SAP Combines SAPPHIRE® NOW and SAP® TechEd 2011 for the Business and Technology Event of the Year

MADRID, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in the company's history, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) is bringing together its two most important conferences: SAPPHIRE® NOW, the premier customer conference, and SAP® TechEd, the company's largest technical and ecosystem education event series. In 2011, the two conferences will be held as co-located events in Madrid, Spain, from November 8-10, and Beijing, China, from November 15-17.

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The event in Madrid will feature keynotes by Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO of SAP, and Vishal Sikka, member of the SAP Executive Board leading technology and innovation. On Wednesday, November 9, Snabe will show how SAP innovations both in the core and in the areas of mobility, in-memory computing and cloud computing enable customers to become more productive and free up resources for their own innovations. On Thursday, November 10, Sikka will show how technology gets rid of the layers and empowers and connects people. He will provide a detailed look into how the SAP HANA™ platform, mobile technologies from Sybase and SAP and cloud computing are empowering users and bringing renewal to the way people think, work and interact. Sikka will also offer insight into the latest product updates and a visionary look at the future.

With SAPPHIRE NOW, SAP offers its customers, partners and prospects even more opportunities to engage in dialogue with peers, participants and thought leaders around the globe, and can gain insight as to how SAP is delivering on its product strategy and helping organizations around the world to run better. SAPPHIRE NOW from Madrid will feature four campuses: "Business Analytics," "Mobility," "Run Better" and "Technology Innovation," where attendees can learn how SAP can help them to get ahead of the competition, innovate now and drive profitability for their business. Onsite, the "Meet Our Customers Pavilion" will offer an opportunity to network with current SAP customers and hear firsthand about challenges and successes while the "Executive Meeting Center" will provide a place to speak with SAP experts about best practices and arrange meetings with SAP executives. SAPPHIRE NOW will also reach remote attendance by broadcasting live to SAP® World Tour events and a virtual audience online.

In its 15th year, SAP TechEd 2011 brings IT managers, software developers, administrators and business process experts together for a look under the hood of today's business motors: the latest advances in in-memory computing technology, cloud computing, mobility and analytics from SAP and its partners. The comprehensive educational program in Madrid will also include hands-on workshops, demo-rich and expert-driven lectures, "Meet-the-Speaker" pods, SAP TechEd Live broadcast, expert networking sessions and exhibiting partner lectures.

On Thursday evening in Madrid, SAP, together with Deloitte, will present an exclusive performance by Cirque de Soleil as well as a concert by Anastacia. Cirque du Soleil is a world-famous organization whose mission is to evoke the imagination, invoke the senses and provoke the emotions of people around the world. Over the last 10 years, SAP has helped this innovative global entertainment franchise become a best-run business. Anastacia has received in excess of 225 Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum awards in 31 countries across her career. Her debut album Not That Kind sold over 5 million copies worldwide, instantly became a best seller and made her an international superstar.

Announcements, blog posts, videos and other coverage from SAPPHIRE NOW and SAP TechEd 2011 Madrid will be available in the Events newsroom at www.events.news-sap.com. Follow on Twitter at @SAPTechEd and @SAPPHIRENOW, and join the conversation at #SAPTechEd and #SAPPHIRENOW.

Media Contacts:
Hilmar Schepp, +49 160 8896531, [email protected], CET
Cathrin Wolf, +49 171 3363695, [email protected], CET

SOURCE SAP AG