Some shots from the convention

I spent some time on Tuesday, 9-23 walking around the convention halls of Moscone center.

Here's one of many areas where attendees can relax on giant beanbag chairs (gotta get some of those for the kids).

Close by is the Oracle Bookstore, which is next to this approx. 1/3 scale mock-up of the Oracle stunt biplane.

Notes from the booth

Our company booth, Oracle User Productivity Kit (UPK), is number 630 in the Exhibition Hall of Moscone Center South.  We've seen a ton of traffic during the first two days of the conference.  The booth features two demo pods flanking a central theater area for group demos and presentations.  This layout has worked very well in drawing folks in.  We've even had repeat attendees - those who spent time at the booth on Monday and then have come back on Tuesday with more questions and desire to see deeper demos of UPK.

Here is a pic of our booth.

We happen to be next to the booth of another company that features an honest-to-goodness Delorean car (you can even sit inside - way cool).

Some sites near Hotel Nikko

On Sunday and Monday afternoons, I took short walks in the vicinity of Hotel Nikko, which is located at Mason and O'Farrell streets in downtown San Francisco.  Here is Joey's Wash and Dry (laundromat), featuring ice cream, espresso, and sausage! What's not to like?

The two-piece street band, the Ferocious Few, played on the corner one block from the hotel I'm staying at, the Hotel Nikko.  Although they may not look it, they really rock hard, loud, and fast!  Their performance drew all kinds of responses from passersby - from the shocked, to the confused and befuddled, to the dancers, to the hip "I've seen and heard it all before" folks, and everyone in between.

Monday's Keynote Address

Here is a pic of Charles Phillips keynote presentation.  Mr. Phillips, a President of Oracle, opened the conference at 9AM on Monday.  

About half way through Charles' talk, a surprise guest appeared on stage, none other than Michael Phelps (seated at left).

Some sites of San Francisco near Moscone Center

Sunday was my first day in town.  I strolled around the vicinity of Moscone Convention Center and snapped the following pics.

First is the Jollibee restaurant entrance with mascot:

Next is a view from the outdoor Tea Room on the plaza between the North and South Moscone Centers, toward a church, flanked by modern skyscrapers.  There are three Moscone convention halls, including West.

Nearby, also on the plaza, is the Yerba Beuna Gardens - by the looks of the sign, it sounds like fun!  I haven't had a chance to explore the inside, but the outside carousel is nice.

Preparations

My primary role at Oracle Open World will be to staff one of the demonstration pods at the Global Knowledge/UPK booth. This final week prior to the show has me practicing the script and using UPK to record some simple transactions against target apps like Oracle or Siebel.