Events

OZTUG 2003
Conference & Trade Show

The ITUG Asia Pacific Conference
28 - 29 July
The Stamford Plaza Double Bay
Sydney, Australia

OZTUG Conference Again Draws Strong Numbers

The OZTUG 2003 Conference & Trade Show was once again a resounding success! Nearly 175 HP NonStop™ professionals assembled for this year’s event, held 28-29 July in Sydney, Australia at the Stamford Plaza Double Bay Hotel. Delegates from Australia and throughout Asia and the South Pacific gathered together for this two-day conference with surrounding social and educational activities, which provided delegates with a diverse technical program, peer networking opportunities, and trade show.

“The OZTUG Conference keeps getting better every year,” commented Tony Bond, OZTUG Conference Chair. “High points for this year were the many NonStop user speakers who shared their success stories and best practices with other customers. We also had unprecedented support from third-party vendors who were excited to participate in this event. And once again, we had excellent support from HP executives and employees, who value this conference as a key conduit to the NonStop community in the Asia Pacific region.”

The conference experience began on Sunday evening, 27 July with a very enjoyable HP-sponsored reception at the renowned Sydney Opera House, which offered delegates the opportunity to mingle with other delegates.

The next morning following a welcome from OZTUG Chairman Tony Bond, Michael Muller, Vice President & General Manager, Enterprise Storage & Servers, HP Asia Pacific, took the stage to begin an outstanding line-up of featured speakers. ITUG Vice Chairman Richard Buckle of Insession Technologies provided delegates with a succinct overview of ITUG and its RAVE initiatives: regions, advocacy, volunteers, and events. Principal Network Design Engineer Tom Steele of Sprint was the first of several NonStop user keynotes as he presented, “HP ZLE, Then and Now – A Sprint Perspective.” To round out the morning, Chris Rooke, Vice President, Marketing, and Solutions, NonStop Enterprise Division, HP, provided the NonStop Enterprise Division Business Update.

Technical breakout track sessions, vendor tracks, general interest sessions, and dedicated exhibits viewing filled the afternoon and lead into a cocktail reception in the Trade Show and an extremely well-attended networking dinner sponsored by HP. OZTUG engaged the services of well-known Australian television and radio personality James O’Loghlin to provide some light-hearted after-dinner entertainment.

Day two launched with a very welcomed HP Asia Pacific Address from Herbert Zwenger, General Manager, NonStop Enterprise Division, Asia Pacific Region, HP. He was followed by Andy Cook, Senior Director, Electronic Transaction & Messaging Services (eTMS), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) who presented, “CIBC and HP – The NonStop Story.”

Delegates spent the rest of the day in technical session breakouts, including NonStop user presentations from Rob Smink of CIBC, Paul McMahon of Telstra, and Alan Davis of Water Corporation. Delegates also enjoyed vendor tracks, and the trade show and concluded their day and conference experience with an interactive hot topics panel session.

“I am very impressed with what I have seen here at the conference and am thrilled to have participated in such a quality event,” stated ITUG Vice Chairman Richard Buckle. “The keynote, user, and HP speakers did a fantastic job of sharing the latest information out there and the networking opportunities and Trade Show were truly the best this region has to offer. I found the experience very enriching and am excited to see OZTUG lead the way for other Regional User Groups with such an exemplary event.”

To view photos from the 2003 conference & trade show, click here.

Mark your calendars now for the 2004 OZTUG Conference & Trade Show, scheduled for 26-27 July 2004 in Sydney, Australia.

Access information on 2002's event, including a conference wrap-up report, pictures, technical sessions, and a listing of participating exhibitors.