Oracle OpenWorld is 'Vegas for tech'

On Sunday night, while Oracle founder and CEO Larry Ellison was in the middle of his welcoming speech (exploring new database storage methods), several thousand conference-goers sneaked outside to the open bars, tweeting about the Korean taco spread and texting their co-workers to get outside. The W Hotel bar was packed, and even nearby strip clubs hired valets for the occasion. A climbing wall stood in the center of Yerba Buena Gardens, with people putting harnesses over their khakis. Enthusiasm levels were high for the new arrivals, said Diane Gress, a 56-year-old whose company manufactures baby food. Some, though, were a bit skeptical about how much fun the weeklong conference - with sessions like "Two Approaches to Gaining Value from Mobile Workforce Management Systems" - would really be. At one glowing table lit with florescent blue bulbs, a group of colleagues from an international bank who'd talked every day for five years were finally shaking hands - and hugging and high-fiving. Because he didn't talk about technology. Large groups headed to the W hotel lobby bar, conveniently next door to the talks. Last year's conference was notable for its strip-club parties, with one Oracle employee using his company credit card to pay a $33,540 bill at the New Century Theater.