SAPPHIRE NOW 2015 Conference

Events

SAPPHIRE NOW & ASUG 2015 Conference

Prospects got the scoop!

They all screamed for ice cream as Deloitte provided guidance on turning technology into business results at SAPPHIRE NOW 2015!

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Maybe it was the cool, refreshing ice cream scoops on the banner ads; maybe it was the innovative programming in the Deloitte booth; or perhaps it was the pervasive presence of leadership and practitioners in sessions, meetings and networking events. But whatever the cause, the effect was extraordinary: Deloitte enjoyed great success in strengthening its reputation for turning technology into business results at SAPPHIRE NOW 2015!

SAPPHIRE NOW is the largest SAP customer-run conference, and it’s a huge investment for Deloitte’s SAP Alliance. Over 17,000 conference delegates participated in this year’s event, which took place in Orlando, Florida, from May 5-7, 2015. Focusing on the cloud and SAP® S/4HANA, the overarching theme of the conference was “Run Simple,” and it served as a guidepost for Deloitte activities at the event. With the objective of sparking ideas and conversation about how to leverage SAP solutions to solve real-world business problems, Deloitte’s SAP Alliance employed several visual tools, including a mobile version of the Deloitte Analytics HIVE (Highly Immersive Visual Environment), the digitized SAP Enterprise Value Map (EVM), and the ever-so-popular EnVision Wall (see details below). The results? Here’s a quick rundown by the numbers:

  • Maintained a huge footprint on the show floor (30’ x 50’)
  • Featured more than 60 demos in the Deloitte booth
  • Participated in 34 conference sessions
  • Hosted 33 booth theatre presentations, which attracted over 500 conference delegates
  • Engaged more than 58 clients in the HIVE
  • Generated more than 40 posts to the Activities Feed on the Deloitte Events app and over 500 tweets on the @DeloitteSAP Twitter handle

In addition to posting impressive numbers, there were many memorable highlights at this year’s event. Deloitte leadership and practitioners hosted several well-attended presentations and demos aimed at helping prospects envision practical ways to “Run Simple.” For example, attendees packed the house to hear Tech Trends 2015: The fusion of business and IT, presented by Bill Briggs, CTO, and Jagadish Bandla, HANA Leader, and they also filled several client events and networking dinners to capacity.

Despite the strong draw of Deloitte’s programming and special events, some of the most novel activity occurred in the booth. Here, skeptics became believers as they saw “the art of the possible” enter the realm of the probable. In addition to numerous demos and theatre presentations, the booth featured Deloitte’s digitized SAP EVM as well as the Envision Wall, a fully interactive, creative experience that brought together graffiti art, technology and business. Here, practitioners asked delegates thought-provoking questions about their technology and business goals live from the booth or via Twitter, and quick-thinking savvy illustrators brought the collective thoughts and ideas to life on the Wall for everyone to see. Even if delegates weren’t participating in the questions and sharing their thoughts, it certainly caught the eye of people walking by. And, the eye-catching artistic flare didn’t stop there! A digital caricaturist captured the attention of conference attendees while providing an opportunity for them to ask questions of Deloitte practitioners as they waited in line to receive their drawings. Take a look at the sketches to see what made everyone smile.

Indeed, the flow of traffic at the Deloitte booth was virtually non-stop, as hundreds of attendees dropped in, looking for guidance on how to resolve their business problems. And, during their visit, they received an extra reminder of Deloitte’s reputation for excellence when they walked past the 2015 SAP Pinnacle Award for Quality Partner of the Year, which Deloitte received at the conference. The award recognizes the services partner that has demonstrated the best overall performance as measured by number of escalations tracked by SAP, by customer feedback such as reference stories, and by commitment to high quality deployments. Jagadish Bandla, HANA Leader; Jan Waals, Global SAP Practice Leader; and Helen Tomas, Global SAP Alliance Marketing accepted the award this year on Deloitte’s behalf.

Another big hit at the conference was the Prohibition-themed party at Bahama Breeze. More than 1,200 people registered for this exciting night at Deloitte’s specially designed private speakeasy, featuring great food, fine spirits and entertainment straight out of The Roaring Twenties. View photos from the evening event.

From Deloitte’s sponsorship of ice cream breaks and the escalator clings to its vast social media presence, the marketing efforts in support of these activities continued around the clock. For instance, Deloitte staff stayed in touch with participants via the new Deloitte SAP Events App, and they sent more than 500 tweets during the three days, highlighting the caricaturist, presentations, the HIVE, etc. And, the social interaction was a two-way street. Conference attendees and Deloitte practitioners continuously posted on the app and tweeted back to @DeloitteSAP as well.

Deloitte’s participation in this year’s SAPPHIRE was as flavorful and multi-faceted as a quintuple-dipped cone. But don’t worry if you missed it. You can watch some of the highlights and replays. Also be sure to check out Deloitte’s ASUG News Room interviews with Nina Oddo and Sanjib Mukherjee.

For additional questions regarding SAPPHIRE NOW, please contact SAP@deloitte.com.