It’s time to paint the town red! Oracle red, that is. Next week Oracle OpenWorld will take over San Francisco for four days. This conference is one of the world’s largest industry events and by large I mean very, very large. Over 60,000 global attendees are expected to attend 2,311 sessions and that doesn’t even count the online views.

Yes, that large.

However, a little planning in advance will help you to take advantage of everything that is offered. Key points to remember:

  1. OpenWorld gives you access to some of the most respected speakers in the industry. A few of this year’s presenters include include influential Oracle notables Larry Ellison, Mark Hurd, and Safra Catz as well as industry pioneers Dr. Rand Hindi (Snips), Anil Dash (Glitch), and Amity Millhiser (PwC). Keste experts Alyssa Johnson (VP Applications) and Subash Nagarajan (Director Applications) will be hosting sessions on Oracle E-Business Suite and CPQ Cloud Service. Register for them here.
  2. Every moment is a chance for you to network and develop new connections. Make sure to take advantage of sessions, random conversations, and evening events. These are also great chances to discover information that isn’t in the posted schedule. Bring your business cards, an extra phone charger, and make sure to attend Cloudfest featuring Beck, Portugal. The Man, and Bleachers.
  3. Review the agenda and session catalog in advance. You can also search by exhibitor, featured partners, sponsors, and demos. Don’t forget to include Keste at booth #3210 in Moscone South or attend one of our events.

Here is some insights from Keste expert attendees to help you navigate and get ahead.

 

Want to attend OpenWorld 18? Email us today for a free #OOW18 Discover Pass

 

What Keste activity are you most looking forward to?

“Meeting friends from Oracle and the Oracle ecosystem that I get to see once a year.”  – John Faucher, Vice President of Business Solutions

“I can’t wait to get my picture taken as a Digital Super Hero at our booth and share the picture with my network!”  – Camille Musick, Marketing Director

“Customer meetings, Oracle reps, sessions… I like being available to interact and answer any questions.” – Subash Nagarajan, Director of Applications

“Meeting with customers and Oracle product team management. It’s a great opportunity.” – Syed Rehman, Director Business Solutions

“The Maritz/Keste presentation! Not only are they good presenters it was a great example of an Oracle EBS migration. ” – Kathy Dreyfus, Senior Director of Applications

“Meeting with Keste customers and partners.”  – Rajesh Sankaran, Vice President of Technology

“All of them.  I really enjoy working at the booth and talking to all the Oracle customers and partners.  Keste has the legendary Cigar Bar Party which can’t be missed.  But dinners with customers, pre-concert happy hour, Lunch and Learn will all be amazing events.  Not to mention we have so many AMAZING sessions and speakers presenting all week.” – Tracy Robertson, Vice President of Business Solutions

 

What are you most looking forward to at OpenWorld this year?

“I’m looking forward to hearing about Oracle’s product roadmap so I can align my learning objectives.  I want to make sure I’m prepared to offer solid advice, guidance, and direction to our many Keste customers.” – John Faucher, Vice President of Business Solutions

“Oracle CX session, Oracle Supply Chain, Cloud ERP applications…  OpenWorld is a great opportunity to learn and share so that I can better support Keste customers and partners.” – Subash Nagarajan, Director of Applications

“New announcements on IaaS & PaaS and cloud roadmap in general.” – Syed Rehman, Director of Business Solutions

“Keste’s Cigar Bar Party. It’s a great opportunity to network.” – Kathy Dreyfus, Senior Director of Applications

“More autonomous offerings and OCI product updates, new programs, and really finding out more information on innovations and implementations.” – Rajesh Sankaran, Vice President of Technology

“Meeting with customers and potential customers.  I love the craziness of the week.  Bring your Monster drinks and vitamins.”  – Tracy Robertson, Vice President of Business Solutions

 

What sessions are you excited about? Why?

