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Cornelia
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert
After two years of virtual only, the SAP Financials Forum reopened its doors in Walldorf on March 21, 2022 with the aim of presenting all news on SAP Financials in a compact form. In order to offer the greatest possible flexibility to all interested parties, the Forum was conducted in hybrid mode for the first time, bringing together more than 142 participants from German-speaking countries in both virtual form and on-site. Three days full of more than 18 expert talks, three half-day training sessions, two evening events, a panel discussion and many opportunities to network with participants and SAP experts.
Read more in this report.

Kick-off in studio atmosphere
The event was kicked-off by the organizers, Christoph Rendel and Magnus Metzler, using professional broadcast and lighting technology for the very first time. This ensured that our virtual participants could follow all events on Monday in high audiovisual quality.
In his opening keynote, André Hess, a longtime SAP expert in Finance, presented various Finance topics in the context of transition scenarios to SAP S/4HANA.


A colourful bouqet of more than 18 expert talks
The core of the forum consisted of several parallel lecture blocks, allowing participants to compile their own agenda. SAP experts presented various hot topics from the SAP Financials area in 90-minute expert talks that combined theoretical overviews, system demos, and Q&A sessions. As the following overview shows, the Forum provided a particularly colorful mix of topics on the program this year.



Hands-on insights into SAP S/4HANA in three half-day courses
The multiday event also offered the opportunity for participants to practice hands-on with an SAP system. For this purpose, the participants could register for one of three compact half-day courses, conducted over three afternoons. Two “delta courses” were available to demonstrate the innovations in SAP S/4HANA for Finance (S4F01) and Controlling (S4F02), as well as a course that explains the new reporting architecture in SAP S/4HANA (S4F07) 

As with the lectures, the participants were also able to opt for virtual or on-site participation in the courses.


Panel discussion about the future of learning
Many companies face strategic disruptions and challenges in the context of process digitalization, including migration topics around SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud. SAP Learning aims to support customers, partners, and employees by offering tailored learning opportunities. 

In this context, the organizers were delighted to be able to interview Max Wessel, Chief learning officer of SAP, on “The Future of Learning”.  Joining live from Palo Alto (California), Max answered all questions coming from the audience while the discussion was translated live by an interpreter.  

In the context of the migration topics, Max addressed the challenges for customers, particularly in the Finance area, and outlined his vision of how SAP Learning intends to support with different learning offerings and strategies.


Virtual coffee breaks and a hybrid “Meet The Expert” session
Particular attention was paid this year to providing enough room for open exchange and networking between participants and SAP experts. An online platform provided the opportunity to have virtual coffee breaks together. Additionally, a hybrid “Meet the Expert” session was offered for the first time, in which all participants could ask questions to SAP experts from different departments over 45 minutes. The meeting took place at various standing tables, which were distributed at the training center, with the virtual participants being able to participate directly in all conversations via an online platform.
A brand new format and great opportunity for all participant groups and speakers to exchange!




Evening events in a double pack
A successful, interactive round of the days was formed by the evening event on Tuesday, during which the participants could opt for a dinner at Hotel Vorfelder in Walldorf or for an exciting “Escape Room” game. In this game all players came together virtually as detectives looking for stolen diamonds - the evening was rounded off with a drinks package.



Outlook
All in all, we look back on three informative days full of exciting learning opportunities and lively personal exchanges, and we are already looking forward to the next German forum, which will be held on March 20-22, 2023.  

English Event on May 9-11, 2022!
You couldn't join the Forum? We gladly invite you to our English-speaking SAP Financials Forum from 9-11. May 2022 where we present selected topics of the German event in a half-day virtual format. For more information and to sign-up, check out this one-pager.


Contact Person: Magnus Metzler, Product Learning Specialist (magnus.metzler@sap.com)