Tips for Maximizing Your SAPPHIRE Experience
Posted by Chase Powell on Wed, May 11, 2011 @ 12:59 PM
The annual SAPPHIRE Now and ASUG Conference 2011 is just around the corner. It’s an extensive event with many education sessions, presentation demo pods and vendor booths . It’s best to actively manage your week to bring home the most from this event.
To get some tips on maximizing SAPPHIRE, we spoke to our Vendavo colleague David McElroy – formerly with SAP, and veteran of a dozen SAPPHIRE events. His advice:
- Set your SAPPHIRE goals. Why are you here? Are you responsible for a technology roadmap or solving a business problem? What answers do you need to come back with?
- Build your plan. The event is huge, you’ll never cover everything, and some sessions may run concurrently. Use an agenda builder and prioritize the sessions that will take you to your goal.
- Share. Talk to the people you find at the booths or sessions you included in your plan – you can learn some additional insights and valuable information. Most importantly, when you get to the office, discuss what you learned with your team.
If you’re reading this blog, you might have “learn more about pricing solutions” as one of your SAPPHIRE goals. When you build your plan, here are three ways to learn more about pricing (for session details, see our event release):
- Meet a customer. Ask Mohawk’s Linda Woody, VP of M.O.R.E. Pricing, how her company is solving their pricing challenges and adding big value.
- Talk to others who share your perspective on pricing – by role/group in the company (for example, at the Line of Business Microforum) or by industry (at the Life Sciences or Manufacturing Microforums)
- See it for yourself. Swing by the Vendavo booth #2126 and view a demo, talk to the executives, or pick up additional information.
Beyond that – enjoy the event! Hit the keynotes, enjoy the nightlife, and get outside the building once in a while. In any case, have a great SAPPHIRE, and we look forward to seeing you there!