OK, so there is no surfing in Orlando, I get it, but a “hang ten” reference and a nice photo of a “tasty wave” always seem to peak people’s interest, right?  Start humming the Hawaii Five-O theme song now, even though we’re talking about Florida…

photo credit: SurferToday

There are over 1,700 sessions planned for SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG 2017 in Orlando, FL on May 16 to 18, 2017.  Here are 10 of them you should not miss.

ONE

IN43663 – Leapfrog Your Competitors and Exceed Customer Expectations / Hilmar Brunn, Mettler-Toledo / Heiko Flohr, SAP / Martin Groover, Caterpillar / Stefan Krauss, SAP
Ryan Murphy, Microsoft / Tuesday, May 16, 2017 / 11:00 AM-11:40 AM / Theater 3 / Increase profitability through revolutionary innovations in the Internet of Things, machine learning, software everywhere, entitlement management, digital supply chains, and component supply management. Find out how you can sharpen your competitive edge by using SAP S/4HANA as your digital core when you hear from three discrete manufacturers.

2

IN47092 – Deliver Value to Your Customers in a New, Cross-Industry, Digital World / Pat Bakey, President, SAP Industries / Tuesday May 16, 2017 / 1:00 PM – 1:20 PM / Live Business Theater / Find new ways to create value for your organization, and learn about the opportunities offered by digital transformation. Develop personalized, digitally enabled products across all sectors by using digital channels and new technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

three

IN47094 – Plan Your Digital Transformation Journey Effectively for Business Success / Martin Mrugal, Chief Innovation Officer and Head of Customer Experience at SAP / Tuesday May 16, 2017 / 3:00PM – 3:20PM / Live Business Theater / Enable a successful digital transformation by reimagining business models. Explore key strategies, services, and resources required for digital business and hear how strategic partnerships can help you achieve your transformation goals.

4

IN47093 – Navigate Through Your Application Landscape Transformation / Peter Maier, General Manager Energy and Natural Resources Industries at SAP / Tuesday May 16, 2017 / 3:30PM – 3:50PM / Live Business Theater / Seek and find clear guidance on your application landscape, and get expert knowledge through a new self-service tool. Use the SAP Transformation Navigator tool to find recommendations on an SAP S/4HANA-centric application landscape for products from SAP and partners, including expected business value, integration, services, and impact on licenses.

FIVE

IN43669 – Create Intuitive Applications Fast with the Industrial Internet of Things / Matti Maier, MAPAL / Tuesday May 16, 2017 / 11:30 AM-12:10 PM / IN626 / Enable agile application development by harnessing the power of the industrial Internet of Things. Learn how MAPAL Inc. turned to SAP Cloud Platform to create native apps for Apple iOS that offer precision tool management as a service and build on the company’s history of innovation, quality, and cost-efficiency.

photo credit:  isthat.info

6

BA46846 – Reimagine and Reinvent Business in the Digital Economy Keynote / Thomas McKee Jr., VP and CIO at Kennametal & Alex Atzberger, President SAP Ariba / Wednesday May 17, 2017 / 03:00 PM – 03:20 PM / Live Business Theater  / Reach new levels of procurement simplification and manage 100% of your supply chain with a world-class B2B network. Hear how chatbots and AI infuse buying processes with new user experiences and how network effects streamline management of thousands of suppliers. See how microservices simplify cloud-to-cloud integration to #MakeProcurementAwesome.

seven

BA47183 – Propel Your Digital Transformation Through the Power of Connected Data Keynote / Michael Nilles, Chief Digital Officer at Schindler Group & Helen Arnold, President SAP Data Network Thursday May 18, 2017 / 01:30 PM – 01:50  PM / Live Business Theater / Explore how data, the new center of gravity in today’s digital world, is redefining business models and disrupting markets. Hear how SAP Data Network creates unique insights from data to offer CEOs new growth opportunities and to enable superior customer experiences. Learn how Schindler Group has reimagined its business by putting data at the core.

8

BA46836 – Create New Business Models to Compete in the Digital Economy Theater Presentation / Thomas Kriechbaum, Chief Process Officer (CPO) & Head of Process Management and IT, Hoerbiger Group / Wednesday May 17, 2017 / 12:30 PM – 12:50 Pm / Theater 1 / Optimize your business and outperform the competition. Find out how HOERBIGER Group, a global leader in compression and drive technologies and hydraulic systems, is standardizing and simplifying business processes with SAP S/4HANA and SAP Cloud Platform to gain global transparency and greater efficiency.

NINE

IN43668 Crank Up Customer Loyalty and Competitive Differentiation / Heiko Flohr
Vice-President SAP Discrete Industries / Wednesday May 17, 2017 / 03:00 PM – 03:40 PM / Industries IN626 / Exceed customer expectations for on-time delivery while boosting competitive differentiation. Dive deep into breakthrough innovations such as digital supply chain management, machine learning, and the Internet of Things. See how to use SAP S/4HANA as your digital core with industry and development executives.

10

IN43670 – Decode Digitalization for Your Discrete Manufacturing Company / Gary Nelson
North American Industry Advisor, Industrial Machinery and Components / Wednesday May 17, 2017 / 01:00 PM – 01:40 PM / Industries IN626 / Realize tangible benefits in your discrete manufacturing business using digital technologies, and learn where best to apply these solutions. Hear an expert panel from Capgemini and SAP demystify key concepts and explain how to make digital digestible with the Fast Digital 4 Discrete Industries initiative by SAP and Capgemini.

To get you in the mood for surfing 10 waves, click here to listen to an absolute classic

YouTube Credit: Rock del Recuerdo / photo credit:  Goldmine Magazine

Hang loose, and I’ll see you in Orlando.

David J. Parrish is the Global Director of Industrial Machinery & Components Solutions Marketing for SAP. Before joining SAP, David held various product and industry marketing positions with J.D. Edwards, PeopleSoft, and QAD going back to 1999. Prior to J.D. Edwards, Dave held transportation, warehouse, manufacturing, purchasing, and materials management roles in the industrial, automotive, and medical device sectors. Dave has a B.S. in Advertising from the University of Illinois-Urbana, an MBA in Transportation Management from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and a Certification in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) from the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS).