MySQL Official Event in Brazil – Disappointing!

The “Herbert Richers” version of the MySQL conference was disappointing. For those who don’t know, this year was the last time we had the MySQL Users Conference. Those who went… went, those who didn’t, missed out. I was there at the melancholy (and truly looking like the last) edition.

Last year, we had the first Brazilian edition of the MySQL Users Day, Users Conference, whatever the name. Also in December, at the Renaissance Hotel, with over 350 people attending throughout the event.

This year, it happened, just like last year, concurrently with Oracle Open World Brazil. That’s not unusual. But I noticed there was total neglect in the organization. Despite the luxurious venue (Sheraton), the location is horrible for those who come by car. Wait a minute? Nobody thought about the folks who need public transport? At minimum, a lack of respect, or regional dyslexia. The access was bad, to say the least.

A boring event, with equally boring presentations (starting with mine). I didn’t choose my presentation (it was assigned). The slide control didn’t work (a shame), I couldn’t use my laptop to engage the audience with a hands-on demo, and worst, I was given only a microphone at the podium. Anyone who has seen my talks knows I like to move around. Anyway, a tragedy foretold, in my opinion.

But the worst was the audience. They reserved a room for 700 participants, when the peak attendance was 85 people, including 12 from Oracle. When I spoke, there were 53 people. That’s not the problem. Those who know me know I like to talk about three things, and only three: MySQL, aviation, and women (my favorite hobby despite all the geekiness). But this shows the lack of care with which the event was handled. In a room for 700 people, filled with 50, besides looking bad, it’s discouraging for everyone inside (audience and speaker).

Will this motivate Oracle to hold a new conference next year? I insist, no matter the number of people, talking about MySQL and seeing friends is always good, but the disregard for MySQL and the event was disappointing.

I want to thank Oracle for leading the initiative, João from Targetware and Mara from HTI Tecnologia for sponsoring the event.

I also want to thank the TexMex guy Pedro Andrade, Manu, Katya, Airton, everyone from Oracle, for always taking good care of MySQL and for traveling from their countries to bring good news about our RDBMS.

Thanks also to Mat, R. Nigro, and R. Mason for supporting the event, coming from so far away, to show that MySQL has a long life ahead. I hope the poor organization of this event doesn’t discourage them from doing another one.

Finally, thanks to everyone who attended and supported our database.