• confonz

    Oracle's OpenWorld conference closes with Treasure Island party

    Please welcome back ConFonz, the man who goes to technology trade conferences so Valleywag doesn't have to. The Conference Fonzerelli, a veteran of many OpenWorld conferences, thinks Oracle has pumped up its image this year. The show is much more huggy-touchy-feely-bloggery. Despite the fact that most Oracle employees of use are hiding under rocks. Quite a change from the days when Oracle at your door meant you were either out of a job, out of memory, or simply out of your mind. If anyone in the technology industry is wondering how to run a conference, this is the one to emulate. Oracle OpenWorld pulls 45,000 people, and twice as many service workers to support it. That's why Howard Street is closed and why you can't get a good picnic spot in Yerba Buena Park. More »

    2:20 PM on Thu Sep 25 2008
    By confonz
    624 views, 5 comments

    Most discussed cv: This isn't Jezebel. That bag is ugly. And this post sucks. Like all Confonz posts. But that's just me... more »

  • confonz

    ConFonz hits the Web 2.0 party circuit

    CONFONZ AT THE WEB 2.0 SUMMIT — While the rest of the world prepares for Halloween, there was a significantly scarier sight on display yesterday at the Palace Hotel. You truly know the web 2.0 "revolution" is over when the suits outnumber the geeks. Granted, the Palace isn't exactly a geek haven. And the pricing of badges for the conference is certainly out of the range of most of your average Web coders. But it's easily within the grasp of venture capitalists, marketing weenies, and CEOs. And that's just who attended this, the second Web 2.0 conference of the year. More »

    4:04 PM on Thu Oct 18 2007
    By confonz
    382 views, Comment

  • confonz

    Brits act like twits at Intel event

    CONFONZ — The Conference Fonzie was certain that Britain was known for its manners. Those beloved British boxing boys are supposed to be well behaved and polite in all social situations, aren't they? Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to apply to imported Limey tech journalists. To their credit, Intel's international press day, a preface to the Intel Developer Forum at San Francisco's Moscone Center later this week, is a somewhat dull event. More »

    3:56 PM on Tue Sep 18 2007
    517 views, Comment

  • confonz

    A tale of two conferences

    CONFONZ — Last week saw two ubernerdy conferences for customers of two big software companies in San Francisco. BEA's conference at Moscone West was completely fucking empty. There were a handful of people on each floor, all looking around wondering why there was no one nearby with which to press the flesh. VMware's conference, at Moscone North and South, by contrast, was hopping. With a massive Treasure Island party and no expense spared on the food and conference bag, VMware sucked in the dollars and attention, while BEA sat unloved across the street, with nary a surly teamster to defend it. Hmmm, what's going on here? More »

    3:37 PM on Tue Sep 18 2007
    501 views, 2 comments

    Latest by World of Warcraft Map Guy: Looks like the VMWorld schwag was basically a backpack: [www.jume.nl] At least the TC40 goody bag had something to make the more »

  • confonz

    We're from Yahoo, and we're here to help

    Please welcome back the ConFonz, our secret correspondent from the world of conferences. — Ed.

    CONFONZ — One of the nicest parts about being the Conference Fonzerelli is overhearing the amazing stories told in-between roundtables and plenary sessions. They're rarely newsworthy, but such tales often portend just how utterly fucked a company or entity really is. Take this doozy about Yahoo and its attempts to do something good for the world. More »

    2:25 PM on Thu Sep 6 2007
    2,782 views, 2 comments

    Latest by mandarin: Thats really bad... They complained about not getting free food too? I guess volunteers these days require something in return huh? more »

  • confonz

    Outcast's CEO Dinner Full of Hired Geeks

    CONFONZ — To be perfectly honest, Terra, just underneath the Bay bridge, is becomign the go-to spot for any and all PR firms to hold events for their clients. Unfortunately, this means that your humble narrator, the Conference Fonzerelli, has had some of his weaker moments in front of the wait-staff therein. Fortunately, they're a tight lipped bunch, and they didn't out the Fonz for who he really is at last night's Outcast PR CEO dinner. After the jump, we detail the high ratio of Press-to-CEO's, and dish some dirt on the WSJ. More »

    12:48 PM on Fri May 4 2007
    By confonz
    1,485 views, Comment

  • confonz

    The ConFonz Goes to College

    CONFONZ — Lo, and below him, he saw the valley. Above him he saw the smog filled skies, and in his hand he found a broken bottle of bourbon, half drained and bloodied. Where had this bottle come from, and why was the humble Conference Fonzerelli stumbling around on Microsoft's Mountain View campus? And, for the love of Allah, why are all the urinals here one foot off the ground? Is this Paris? Japan? Does Microsoft employ lots of little men? Yes, gentle reader, the ConFonz is in charge of Valleywag today, and the fun has only just started. After the jump, the ConFonz goes to college.
    More »

    10:18 AM on Thu May 3 2007
    By confonz
    1,451 views, Comment

  • rsa

    ConFonz at RSA

    Hold on to your hats — we hear Bill Gates was boring as the keynote speaker for the info-security RSA Conference, ongoing at Moscone Center. Fortunately, Conference Fonzerelli is on hand, much to his personal regret. The ConFonz quoth:
    The fabulous and sexy Conference Fonzerelli has trouble avoiding parties. Even when he stopped to retch up the last of his peyote buttons into an alley off second street, he found himself standing outside of the PingIdentity party.
    Read on for partially redemptive Microsoft pull quote. More »

    6:00 AM on Wed Feb 7 2007
    By Chris Mohney
    88 views, Comment

  • confonz

    ConFonz At Oracle OpenWorld

    You're all expecting some sort of expletive-encrusted fecal-festival gracing gooey herein html. Bully bullocks are always zipping zazzily towards you fucking alphabetical heads. More »

    4:28 PM on Fri Oct 27 2006
    By rabruzzo
    57 views, Comment

  • confonz

    ConFonz at Office 2.0: Everybody gets a Nano!

    Heyyyyy, ConFonz! Valleywag's go-to man for conferences smells Oprah-style freebies at Office 2.0. More »