30/30 VISION AT SAPPHIRE NOW 2019

Pearls are the traditional symbol for a 30th anniversary because they are enduring and last under pressure. SAP demonstrated its lasting endurance in enterprise technology at the 30th annual SAPPHIRE NOW 2019 event in Orlando. Over the course of my own 30 years at SAP, I have lost count of how many SAPPHIRE events I have attended. They range from scrappy little events where nearly all attendees and employees knew each other to the world-class show that saw over 20,000 customers, partners, influencers and employees cross through the convention center doors last week (not to mention the more than half a million people who participated online).

With that 30/30 vision in mind, I couldn’t be prouder of the Innovation Services and Solutions team (part of SAP’s Services and Support portfolio). What was once a small and enthusiastic team, arrived in 2019 as a fully developed pearl, ready to dazzle the attendee with its unique value across the entire event show floor.

On the Main Stage

Nothing is more exciting than seeing the work of your customers being featured in a SAPPHIRE NOW keynote. For the last eight years, our team’s work has graced the keynote stages – and this year was no exception.

In the Day 1 Keynote, Bill McDermott interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook. They spoke about the joint work to help the NHL change the in-game coaching experience by using technology. The NHL story was told in several different ways to different audiences at SAPPHIRE. It was presented in a panel discussion, featured in a Best Run Theater, explained in an interview by SAP’s Rob Bendl, and attendees were able to experience the coaching app in virtual reality on the show floor!

During the same Keynote, Adaire Fox Martin, President Global Customer Operations and Member of the SAP Executive Board, had a chat with Shell CIO Jay Crotts. They discussed the SkyPad app – an end-to-end refueling data capture solution, designed to optimize refueling operations, resulting in streamlined airplane turnaround times. If you’re interested to learn more about the SkyPad app, watch this in-depth video about Shell and read the article on how Shell refuels an airplane every 14 seconds.

Showcases to Remember

The show floor served to feature how our team helps our clients to make innovation real. In addition to the NHL showcase, you couldn’t miss the showcase around the Mercedes Benz EQ Formula E car. This stunner is the latest addition to the SAP global sponsorship family. We are working with Mercedes on- and off-track to find business innovations and solutions for their racing team. Thereby we support Mercedes in becoming the best team when they start racing in season six of the electric car racing season.

Recognized for Excellence

Thirty-three of the most innovative SAP customers were celebrated as winners and recipients of an SAP Innovation Award. Nine of them came from the innovation efforts of the incredible women and men of our organization. You can read about them in this blog by Oliver Betz.

Leaders Sharing their Perspective

Maggie Buggie, is newly appointed as the leader of Innovation Services and Solutions. This organization brings together SAP Innovation Services and SAP Innovative Business Solution into one collaborative unit. If you would like to get to know Maggie and her point of view on innovation, I encourage you to

• Read her pre-SAPPHIRE interview on the SAP News Center: SAP Helps Companies Make Innovation Real in Experience Economy
• Watch her interview at SAPPHIRE on The Need for Innovation and How to Make it Real  
• Enjoy her conversation with Andrei Semenov from Coke One on Create Business Value Using Intelligent Technologies

Oliver Betz, global head of SAP Innovative Business Solutions, also had a lot to share. In his pre-SAPPHIRE interview he offers his perspective on driving innovation. You can also see him in action at SAPPHIRE NOW in two video interviews:

• Make Innovation Real for Your Intelligent Enterprise
• Disruptive vs. Continual Innovation

Humbled by the Commitment

Everyone knows that events like SAPPHIRE NOW only happen with the crazy hard work of a lot of people behind the scenes. It always starts with colleagues like designers, data scientists and developers who together with our clients, make innovation real. And then there is the event staff – show floor planners, demo orchestrators … and the folks who figure out how to replicate an ice hockey rink in a convention center.

But what always blows my mind and keeps me humble, is our clients who clamor to be on stage – not to fill the needs of their personal egos, but to share their experiences. They have a true passion to raise the overall level of performance and ability to deliver world-class experiences across their entire market space.

Huge thank you to everyone who put their heart into creating this one-of-a-kind experience.

Going Gaga for Innovation

Innovation is all about taking what is unique about your enterprise and delivering it to the world. It aims at differentiating yourself from your competition and becoming the best you can be. Hence, it was fitting that we closed the event with Lady Gaga – a musical innovator known for her unconventionality and experimentation.

Final Note

They say hindsight is 20/20. This week, for me it’s 30/30. I look back with tremendous pride in the journey both SAPPHIRE and I have taken. To celebrate, I might treat myself to pearl jewelry in October, for my own 30th anniversary with SAP!