Post by AeroCooper on Oct 3, 2014 5:15:56 GMT -5
Oracle OpenWorld might be tech’s most buttoned-up event
By Kristen V. Brown
Published 4:44 pm, Thursday, October 2, 2014
Each fall, there are a few obvious signs that Oracle OpenWorld has arrived in San Francisco.
Howard Street is blocked off and converted into a white-tented hub of infotech. Downtown becomes one continuous traffic jam. And then there are the suits — so very many suits.
Jason Brown, a systems architect for the state of Michigan, was somewhat unnerved by the high percentage of his fellow conference goers who opted to suit up for the conference’s biggest party, a concert headlined by Aerosmith on Treasure Island Wednesday night.
Some had untucked their pinstripes or donned polos, but the suit remained the evening’s dominant style.
“Why would you wear a suit to a concert?” asked Brown, wearing a zip-up sweater.
Oracle OpenWorld, which brings some 60,000 convention goers to San Francisco, just might be the tech industry’s most buttoned-up affair.
At South by Southwest, tech companies compete for affection by attempting to throw the craziest party with the best open bar. At the Consumer Electronics Show, held every year in Las Vegas, attendees descend on the Strip’s nightclubs and casinos. Even the Google I/O developers conference is known for its after-hours parties, which this year included performances by of-the-moment musicians like Tycho.
At OpenWorld, there was Aerosmith’s enduring arena rock, Macklemore’s pop rap, and Spacehog, the 90s alt-rock group usually only remembered for their hit “In the Meantime.”
Oracle promised concert goers that “We’re going to keep you up late.” But by 9 p.m., plenty of people were already headed home for the night.
“I was at VMware’s conference last year, and that had really crazy parties,” said Brown. “OpenWorld, it just has this really corporate feel.”
It looked more like a cleaned up county fair than a rock concert, let alone a party. Revelers loaded up on barbecue and sushi. A line for Whac-A-Mole at one point snaked around a corner, people lining up for a chance to win a plush lion or bird. A Ferris wheel whirled under the lights of the Bay Bridge.
Free beer and wine flowed, but between sets of music, the volume dipped to the level of office cafeteria chatter.
It seemed an appropriate fit for the night’s more mature crowd.
Dean Kelly, a product manager for Liquidyne, which has its headquarters on the island, suggested that maybe some of the conference guests needed to take a cue from him. He had unbuttoned his oxford shirt and was a few drinks in.
“This is a night when techies let their hair down,” he said. “But I’m not sure they really know how to do that.”
A group of younger people at the concert — employees of a London IT services company — bobbed their heads to Spacehog. One, who declined to give his name for fear of upsetting his company’s press team, attempted to explain Oracle’s place in the tech company hierarchy.
“So, Google is cool cool. Apple is cool cool,” he said. “But Oracle is, like, geek cool. Like that show, the 'Big Bang Theory.’”
Kind of like Spacehog, or Aerosmith these days, he said.
One of his colleagues mentioned that he hadn’t bothered attending the party last year. The headlining band, Maroon 5, just wasn’t hip enough. Aerosmith, on the other hand, has been around long enough that it is “retro cool,” he said.
Kristen V. Brown is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kbrown@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kristenvbrown
www.sfgate.com/business/article/Oracle-OpenWorld-might-be-tech-s-most-5797510.php
By Kristen V. Brown
Published 4:44 pm, Thursday, October 2, 2014
Each fall, there are a few obvious signs that Oracle OpenWorld has arrived in San Francisco.
Howard Street is blocked off and converted into a white-tented hub of infotech. Downtown becomes one continuous traffic jam. And then there are the suits — so very many suits.
Jason Brown, a systems architect for the state of Michigan, was somewhat unnerved by the high percentage of his fellow conference goers who opted to suit up for the conference’s biggest party, a concert headlined by Aerosmith on Treasure Island Wednesday night.
Some had untucked their pinstripes or donned polos, but the suit remained the evening’s dominant style.
“Why would you wear a suit to a concert?” asked Brown, wearing a zip-up sweater.
Oracle OpenWorld, which brings some 60,000 convention goers to San Francisco, just might be the tech industry’s most buttoned-up affair.
At South by Southwest, tech companies compete for affection by attempting to throw the craziest party with the best open bar. At the Consumer Electronics Show, held every year in Las Vegas, attendees descend on the Strip’s nightclubs and casinos. Even the Google I/O developers conference is known for its after-hours parties, which this year included performances by of-the-moment musicians like Tycho.
At OpenWorld, there was Aerosmith’s enduring arena rock, Macklemore’s pop rap, and Spacehog, the 90s alt-rock group usually only remembered for their hit “In the Meantime.”
Oracle promised concert goers that “We’re going to keep you up late.” But by 9 p.m., plenty of people were already headed home for the night.
“I was at VMware’s conference last year, and that had really crazy parties,” said Brown. “OpenWorld, it just has this really corporate feel.”
It looked more like a cleaned up county fair than a rock concert, let alone a party. Revelers loaded up on barbecue and sushi. A line for Whac-A-Mole at one point snaked around a corner, people lining up for a chance to win a plush lion or bird. A Ferris wheel whirled under the lights of the Bay Bridge.
Free beer and wine flowed, but between sets of music, the volume dipped to the level of office cafeteria chatter.
It seemed an appropriate fit for the night’s more mature crowd.
Dean Kelly, a product manager for Liquidyne, which has its headquarters on the island, suggested that maybe some of the conference guests needed to take a cue from him. He had unbuttoned his oxford shirt and was a few drinks in.
“This is a night when techies let their hair down,” he said. “But I’m not sure they really know how to do that.”
A group of younger people at the concert — employees of a London IT services company — bobbed their heads to Spacehog. One, who declined to give his name for fear of upsetting his company’s press team, attempted to explain Oracle’s place in the tech company hierarchy.
“So, Google is cool cool. Apple is cool cool,” he said. “But Oracle is, like, geek cool. Like that show, the 'Big Bang Theory.’”
Kind of like Spacehog, or Aerosmith these days, he said.
One of his colleagues mentioned that he hadn’t bothered attending the party last year. The headlining band, Maroon 5, just wasn’t hip enough. Aerosmith, on the other hand, has been around long enough that it is “retro cool,” he said.
Kristen V. Brown is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kbrown@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kristenvbrown
www.sfgate.com/business/article/Oracle-OpenWorld-might-be-tech-s-most-5797510.php