It is sure clear from this 41-year-old’s perch that SAP and its partners are taking certain steps to appeal to the next generation of developers and business analysts.
So much of the Sapphire Now show in Orlando this week screams “Young!” For example:
- The music played before the keynotes included many modern tunes. Sure, as my colleague Dave Hannon mentioned on Twitter, I was getting my lighter out for Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” but that song got morphed into other music by artists such as the Black Eyed Peas in what amounted to the ultimate sampler before SAP Co-CEO Bill McDermott took the stage.
- Lars Dalgaard, an SAP board member and head of SAP’s SuccessFactors cloud provider, stormed onto the keynote stage with an energetic charisma that is going to give the older SAP execs more gray hair. Dalgaard is a fun, entertaining speaker.
- Sure, there are still attractive young ladies helping to staff the vendor booths, but they are competing with companies that have also brought in performance race cars that you take photos next to as well.
- In a nod to Mad Men, many booths now offer beer and win if you sit in on a session.
It all constitutes a smart series of moves by SAP and the vendors because it’s time to make good impressions on future customers now.
Follow Scott on Twitter @BI_Expert
