I have to admit my first year at SAPPHIRE was pretty over-whelming. This is a gloriously large and well organized conference with 100s of sessions, SAP kiosks, partner booths and daily keynotes. Around 20,000 people attended and a million participated virtually. Aside from meeting our partners Cideon, LeverX and Utopia in person, I believe I got the most out of the keynote speakers. I was surprised, and pleased, to hear high level business executives discuss the impact innovation and automation will have on many people along with how they are planning to bridge the skill gap. Business can, and often does, have a positive impact on community and can help solve the challenges that lay ahead for all of us. I look forward to next year’s conference and hope to see you there.

Notes from SAPPHIRE 2018

Day 1 of SAPPHIRE: So wonderful to hear SAP values its partners and looks to them to help extend SAP functionality throughout the corporation. Also, a very interesting panel on Intelligent Enterprise. S/4 is the future. Weather in Florida: eye glass steaming humid! I’d take a selfie but I can’t see.

Day 2 of SAPPHIRE: A most interesting term keeps coming up in keynotes: Augmented Human. I very much like the fact that business leaders understand the impact AI can have on many workers and are creating a strategy to help train people for the future. This is good for business, for the workforce and the economy.

Day 3 of SAPPHIRE:  I thought I had managed to walk every part of the exhibit hall and knew how to get around when I turned a corner and realized I had no idea where I was! I believe this conference occupies a physical space that is larger than the town I live in. Luckily there are plenty of snacks to be found on the journey from one session, or meeting, to the other.

Day 4 of SAPPHIRE:  “Hope is delicious” Jon Bon Jovi takes the stage. What an inspiring discussion. JBJ Soul Foundation https://lnkd.in/e5HaTCD

SAPPHIRE Concert: Justin Timberlake. Such a great performer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T6QCHWi7GQ