Written by: Mateja Jankovič, IDUG EMEA 2018 Conference Chair
The 2018 IDUG Db2 Tech Conference took place in St. Julians, Malta, November 4 – 8, where History & Present are combined. Malta is at the edge of Europe but it was often in the center of the history what reflects on every step.
We are proud the number of the attendees was high - similar to last year when the trend went up. The conference offered 5 days of Db2 education and training, including new and emerging technologies. The program of the conference is quite standard recently: more than 100 technical sessions, three keynotes, three expert panels(Db2 for zOS, Db2 and Application Developers), Vendor Solution Presentations and vendors exhibition in the Solution centre.
Hot topics were Analyttics (Machine Learning, AI…) , and Cloud.
Target audience are not only Database Administrators, many topics were focused on Application Developers, Data Architects, Data Scientists and Systems Programmers.
111 technical sessions on the grid were classically distributed in 6 tracks, this year Data Tech was added on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Surveys shows that the quality of technical sessions is the main reason to attend the conference. The feedback of this year attendees, when evaluating speakers and sessions, shows very high scores what is the great acknowledgement for the hard work of EMEA Conference Planning Committee.
IDUG and Db2 Celebrations
This year IDUG is celebrating 30th anniversary what we believe is an enviable anniversary in IT field. The cake and the baloons gave an event a festive atmosphere.
But that 's not all: Db2 for zOS is celebrating the 35th anniversary, while younger Db2 for LUW is already 25 years old!
Keynote Highlights
- Safe Danger by motivational keynote speaker Helio Vogas kicked off the conference demonstration why "playing it safe" could be one of the most dangerous choices you can make especially in the IT field. When you take risks you should make sure to do it in a safe way what was demonstrated by a glasswalking.
- Tuesday’s keynote Machine Learning - Optimize Every Interaction with the Most Current Enterprise Data was presented by Steven Astorino (IBM) .IBM was making many key announcements around Data, Analytics Machine Learning and AI. This session detailed the latest from the lab and how these key new capabilities can accelerate your ability to drive insight from your Db2 transactional data.
- Thursday’s closing keynote Sustainable Skills. Now and into the Future by Greg Lotko (CA Technologies, A Broadcom Company) addressed how the changing data and technology landscape is driving new forms of business opportunity and innovation.
Thanks to our Solution Center Exhibitors & Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor: IBM
Gold Sponsor: CA Technologies, A Broadcom Company
Silver Sponsor: BMC
Bronze Sponsor: Software Engineering GmbH
Other:
- Infotel
- InSoft Software GmbH
- ITGAIN GmbH
- Log-On Software
- Rocket Software
Vendors were very satisfied with the traffic at their booths and conversation with the attendees.
Top and Best Speakers
Congratulations to all speakers who were selected to present, especially the top 10 overall presenters and top 5 user presenters!
Top 10 Overall Speakers (alphabetical by last name)
- Roy Boxwell
- John Campbell
- Ember Crooks
- Florence Dubois
- Henrik Loeser
- Dale McInnis
- Terry Purcell
- Adam Storm
- Pavel Sustr
- Michael Tiefenbacher
Top 5 USER Presenters (alphabetical by last name)
- Julia Carter (Lloyds Banking Group)
- Joe Geller (JP Morgan Chase)
- Walter Janißen (ITERGO)
- Ute Kleyensteuber(Commerzbank AG)
- Jan Tielemans(KBC)
The Top User Presentation:
- Joe Geller (JP Morgan Chase): Db2 (LUW) Performance Tuning for the z/OS DBA
The Top Overall Presentation
- Dale McInnis (IBM): Taking Db2 to the BAR - Planning for failure
Best User Presentation Prize (Place on the Grid at IDUG NA 2019, flights and hotels)
- Jan Tielemans (KBC): Do you do zHyperwrite to help your Db2 Systems? KBC Does!
The IDUG Speaker Hall of Fame
We honor our best speakers. Thank you for providing such great value to the IDUG community!
The Best User Presenter Joe Geller and the Best Overall Presenter Dale McInnis at IDUG EMEA 2018 are NEW Speakers of IDUG Speaker Hall of Fame. Congratulations!
Conference Materials for the Attendees
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Save the Date for IDUG EMEA 2019
We hope you enjoyed your time in Malta and returned home with valuable new Db2 knowledge and professional connections. See you again at IDUG in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 20-24 October 2019!
- Call for Presentations is OPEN!
- You can register with the Loyalty rate discount HERE!