAUG Forum provides the venue for Oracle Applications users to meet peers using Oracle products, share knowledge, and get energized to achieve results. Hosted jointly by three independent users groups, IOUG, OAUG, and Quest, COLLABORATE 14 offers attendees more than 1,400 sessions and events from which to customize their agendas for a highly relevant and practical educational experience. COLLABORATE-OAUG Forum offers technical and functional content covering Oracle E-Business Suite, Fusion Applications, Hyperion, Primavera, EPPM, EBS Extensions for Endeca, CRM On Demand, Siebel, and more.
Content was sourced from within the three user communities and heavily emphasizes customer case studies and how-to sessions, and is organized into 23 overarching educational tracks. A new COLLABORATE 14 web and mobile app allows attendees to search and filter sessions, then build and save their schedules using the web or iOS or Android platforms. The app also offers a new dimension to conference networking, featuring attendee-to-attendee messaging and the ability to post comments and questions to sessions—and it is integrated with major social networks.
Exciting keynotes are planned. Adam Savage, co-host of MythBusters on the Discovery Channel, delivers the first, “Curiosity: Asking the Right Questions,” on Tuesday, April 8. Balaji Yelamanchili presents the Oracle keynote on Wednesday, April 9. Yelamanchili serves as Oracle’s senior vice president for analytics and performance management products.
Always popular, COLLABORATE’s women in technology programming includes a networking lunch and keynote on Tuesday, April 8, by Jhone M. Ebert, chief innovation and productivity officer of the Clark County, Nevada School District, titled, “Teacher First, Chief Second: How a Clear Vision and 300,000 Kids Drove Me to the C-Suite.” A panel discussion on Thursday, April 10, brings together a diverse group of female technology leaders to share personal experiences in the field and share strategies for success.
There are myriad ways attendees can share dialogue with Oracle product representatives during COLLABORATE, including Oracle Roadmap Sessions for Oracle E-Business Suite, Cloud Applications, Hyperion, Building Mobile Apps with Fusion Middleware, Primavera, HCM Cloud Service, and others. In addition, OAUG has planned 14 Meet the Experts sessions in a roundtable format where attendees can speak with Oracle representatives about their specific technology strategies. The Oracle DEMOgrounds in the Exhibitor Showcase emphasizes hands-on demos.
In-depth OAUG Training Day Workshops, in full- and half- day formats, are held Monday, April 7. These immersive (and several hands-on) experiences with leading presenters include “Maximizing ROI in your ERP, CRM, and BI Investments by Enhancing the Quality of Your Data,” and “Oracle Application Migrations Best Practices Workshop.”
Networking within this helpful global community of peers is always a highlight of COLLABORATE. Attendees can sample from dozens of OAUG Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings focused on their particular products or industries. Geographic Interest Group (Geo) meetings gather participants from 20 U.S. and international regions. The OAUG Welcome Reception on Monday, April 7, is sure to quicken pulses, as guests will be surrounded by hotrods and classic vehicles at the Dal Toro Ristorante and Exotic Car Museum in the Palazzo Hotel. Tuesday and Wednesday receptions in the Exhibitor Showcase are a great chance to mingle with more than 200 exhibitors to explore new products and services. Thursday night’s COLLABO-CON party ends the week with a “BOOM!” and a “POW!,” with festivities themed on the legendary fanfare of COMIC-CON, the comics and science fiction convention. The LA All-Stars perform live and there are many superheroic surprises planned.
The bustling Exhibitor Showcase features a Solutions Spotlight theater with quick education sessions presented by exhibitors right on the showcase floor. RadiOAUG (Booth #1039) broadcasts live interviews with key Oracle executives, session presenters, product specialists, and OAUG leaders—with many musically-inspired games, and prize giveaways!
Participants who wish to learn more about how the OAUG provides time-saving information all year round can do so by attending either or both the Meeting of the OAUG Members on Monday, April 7, which features Member and Innovator of the Year Awards, and the OAUG Membership Orientation on Tuesday, April 8.
All of this takes place in a new venue this year, The Venetian and the Sands Expo Center, bringing the energy and excitement of COLLABORATE to the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.
All program details can be found online at collaborate.oaug.org. Advance registration discounts and online registration are available through April 3.