Happy New Year Everyone! Here are three training events that I have attended in the past (and will again this year) that are excellent for all. We all know that company budgets are tight, but all three are great values for the money! 1) Rocky Mountain Oracle User Group Training Days (RMOUG) ,17&18th of February. This is a great two day event in Denver, Colorado. http://www.rmoug.org Advance Registration for nonmembers until the 13th of January is $300. Standard Registration is $345 for nonmembers from the 13th of January to the 9th of February and after the 9th of February it is $445 for nonmembers. There are so many tracks offered that I often find myself wishing that I could clone myself and attend more than one at a time! 2) HOTSOS Symposium, 7-11th of March, Dallas, TX. http://www.hotsos.com Registration from now until the 12th of February is $1395 after this date it is $1495. Tanel Poder is giving a full training day after the conference for another $500. Most of the presentations are "deep dives" into performance and can really challenge the mind! Neil Gunther, a capacity planning expert, will be in attendance again! He is always a great person to learn from! 3) NEOOUG (North East Ohio Oracle Users Group) Training Days - 20&21 May. http://www.neoorg.org Yes, I also can't believe that this Michigan Wolverine is promoting an event in Ohio! BUT, this user group does a marvelous job with their Training Day. The call for papers is still open (closes on the 1st of February) but I believe that the first day will be a full day of training with Jonathan Lewis. And believe it or not, Cleveland is a great place to be that time of year! You can catch a Cleveland Indians baseball game, go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, take cruises on Lake Erie and alike. And Cedar Point, an amusement park, if open, is just west of Cleveland. It is a great place to take the family. This is usually priced right for the type of training you will receive. Hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday season and are excited about a new year! Carol Dacko University of Michigan