As an Oracle Pre- and Post-Sales Engineer with a technical flair, I occasionally present at User Groups, sharing the latest technology and valuable lessons learned from projects in the field. But my journey into the world of Oracle User Groups started many years ago.
Back then, I was working for my former employer and decided, for the very first time, to attend a Swiss Oracle User Group (SOUG) event. I still remember some of those outstanding talks: from monitoring databases with Standard Edition, to transparent application failover, and even a rather heated discussion about VMware and Oracle licensing that truly energized the room.
After the event, participants gathered for an apéro. For me, it felt like looking through a window: too shy to join the conversations, not knowing anyone but enjoying the atmosphere of a living community. That experience sparked a desire to contribute, so I started thinking about presenting at a User Group myself.
I reached out to a SOUG board member, who encouraged me to submit a talk. Rather boldly, we tried it first at DOAG, the German Oracle User Group, presenting our new AWR Performance Warehouse and the powerful insights it provided our projects. The talk was accepted and from that moment, many more opportunities followed to share my experience, and I was even a proud board member of SOUG for a while.
When I rejoined Oracle, I had to step down from my board position: but as the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. I was asked to serve as a SPOC (Single Point of Contact) from Oracle for the SOUG, and my management quickly supported it (perhaps in part because Oracle’s collaboration with the group needed some strengthening at that time).
For the past six years, I’ve worked closely with SOUG, participating in board meetings (without voting rights, don’t worry!) and helping organize events by inviting outstanding speakers and uncovering great stories. Today, our partnership is better than ever, thanks to an incredible, dedicated leadership team at SOUG – though, as always, there’s room for improvement.
If You’re Considering a User Group Talk, Here’s What I’ve Learned
- If you intend to submit for the first time a presentation: ask for mentoring or a dry run – community members are happy to help. There’s so much joy in watching newcomers grow and thrive as presenters.
- If you’re a consultant or partner: Bring your customer with you to the stage! It sends a powerful message if your customer is willing to share their story alongside you, and might be more impressive than presenting yourself as the top expert.
- If you’re an OUG leader or an long time community member: Watch for newcomers. They may be shy, but a welcoming atmosphere can make all the difference. It’s the responsibility of experienced members to strengthen the chain for everyone.
- For everyone: Involve young people! Our passion is contagious, but the future depends on new generations joining our community. It concerns me to see the average age creeping up year after year.
Last words: The Most Powerful Benefit is Networking
While learning from presentations and experts is invaluable, perhaps the most powerful part of attending a user group event is the networking. It’s during informal conversations and new connections that ideas truly spark and opportunities arise. Looking back, our own in-memory database journey started with a chat at a user group event. That single conversation brought us to try, adopt and share the technology experience and performance improvements at Oracle OpenWorld at that time in San Francisco. We also became a reference customer for Oracle Upgrade, thanks to a direct discussion with Mike Dietrich right after a user group session.
Take advantage of the breaks and networking sessions after the event, these are golden opportunities. The conversations and connections you make during these times can lead to remarkable ideas and improvements you might never expect. Sometimes, a simple discussion can spark a whole new direction for your projects or career.
If you’d like to connect with the local user group here in Switzerland, visit the organizers at www.soug.ch . Otherwise, simply search online to find a user group near you.