BCOUG Converge 2026 at Northeastern University – Vancouver BC
About this Event
Our Biggest Event of the Year is Back!
Get ready for an inspiring day at our annual conference, “Converge 2026”, happening on September 25, 2025, at Northeastern University – Vancouver!
Join us for our flagship annual conference — a full day dedicated to the technologies and ideas shaping the future of IT. This is the event our community looks forward to all year: high-energy, hands-on, and packed with insights you can bring back to your team on Monday morning.
Who should attend?
Whether you're a DBA optimizing mission-critical systems, an IT manager steering technology strategy, a developer building the next generation of applications, or a business analyst bridging tech and business needs — this conference is built for you.
What we'll cover:
- Databases at Scale — architecture, performance tuning, and managing large, complex data environments
- Data Analytics — turning raw data into real business insight
- Cybersecurity — protecting your systems and data in an evolving threat landscape
- AI & Agentic AI — practical applications and what's coming next
- Personal Development — growing your career and leadership skills alongside your technical expertise
Why you don't want to miss it:
Expect thought-provoking sessions from top speakers and practitioners, real-world case studies, and plenty of opportunities to connect with peers who get what you do. This is more than a conference — it's a full day of inspiration, learning, and community.
☕ Breakfast, snacks, and lunch included — fuel up and stay energized all day long.
📅 Save the date. Bring your questions, your curiosity, and your appetite.
Seats are limited — register now to secure your spot!
Note that Call for paper is ongoing. Already speakers are returning to our event this year. The final schedule and agenda will be published in August.
You will have lots of sessions to choose from as we offer two parallel tracks along the day.
If you enjoyed previous years conference, sign-up for this one, as it will be as of equal quality.
Agenda
🕑: 08:30 AM - 09:00 AM
Registration and Welcome
Info: Join us for registration and a warm welcome, where you can meet and greet our esteemed speakers, tech leaders, and board members! Feel free to grab coffee and pastries as you connect with fellow participants and kick off an exciting day of learning
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM
KEYNOTE: Still Human in the Loop: Navigating a Tech Career in an AI Era
Host: Dr. Ameetha Garbharran
Info: Come join us for a thought-provoking keynote by Dr. Ameetha Garbharran — an internationally registered Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychologist (Ph.D.), certified Independent Corporate Director (CDI.D), and Board Certified Executive Coach (BCC). As the Founder and CEO of expsyt, she brings decades of global experience across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa — specializing in leadership assessments, executive coaching, and strategic talent decisions. Passionate about creating fair, equitable, and optimized workplaces through the science of I-O Psychology, Dr. Garbharran will explore how professionals can navigate and thrive in tech careers as AI reshapes the landscape of work.
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:00 AM
Break for Coffee and Snacks
Host: Coffee Break
Info: Take a moment to relax and enjoy our coffee and break!
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Oracle AI Agent Studio: The AI Agent Revolution in the Enterprise
Host: Gustavo Gonzalez
Info: Come join us as Gustavo González — a Systems Engineer and MBA with over 25 years of experience in Oracle technology — takes us through how Oracle AI Agent Studio is driving the AI agent revolution in the enterprise. Gustavo is an international expert in Oracle Cloud Applications, E-Business Suite, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). He was the first Oracle ACE Director for Applications in Latin America, co-founded the Oracle User Group of Argentina (ArOUG), served as President of the Latin American Oracle Users Community (LAOUC), and co-authored the Oracle E-Business Suite Financials Handbook (McGraw-Hill / Oracle Press). Currently CTO at KNEX Technology and President-elect of OATUG for 2026, Gustavo brings a wealth of global perspective from over 220 international conference presentations worldwide.
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
APEX: Debug Like a Pro - APEX Debugger Edition
Host: Giliam Breems
Info: Come join Giliam Breems for a hands-on session on mastering the Oracle APEX Debugger. Whether you're troubleshooting page rendering issues, tracking down slow queries, or diagnosing unexpected application behaviour, Giliam will equip you with the skills to debug like a pro. Learn how to leverage APEX's built-in debugging tools to quickly identify root causes, optimize performance, and streamline your development workflow.
🕑: 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Refreshment Break
Host: Recess
Info: It’s time for a coffee break! Enjoy a refreshing pause and recharge before we continue with our exciting sessions.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Constantly Under Attack — Daniel Morgan
Host: Daniel Morgan
Info: Come join Daniel Morgan for a compelling session on the ever-evolving cybersecurity threat landscape. In a world where organizations are constantly under attack, Daniel will share practical insights on how to stay ahead of threats, protect your critical assets, and build a resilient security posture.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Mastering Oracle Autonomous Health Framework
Host: Nassyam Basha
Info: Come join Nassyam Basha — an Oracle ACE Director, Microsoft MVP, Oracle Certified Master (OCM), and IEEE Senior Member with over 16 years of experience across telecom, banking, retail, insurance, and large enterprise environments globally. Nassyam will walk you through mastering Oracle's Autonomous Health Framework, from proactive health checks to intelligent diagnostics. As an enterprise architect, published author, and Founder and President of KSAOUG, Nassyam brings deep expertise in high availability, disaster recovery, and infrastructure modernization across multi-cloud platforms including Azure, OCI, AWS, and Google Cloud.
🕑: 11:45 AM - 01:00 PM
LUNCH & LEARN: When AI Meets the Physical World - Roopesh Ramklass
Host: Lunch and Learn
Info: It's lunch time! Enjoy your complimentary lunch and drinks while learning more about our Platinum sponsor. Bon appétit! Come join AWS Principal AIML Specialist Solutions Architect Roopesh Ramklass as he explores how open-weight AI models are being deployed at the edge — where AI meets the physical world — enabling real-time inference in environments where cloud connectivity isn't always an option.
