In just 8 weeks, about 1,000 people in the SAP utilities community will converge on Huntington Beach, California, for the 6th annual SAP for Utilities Conference.
So here’s something even people who have attended this conference in the past may not know: months and months before everyone arrives at the event, we hold focus groups across North America to determine what our customers and prospective customers want to learn about, see and experience at this year’s conference. That input drives our Call for Papers, and our ultimate speaker selections—which are also reviewed and recommended by a customer panel.
Some of this year’s “hot topics?” Not surprisingly, among them are: customer engagement; mobility; reporting and analytics; user experience; insight into the SAP roadmap, as well as solution enhancements and best practices for implementations.
Our customers want to hear not only about new solutions SAP can support their business with, but also how to get the most from their current investments. Mid-size utilities want to hear from other utilities like them. Water, gas and electric utilities all want to hear from one another, too.
We heard you loud and clear. And if the (historic!) registration numbers are any indication, customers like what they are seeing in the agenda.
What You Can Learn About at SAP for Utilities 2013
Reflecting the challenge that all utilities have before them, the theme of the event is: Designing the Modern Utility. How are utilities making faster, smarter decisions….better enabling their employees to work more efficiently…ensuring their investments are in the right places? You’ll hear how via 32 track sessions plus a number of keynote presentations from industry leaders. Peoples Natural Gas SVP CIO, Ruth Delost-Wylie will tell attendees what it’s like Standing Up an Entire Utility in 14 Months. Deloitte’s John McCue will propose how utilities can use technology to Change the Equation as they face the need to address infrastructure and environmental regulations while experiencing flat customer demand.
Speaking of modern challenges, SAP’s President of Regulated Industries, Jen Morgan, will moderate a panel entitled “Lessons from the Storm Front” to spotlight how utilities are changing customer communications and emergency response to ensure customer care in the age of Super Storms and social media. In fact, SAP plans to showcase a number of our customers who are stepping up to the challenges of the day. Always a conference highlight, you won’t want to miss the presentation of our annual SAP Best-Run Utility Awards the morning of September 16. Later that afternoon, Henry Bailey, Global Vice President, Utilities Industry Business Solutions, will bring home how SAP is supporting our customers with technology and services that help utilities respond to customer and stakeholder demands like never before.
But enough about them. Remember—this conference is about you.
With your head full of great ideas and inspiration from the keynotes and track sessions, it’s time to talk about your challenges in your organization. Be sure to join one of the scheduled topical roundtable discussions with ASUG or with specific utilities (Iberdrola USA on Field Automation, Southern California Edison on BW on HANA, and Atmos on their Customer Service System implementation). You’ll be sure to gain some real-world tips from peers who can help you be more successful. We’ve also included a roundtable on building use cases for addressing Big Data, hosted by SAP Value Engineering. A similar session was held recently at the International Utilities Conference in Copenhagen and it was so popular, it quickly filled to capacity.
What You Can See at SAP for Utilities 2013
No doubt about it: SAP and our robust ecosystem of partners are incredibly proud of what we are bringing to market. We can’t wait to show you our latest technology and services to help you run better. So, when you’re building your agenda, be sure to plan time for demos and partner discussions as well as the track sessions and keynotes. We have a full exhibit hall with some new Demo Theaters to showcase the solutions that give you speed, insight and usability for your modern utility.
What You Can Experience
One of the best parts about SAP for Utilities is the networking. Year after year, SAP for Utilities Conference attendees tell us how much they get from sharing one-on-one with other attendees. In response, we actually dropped a full hour of content sessions last year to make room for more informal networking. Don’t underestimate the power of connecting with people who can help make you a rock star in your organization. In addition to the Welcome Reception Sunday night, the Evening Under the Stars Monday night, please save Tuesday evening for a special charity event on the beach, followed by Partner Night activities.
SAP, our partners, ASUG and The Eventful Group really hope you join us for the knowledge, the networking, the experience that is uniquely SAP for Utilities.
Until then, stay up to date on all things SAP Utilities at sap4utilities, and the SAP for Utilities 2013 North American Conference at www.sap-for-utilities.com.
See you in Huntington Beach!
