A countdown to collaboration: UKISUG CONNECT 2017

We’re less than two months away from UKISUG CONNECT 2017. Once again, the conference will be returning to the International Conference Centre in Birmingham from the 26^th-28^th November, bringing together more than 500 SAP customers and 70 exhibitors.

This year’s conference will offer over 90 hours of education delivered by more than 100 SAP specialists, making it the biggest event of its kind to date. For 2017, the theme for UKISUG CONNECT will be ‘The Power of Collaboration’, as users will be encouraged to network, share their SAP experiences and listen to insight from independent experts, fellow customers and SAP.

Following a number of workshops and a networking reception on the Sunday, the new UKISUG chairman, Paul Cooper, will be officially kicking off the conference with his opening keynote on the Monday. In his speech, Paul will be updating users on the group’s activities over the last 12 months, as well as laying out plans on how the group will continue to support members moving forward.

Popular returning speakers Hala Zeine, SVP and Chief Business Development Officer at SAP, and Ray Wang, Principal Analyst and Founder of analyst firm Constellation Research, will also be back to discuss the latest business, management and technology trends. Their joint keynote session will look at disruptive technologies from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the Internet of Things (IoT), how these can fit together, how SAP is addressing these technology trends and how your organisation can make the most of them. Additionally, Ray Wang will return on the Tuesday to ask, ‘What happens when the machines take over? In this session, Ray will look at the real impact of AI on workforces, explain how smart technology will interact with humans and share what this will mean for you and your organisation.

Mike Slater, SAP’s recently appointed Managing Director for UK & Ireland will also be sharing his top priorities for the UK market in 2018, with many other key SAP UK experts, partners and customers providing insights throughout the conference. Following this, delegates can choose from more than 100 different breakout sessions on a range of topics from digital transformation, AI and compliance, to supply chain, payroll, user experience and S/4 HANA – ensuring that all attendees have the opportunity to learn.

Plenty of SAP customers will be sharing their stories during the conference, including Jaguar Land Rover, HMRC, Warburtons, Univar, Newcastle University, Tata Steel and British Gas.

After a packed day of breakout sessions, speaker presentations and collaboration opportunities, Monday will finish with the return of the immensely popular SUGFest, where delegates can network and unwind amongst other SAP professionals and enjoy a live comedy club, a festive market, live music and a casino and bar.

Activities will be split across all three days, ensuring there is something for all SAP users in every department, from payroll to user experience professionals. For more information, you can follow us on Twitter, or visit the website, where there is even a list of reasons to convince your boss. Places can be booked here.