I attended SAP Sapphire 2022 in person in Orlando. As a new SAP Mentor, I got lucky and scored a ticket. It may have been hot and sweaty outside, but it was worth the trip. Here are my unfiltered thoughts:
- Every day featured a morning keynote presentation. As I get older (and wiser, of course) I find my preference for cut-through-the-BS storytelling growing stronger. Every keynote moment that moved away from a real-life customer story was a moment that risked losing my attention.
- The second day keynote presentation featured a story about Casey’s reimagining their consumer app experience, and that resonated STRONGLY with me. It also made me hungry, because damn if Casey’s doesn’t actually have some of the best gas station pizza in the world. I’m from Iowa, and every time I go back home I stop at a Casey’s gas station.
- Sustainability made an appearance in several places. I think turning the business world toward that goal will be one of the most impactful things we can do in enterprise software.
- The show floor experience was better. There were fewer people present, but the show occupied the same square footage as earlier years, so it was a little easier to breathe.
I heard several people make comments like “I don’t know if it’s just how excited I am to be around people again, but I feel like this is the best Sapphire in years!” – I have to agree. In the past I judged a conference based on the announcements of new tech, ideas, and approaches; under that grading scheme, this Sapphire would have been a bust. But I’m into stories, and connections, and communication now…and under that scheme, this Sapphire was great. PM
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