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:15 PM
Refreshment Break
Host: Recess
Info: It’s time for a coffee break! Enjoy a refreshing pause and recharge before we continue with our exciting sessions.
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
Oracle Database in the CI/CD Pipeline
Host: Simon Pane
Info: Come join Simon Pane for a practical session on integrating Oracle Database into your CI/CD pipeline. Learn how to automate database schema changes, manage migrations, and implement continuous delivery for your Oracle database alongside application code — reducing deployment risk and accelerating release cycles.
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
OracleAI Database 26ai and MAA Platinum:Near-Instantaneous Multicloud Recovery
Host: Glen Hawkins
Info: Come join Glen Hawkins, Senior Director of Product Management within Oracle's Mission-Critical AI Database products group, as he dives into Oracle AI Database 26ai and MAA Platinum. Glen leads product strategy for Oracle's Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) solutions — including Oracle Data Guard, Flashback, Online Operations, Edition-based Redefinition, and Oracle Update Advisor — across on-premises and Oracle Cloud. With extensive experience in database and application technologies and a track record as a frequent speaker at technology conferences worldwide, Glen will explore how MAA Platinum delivers near-instantaneous multicloud recovery for mission-critical workloads.
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:15 PM
Refreshment Break
Host: Recess
Info: It’s time for a coffee break! Enjoy a refreshing pause and recharge before we continue with our exciting sessions.
🕑: 02:15 PM - 03:00 PM
Oracle Meets the Hyperscalers
Host: Simo Vilmunen
Info: Come join Simo Vilmunen — a 25+ year Oracle veteran who somehow still enjoys it — as he shares real-world war stories from multicloud projects spanning Azure, AWS, and GCP. As the lead of OCI & Multicloud Engineering at Accenture Enkitec Group, Simo lives in the plumbing between providers — Oracle databases, Exadata, cloud networking, security, and the routing tables that someone always forgets to configure. Holding the rare combination of Oracle ACE Director and Microsoft MVP, Simo also explores connecting structured and unstructured data sources for modern AI solutions. Fun fact: he's also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt — so he knows a thing or two about grappling with complex problems.
🕑: 02:15 PM - 03:00 PM
Real-Time AI Data Replication: Consolidating Vector Data Across Heterogeneous
Host: Gilson Martins
Info: Come join Gilson Martins — a 20-year IT veteran with 18 years of hands-on Oracle Database experience (from 8i to 26ai) and 14 years as an Oracle GoldenGate Certified Expert (from 10g to 26ai). Holding multiple Oracle certifications including OCA, OCP, OCE, and OCS, Gilson will explore how real-time AI data replication enables organizations to consolidate vector data across heterogeneous databases. A regular speaker at technology and Oracle community conferences across Latin America, Gilson brings deep expertise in databases, real-time data, data integration, and AI.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:15 PM
Refreshment Break
Host: Recess
Info: It’s time for a coffee break! Enjoy a refreshing pause and recharge before we continue with our exciting sessions.
🕑: 03:15 PM - 04:00 PM
From Data to Degrees: Using Oracle AI Data Platform to Improve Student Outcome
Host: Scott Howe and Naimish S
Info: Come join Scott Howe and Naimish Solanki as they explore how the Oracle AI Data Platform is being leveraged to improve student outcomes in higher education. Learn how institutions are turning data into actionable insights — from enrollment to graduation — using AI-driven analytics to identify at-risk students, personalize learning pathways, and ultimately help more students earn their degrees.
🕑: 03:15 PM - 04:00 PM
DIY- Building Your AI Sidekick Across the Oracle Stack
Host: Akhash Ramnath
Info:
Come join Oracle ACE expert Akhash Ramnath as he walks you through building your own AI sidekick across the Oracle stack. Learn how to leverage Oracle's AI capabilities — from the database to the application layer — to create intelligent assistants tailored to your specific workflows. Whether you're looking to integrate AI into APEX, PL/SQL, or OCI services, Akhash will show you how to get started with a hands-on, DIY approach.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 04:15 PM
Refreshment Break
Host: Recess
Info: It’s time for a coffee break! Enjoy a refreshing pause and recharge before we continue with our exciting sessions.
🕑: 04:15 PM - 05:00 PM
Spec-Driven APEX Development with AI and APEXlang
Info: Come join Martin D'Souza as he explores how spec-driven development is transforming Oracle APEX workflows with the power of AI and APEXlang. Learn how to define application specifications upfront and leverage AI to accelerate development — generating APEX components, enforcing standards, and reducing manual effort while maintaining full control over your application architecture.
🕑: 04:15 PM - 05:00 PM
Token Diet: The AWS Way — Maximizing Value from Every Token You Spend
Host: Hari Bala
Info: Come join Hari Bala, AWS Principal AIML Sales Specialist Leader, for a business-focused presentation on how organizations can maximize value from every token they spend on LLM/Agentic workloads. Learn strategies for optimizing token consumption, reducing costs, and driving better ROI from your AI investments — all through the lens of AWS's proven approaches and real-world customer patterns.
🕑: 05:00 PM - 05:15 PM
Closing Remarks & Sponsor Draws
Host: Wrap up
Info: Thank you for joining us! As we wrap up the day, stay for the closing remarks and your chance to win exciting prizes from our sponsors. Don't miss out — you must be present to win!
🕑: 05:15 PM - 06:00 PM
Networking & Appies
Host: Chill Time
Info: Wrap up the day by connecting with fellow attendees, speakers, and sponsors over complimentary appetizers and drinks. Share ideas, exchange contacts, and build lasting connections in a relaxed setting. See you there!
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 20.00 to CAD 50.00
