Conference Wrap-Up Report

A Winning Hand for the Oracle Technology and Applications Users Communities!

COLLABORATE 12 was one of the most successful annual conferences ever presented for the Oracle Technology and Applications users communities. More than 6,000 professionals — a record attendance — gathered in Las Vegas, Nev., April 22-26, 2012, to bolster their knowledge, skills and overall ability to gain greater value from Oracle investments.

COLLABORATE 12 presented more than 1,200 total sessions in 20 focused educational tracks. The COLLABORATE 12 — OAUG Forum featured more than 550 educational sessions covering topics relevant to Oracle Applications users.

COLLABORATE 12 was hosted by conference partners IOUG, the OAUG and Quest.

No Gamble Here

It took more than luck to produce this comprehensive, user-driven event. Months of energetic brainstorming, thorough planning, meticulous review and selection of educational content, and close cooperation with volunteer community leaders and conference partners ensured the event’s success. Thanks to all who contributed their expertise, time and energy.

Back by Popular Demand

• Go With the Flow: Projects to Profit, a series of sessions jointly presented by the OAUG Assets SIG, General Ledger (GL) SIG, Primavera SIG, Procurement SIG and Projects SIG, supplemented the Financial Management educational track.
• The Oracle Primavera Special Interest Group (OPSIG) returned to COLLABORATE for a second year to host an educational track focused on helping attendees utilize Oracle Primavera PPM products to manage projects throughout their lifecycles.
• The Women in Technology program hosted a luncheon on Monday and a panel discussion on Wednesday. Presenters, panelists and attendees had the opportunity to hear from accomplished women in the technology field as they shared their personal experiences and strategies for success.

Keynoters Inspire and Inform

Captain Mark Kelly, Commander of the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission and husband of former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, shared his personal story of hope and resilience in the opening keynote presentation on Monday morning. Oracle CIO and Senior Vice President Mark Sunday spoke about Oracle’s transformation of its operational infrastructure following more than 75 acquisitions. IBM Vice President, Product Market and Information Management Eric Sall discussed strategies for employing smarter analytics in the era of Big Data.

Networking

Always a highly-rated benefit of a conference like COLLABORATE, numerous networking opportunities helped attendees engage with peers to gain insight into what others users are doing and establish contacts for ongoing communication and information exchange.

The OAUG kicked off the networking opportunities with a lively Welcome Reception in the Shark Reef Aquarium on Sunday evening. The Networking Zone at the opening reception and in the Exhibitor Showcase provided dedicated areas for like-minded attendees to gather and connect.

Additional events brought people together over drinks, food, fun and entertainment. Continue nourishing your network by engaging with other OAUG members through social networking sites, including:

• More than 6,000 members in the OAUG’s active LinkedIn Group.
• @COLLAB_OAUG or @OAUG1 on Twitter.

OAUG Geographic and Special Interest Groups

More than 50 OAUG Geographic (Geo) and Special Interest Groups (SIG) held meetings throughout the week at COLLABORATE 12.

Congratulations to the following Geos and SIGS that earned the 2012 OAUG Geo/SIG Certificate of Distinction:

• Asset SIG
• General Ledger (GL) SIG
• K-12 SIG
• Ohio Valley OAUG
• Public Sector SIG
• Hyperion SIG
• New England OAUG
• Enterprise Asset Management SIG
• Discrete Manufacturing SIG
• Northern California OAUG
• Process Manufacturing SIG
• Procurement SIG
• Energy and Utility SIG
• India OAUG
• Southwest Regional OAUG
• PS Government Contracting SIG
• DC OAUG
• Heartland OUG
• Upgrade SIG
• Michigan OAUG
• North Central OAUG
• Cost Management SIG
• Database SIG
• Florida OAUG
• Twin Cities Financial OAUG
• Latin OAUG
• Property Manager SIG
• Configurator SIG
• Nevada OAUG

Your ongoing commitment to excellence in serving the Oracle users community is appreciated.

Exhibitor Showcase

The Exhibitor Showcase welcomed a record number of exhibitors — more than 260 — who shared inspiration, ideas and expertise to help attendees discover products and services that can help them enhance the return on their organization’s Oracle investments.

The OAUG congratulates the following winners of the OAUG Best of Show Awards!

• Users’ Choice: eprentise
• Best Marketing: Klee Associates, Inc.
• Best of Show: Runner Technologies
• Best Visionary, 200 sq ft or less: eprentise
• Best Visionary, 400 sq ft or more: EiS Technologies
• Best Traffic, 200 sq ft or less: eprentise
• Best Traffic, 400 sq ft or more: Rimini Street

Thank you for your creative and informative exhibits!

The OAUG Membership Booth provided a unique opportunity to “get inked.” Attendees sported OAUG Tattoos throughout the week. The tattoos were temporary, but members know the continuing benefits of OAUG membership are permanent.

Visitors to the OAUG Membership Booth also had the opportunity to learn more about the newly launched OAUG Ambassador Program and enter a prize drawing. The winner of a $100 American Express gift card is Keyomi Black of OAUG member company Alliance Coal.

Oracle Participation

More than 400 Oracle Associates attended COLLABORATE 12 to interact with attendees; facilitate education sessions; discuss product strategy and future direction in the Oracle Roadmap Sessions; demonstrate products and services in the Oracle DEMOGrounds in the Exhibitor Showcase; and gather valuable feedback about Oracle product design in the Oracle Usability Feedback Sessions. In addition, Oracle Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President Mark Sunday delivered the standing-room-only keynote address on Tuesday morning.

Awards and Special Recognition

The OAUG salutes the following members for their significant contributions to the Oracle Applications community.

The OAUG Member of the Year is Lakshmi Sampath of member company Dell, Inc. Lakshmi has been an enthusiastic contributor, organizer, speaker and evangelist for the OAUG for more than a decade. She is a leader who participates on the boards of several OAUG Geographic (Geo) and Special Interest (SIG) groups and is a regular presenter of OAUG webinar and conference presentations. Lakshmi also serves as the OAUG Ambassador of her employer, member company Dell, Inc.

The OAUG Innovator of the Year is Anderson Hay and Grain. The company successfully implemented a process using iPads for data capture and ultimately interfacing with Oracle Purchasing and Inventory modules to improve the accuracy and timeliness of processing purchasing information in the field. The award was accepted by Director of IT Nathan Mirro, Anderson Hay and Grain.

Back to the 80s

COLLABORATE attendees went back to the 80s at the Wednesday evening reception, dancing to the lively performance by The Spazmatics and rockin’ those 80s styles.

COLLABORATE 11 Conference Papers and Presentations

If you were unable to attend COLLABORATE 12, the OAUG makes it possible for COLLABORATE 12 to come to you. And, if you attended the conference but had difficulty choosing from among the many excellent sessions, it’s not too late to review a session that you may have missed, or share your favorite with a colleague. How? Hundreds of informative papers from the COLLABORATE 12 — OAUG Forum will soon be available in the OAUG Conference Paper Database — free to all OAUG members! Watch for announcements about the availability of the COLLABORATE 12 conference papers.

Save the Date! COLLABORATE 13

Mark your calendar for COLLABORATE 13 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, April 7 - 11, 2013!