SAPinsider 2022: Education Driving Technology, Leadership, and Sustainability

The SAPinsider 2022 conference is currently underway with an exciting gathering of experts, thought leaders, educators, speakers, and hands-on labs.

Highlights of the convention thus far include a compelling keynote opener with Julia White, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer and member of the Executive Board at SAP SE, sharing her thoughts on the future of technology, leadership, and sustainability. Jonathan Becher, President of Sharks Sports and Entertainment, gave SAPinsiders a look at how his team weathered the pandemic with innovation, strategy, and a business-minded approach to IT.

Not only is Las Vegas home to some of the most amazing hotels, performances, and restaurants in the world, but it is also the home of this year’s SAPinsider 2022 Event. The conference is held at the beautiful Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attendees from all over the world have gathered to network and gain knowledge and inspiration. Participants learn how to take SAP to the next level in their organizations. Over 2500 attendees are at the Bellagio Hotel this week, absorbing information across 250 breakout sessions and keynote speakers. 

Julia White set the stage in a packed room on Tuesday morning. She did a fantastic job answering the question many insiders have “How can we  enable transformation?” She explained how innovation can be difficult.  Julia gave a comprehensive overview of SAP at the apex of solutions for these issues using different technologies from SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP Software Solutions to Rise with SAP how it enables a business to become an intelligent and sustainable enterprise. 

Jonathan Becher, President of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, scored when he expanded upon Julia’s solutions to offer us a real-world example of how these solutions work. The pandemic heavily affected businesses that relied upon in-person interaction. The San Jose Sharks were deeply affected by the pandemic. People weren’t able to show up to hockey games. Firms like these had to think of innovative ways to virtually bring the fans to the game. The San Jose Sharks put the fans directly into the experience, virtually. He explained that while in virtual reality, if you were injured, you were carried away by medics the same way a real hockey player would. This was just one way his team worked to maintain fan loyalty. When thinking of ways to increase engagement, you want to do things virtually that you can’t experience in the “real world.” The fans are hockey lovers, but they are not hockey players. However, they can virtually live the same life their favorite players live for the ultimate fan experience. Data is also another important part of this experience. The data analytics allowed Jonathan to answer important questions to see what was profitable, what was not, what time to hold a game, and more. Companies can then make more informed decisions after reviewing their data.

SAPinsider 2022 attendees are privy to high-level speakers from some of the most influential minds in business and technology. Andrew Binns, author of Corporate Explorer: How Corporations Beat Startups at the Innovation Game, spoke about corporate transformation. Andy took insiders on a journey of how corporations innovate and some of the secrets he has learned. Shifts happen, and companies often struggle to adapt to the ebbs and flows of the business. Andy notes, “as a corporate explorer, you have to become obsessed with how to solve the customer problem.” Those who discover innovative ways to ideate, incubate, and scale become heroes after they succeed, and this is one of the ways in which corporations beat startups in innovation. Will you be the next corporate explorer? 

The exhibit hall is hustling and bustling with our SAPinsider partners connecting with end users to share their insights, products, and services. The best-in-class Partners are educating attendees, letting them know how their products can help with the continued success of SAP.   We caught up with a few members of the Pure Storage team. Pure Storage is on a mission to uncomplicate data storage forever. They rely on innovative, cloud-ready solutions and the best experience in technology to turn bottlenecks into breakthroughs and data into powerful outcomes. Peter from Pure Storage said, “COVID-19 was challenging, and currently, being at this SAPinsider conference feels like a great family reunion. We are really enjoying being here.”

Now that we are returning to a sense of normalcy post-pandemic, we must continue to be innovative, always thinking about how things can change at any moment.  The SAPinsider 2022 event could not have come at a better time.