“I’m looking forward to the latest cloud customer success stories in both the SaaS space and in the OCI space.  This helps me see beyond our current Keste experiences and help take us to the next level of customer success.” – John Faucher, Vice President of Business Solutions

“I’m really excited to be speaking about one of Keste’s Oracle CPQ implementation success stories for a retail business and consumer products business.” – Subash Nagarajan, Director of Applications

“The Maritz session. I am excited to see the customer benefits from moving EBS to OCI.” – Kathy Dreyfus, Senior Director of Applications

“I’m more excited about customer meetings and information exchange sessions with other partners and Oracle peers.” – Rajesh Sankaran, Vice President of Technology

“Excited about EBS to OCI sessions.  That is something EVERY EBS customer should be looking at doing.  Also excited about the CPQ (configure price quote) session.  CPQ enables your sales team to configure, price and get quotes out the door up to 40% faster and is integrated within your CRM and ERP for one platform.”  – Tracy Robertson, Vice President of Business Solutions

 

What are your tips for first timers at OpenWorld?

“Plan ahead.  Spend some time registering for sessions and make sure you understand that you may have to walk a few city blocks between sessions depending on the session tracks.  Spend some quality time in the exhibit hall and network, network, network.   Sleep fast and take advantage of every waking hour to learn everything you can!” – John Faucher, Vice President of Business Solutions

“Shoes…I can’t stress comfortable shoes enough! Not new shoes…so get your existing ones polished and put in some inserts.” – Camille Musick, Marketing Director

“Lots of walking so wear comfortable attire, especially shoes. I can’t emphasize that enough. Also, take advantage of the vast knowledge available to learn as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.” – Subash Nagarajan, Director of Applications

“Be prepared for “Drink from the hose”, a lot of meetings and obviously late nights.” – Syed Rehman, Director of Business Solutions

“Comfortable shoes are a must.” – Kathy Dreyfus, Senior Director of Applications

“HYDRATE. Drink lots of water and wear comfortable shoes.” – Rajesh Sankaran, Vice President of Technology

“Wear comfortable shoes and bring a coat!” – Tracy Robertson, Vice President of Business Solutions

 

How many times have you attended?

“I’ve attended 15 or so OOW (was called AppsWorld) before OpenWorld.” – John Faucher, Vice President of Business Solutions

“This is my second OpenWorld.” – Camille Musick, Marketing Director

“This is my second time. I’m pretty excited…” – Subash Nagarajan, Director of Applications

“I’ve attended over 6 times.” – Syed Rehman, Director of Business Solutions

“I’ve been attending for 18 years.” – Kathy Dreyfus, Senior Director of Applications

“This will be my sixth OpenWorld.” – Rajesh Sankaran, Vice President of Technology

“13 years in a row!  I’m old.” – Tracy Robertson, Vice President of Business Solutions

 

What’s your favorite place to eat?

“Who has time to eat?  No really there is a really good Sushi place (Tokyo Express) on Mission for a quick lunch bite. Too many places to list for dinner but Fog City is pretty cool!” – John Faucher, Vice President of Business Solutions

“Amber India – YUMMY!” – Camille Musick, Marketing Director

“Amber definitely.” – Subash Nagarajan, Director of Applications

“Eating is almost secondary but everything on Pier-39 and all Italian places are excellent. Also, Pier Market, Luigi’s, Fog Harbor Fish house, Fino, Scala’s and Farallon to name a few.” – Syed Rehman, Director of Business Solutions

“Kokkari. Not only is the food good but the atmosphere as well.” – Kathy Dreyfus, Senior Director of Applications

“Cotogna!!” – Rajesh Sankaran, Vice President of Technology

“Can’t go wrong with any food in SF.  However, I LOVE to go to the top of the Marriott Marquis and have a drink and a view of the entire city.” – Tracy Robertson, Vice President of Business Solutions

 

Look forward to seeing you there! Don’t forget to stop by the Keste booth and get your picture taken as a Digital Super Hero!

 

Check out Keste events here!