As of today, we are just over 6 weeks out from the annual SAP for Utilities North American Conference 2012 (Sept. 9-12 in Hollywood, FL). This is the 5th year of this unique conference, which has thrived because of the engagement and support from the SAP utilities community. Given an inside look at the SAP Utilities team, the amount of activity and excitement almost looks like we are planning a wedding. We are inviting all our guests, and planning every detail to ensure the event delivers an amazing and memorable experience.
So, of course, we have an amazing venue, for starters: the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, right on the beach. Good start, right?
I can’t help but think the event theme is a perfect reflection of the times: Innovating for the Future. Every single one of the utility executives speaking at the conference sparked to this theme. As a result, we have an amazing line up of speakers to share how their utilities are embracing innovation, including
- Moray Dewhurst, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, NextEra Energy, Inc.
- Mamatha Chamarthi, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Consumers Energy, with Steve Cardell, President, HCL EAS
- Tom Kindred, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, SaskPower
In addition to the keynote presentations, customers will also find it interesting to hear Stefan Engelhardt, head of the utilities industry business unit, discuss upcoming product launches in his presentation on the SAP for Utilities Roadmap.
We will also host our annual SAP Best-Run Utility Awards presentation, during which SAP recognizes some of the amazing work our customers are doing with SAP solutions.
Of course, one of the best ways to learn is from hearing from and talking with your colleagues. There will be nearly 40 track sessions covering a range of important topics from customer engagement and mobility to operational risk management and leveraging analytics and SAP HANA for dramatically improved outcomes. For this year’s conference, we have revisited the format to address some clear input from past attendees: more water and gas content, and more networking opportunities, please! So...
- We’ve added dedicated tracks for Water & Gas
- A number of sessions are organized as roundtables to allow discussion
- Plus, we shortened the second day, to ensure everyone has more time to network with colleagues, which we know is one of the best parts about coming to this conference
Finally, we know it’s more fun to experience innovations than just hear about them. And our solution demonstration area is all about that. Come see--and get your hands on--the latest in what SAP and our partners offer. Plus, we’ll be featuring an Innovation Center, where a number of SAP partners will showcase how to put all these innovations together to transform your business.
So, all in all, it’s shaping up to be a terrific event. I know all the presenters and folks behind the scenes are working hard to make it so—and we look forward to seeing you at ‘the big event.’
