Did You Attend the First SAPPHIRE Back in 1989?
As is expected and realized every year, SAPPHIRE NOW will likely prove to be the biggest and best customer event SAP has hosted to-date. But, with so much attention this year given to new customer transformations, new technology and business innovation announcements and more, it might be lost on some that SAPPHIRE will celebrate it’s 25th anniversary next year. What started out with about 120 people gathering in a hotel in Princeton New Jersey, today has become the premier, customer event, expecting over 17,000 attendees inside one million square feet of venue space! Check out the SAP Facebook timeline for a cool retrospective on SAP’s history. So, let me attempt to be the first to wish SAPPHIRE NOW an early 25th anniversary congratulations.
| Then and now… the first SAPPHIRE logo, circa 1989 |
This is a graphic of SAPPHIRE NOW…all 1 Million Square Feet. The Professional Services & Construction Forum location is near the entrance, indicated by the red box. |
 |
 |
So, what has changed about SAPPHIRE in 24 years? Too much to mention here, but I will highlight something new this year, that has been 24 years in the making, so to speak: SAPPHIRE NOW Forums.
This new format will hold everything and everyone in one location, in one day for the Professional Services & Construction Industry. The Forum is simplified one-day community format that will make it easier for participants to identify and attend the sessions that matter most and meet with peers who share common industry interests and challenges. Below is a summary of the key sessions that are specific to EC&O Industry participants taking place on the first day of SAPPHIRE, May 14th, within the Forum area:
| 1:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. | Innovate Commercial Project Management for Services Industries | Gain greater visibility into and control over projects from the initial bid – and manage updates and changes – throughout the project lifecycle. Discover how you can benefit from deep integration of cost and pricing models from within cost and revenue calculation routines, thanks to an innovative commercial project management application. |
| 1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. | Improve Bids and Project Control with Commercial Project Management | Enjoy greater visibility and control over your projects, from providing initial bids to managing updates and making changes throughout the project lifecycle. See a live demonstration of the SAP Commercial Project Management application, and discover its numerous functionalities. |
| 1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. | Go Mobile to Ramp Up Service Efficiency | Take business processes mobile across your enterprise to discover the potential benefits. Learn how Transfield Services Pty. Ltd., a global operations, maintenance, and construction services business, is making its processes more efficient and effective with help from SAP Mobile Platform. |
| 2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. | Visualize the Entire Construction Lifecycle with Virtual Design | See how you can unify and visualize complex project data across multiple systems, enabling accelerated decision making and optimizing productivity. See how Kiewit Corporation is moving toward true virtual design and construction with help from SAP 3D Visual Enterprise applications. |
| 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. | Monitor Risks Associated with Subcontractor Insolvency | This discussion highlights the value of software systems that monitor the financial condition and sentiment of your subcontractors in real time. Learn how alerts from these systems can help you take preemptive action to ensure that your project delivery is a success. |
| 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | Transform Your Commercial Real Estate Business Processes | This discussion explains how you can gain real-time insight into real estate data. Discover how Canadian builder and developer Minto Group Inc. can see the complete picture, from finance to diverse portfolio management, delivered by SAP solutions |
| 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. | Improve Commercial Project Management with Innovative Software | This discussion details lessons learned from the release of an innovative commercial project management application. Hear how KPMG LLP, a global U.S. audit and tax firm, has been progressing with the SAP Commercial Project Management application as part of a ramp-up program. |
| 3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. | Rely on Automation with a Mobile Enterprise Application Platform | Connect your mobile workers to business processes anytime, anywhere. Find out how Day & Zimmermann, a company that provides a wide variety of services across industry segments, used SAP Mobile Platform to automate time collection and approvals for the page program at NBCUniversal Media LLC. |
| 4:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. | Embrace a Data-Driven Approach to the Construction Business | Influence the future instead of reporting the past. Such a transformation is possible when you use a rapid-deployment solution that can empower your company to make better decisions faster. Discuss how real-time access to industry-specific key performance indicators can optimize the performance of your construction business. |
| 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. | Realize Greater Collaboration in Engineering and Construction | This discussion reveals how you can boost efficiency with greater collaboration. Discover how Enerfab Inc., a fast-growing construction and fabrication services firm, implemented SAP Business Suite software and realized positive results across its U.S. regional facilities. |
PS. If you’re reading this and were at the original SAPPHIRE in 1989, please comment! We’d really like to hear about your experience.
Thanks for sharing this David! I especially liked the SAP Facebook timeline.
I wasn't there in '89 - I'd also be interested in hearing from those who were there. 🙂