Looking back on the SAP Discovery Day 2023: The Future of Analytics & Integration

At a festival, you’ll find inspiring artists, a great atmosphere, stunning performances, entertainment, and sometimes a surprising twist. Combine this with the theme of Analytics & Integration, and you have all the ingredients for a successful Business Festival: the SAP Discovery Day for Analytics & Integration, held on October 31st at DeFabrique in Utrecht.

How do you kick off a festival? By setting the right tone from the start, and you can certainly rely on Ronald Hoenink for that. He understands the power of the SAP Business Technology Platform like no other. BTP feels like a new dawn, a new day, and a new life for organizations. So, he kept his speech short and surprised everyone by taking a different approach. As the lead singer of the SAP BTP, he treated the attendees to a fantastic a cappella version of the well-known song ‘Feeling Good.’

Feeling good. Getting curious. Understanding the possibilities of analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Getting excited about systems that seamlessly integrate, data-driven organizations, and hearing customer stories about how innovation transformed their businesses. And also, being surprised by everything that is possible now and in the future. The SAP Discovery Day for Analytics & Integration had it all.

Team Liquid and AI

Take Team Liquid, for example. You can compare Team Liquid to FC Barcelona or Real Madrid, the biggest sports clubs in the world, but in the world of e-sports. Team Liquid’s athletes compete in packed stadiums with millions of viewers around the world. It’s the sport of the new generation, similar to traditional sports but played with a mouse and keyboard. Team Liquid has already earned $44 million in prize money, thanks in part to SAP. Through machine learning, AI, and predictive analytics, Team Liquid knows what to expect in matches and what the opponent is likely to do. Their foundation is the SAP Business Technology Platform. Max ‘Qojqva’ Bröcker and Jason Luijckx from Team Liquid inspired the attendees of the SAP Discovery Day with their story of innovation and technology.

Jesper Schleimann, Strategy & Innovation Officer at SAP, did the same. He showed what AI can do, what it means for your organization, and how to prepare for it, such as with SAP Joule. “AI doesn’t replace your work,” Schleimann said. “But your work can be taken over by someone who is better at using AI.” His session concluded the first part of the day.

After a short break, attendees split into four rooms for breakout sessions. There was also time for discussion, inspiration, and enjoyment. In the welcoming reception area, a DJ provided pleasant tunes throughout the afternoon. Live illustrators rapidly captured and portrayed attendees. Visitors could also listen in to live podcasts or test their gaming skills with Team Liquid. The SAP Business Technology Platform Diamond Game offered attendees the opportunity to discover the possibilities for their organization’s challenges.

Data and layers of music

During the breakout sessions, various small spaces were transformed into inspiring arenas. Attendees gained new insights. For example, did you know that music helps you see data in a different way? Christof Zürn talked about it in his session on The Power of Music Thinking. Music consists of layers, each with its own value. By looking at these layers differently, you can see new possibilities. Can you discover all the melodies in your organization’s data?

Wefabricate, an ambitious company in the manufacturing industry, also sees new opportunities. They chose to switch to SAP S/4HANA Cloud for their business processes, with McCoy handling the implementation, and they shared their inspiring journey.

Another remarkable collaboration is the one between SAP and Google Cloud. Since this year, both parties have been working closely to create an open data offering that simplifies data landscapes and unleashes the power of business data. Eddy Reimerink and Ekaterina Kruse explained how this works and the significant role AI plays in it.

In the breakout sessions, our customers were the artists. Besides Wefabricate, leaders from Versuni, JDE Peet’s, Shimano Europe, ASML, and ProRail also shared their unique developments. Various companies from different industries and sizes, but with ambition as a common denominator. The ambition to grow, innovate, and improve.

SAP partners Acorel, Capgemini, Collibra, cpmview, Expertum, Google Cloud, Interdobs, McCoy, Rojo and Solace also shared their expertise in various sessions.

Versuni and Interdobs shared how they use smart strategies and data analysis to maximize Versuni’s performance during Amazon Prime Day using SAP Datasphere. These insights will be shared in an upcoming episode of the Business Innovation with SAP podcast. Meanwhile, you can explore other episodes featuring Shimano Europe and Acorel here.

For those with a specific interest in a SAP solution or partner, they could join a session led by an expert. Elton Habits talked about SAP Preferred Success, explaining how it helps you get the most out of your SAP Business Technology Platform. A hint: a successful implementation is not the finish line; it’s actually just the beginning.

The desire to change

But how can you end on a better note than in beauty? So, the final word of this Business Festival belonged to Daan Roosegaarde. With Studio Roosegaarde, he makes the world a bit more beautiful. He asked himself: if you have an idea, how do you know if it’s a good idea? His answer was simple: you never really know. But you should start working on it. Think in terms of possibilities and collaborations. Surround yourself with people who can do things you can’t. Such collaborations lead to remarkable innovations, such as a Smog Tower that cleans polluted air or a luminous bike path in the style of Van Gogh in Nuenen, Eindhoven.

Don’t think in terms of problems but seek solutions and improvements. Because it’s precisely the ability and desire to change things that sets us apart from machines. Get inspired, come up with ideas, and create new melodies. The SAP Discovery Day for Analytics & Integration was a step toward the future.