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Success Story · SAP
An event became a partner community.
When the pandemic forced the largest SAP Partner Summit to go virtual, SAP needed a partner that reacts fast. Converve brought CONNECT “Remote” to digital life, without losing its character.
Plan a similar event- ~1,500Attendees
- 38Countries
- 80+Master Classes & Roundtables
- 2Fully digital days
The result in numbers
Two days that connected people
0
Countries represented
across every time zone
0
Meetings arranged
via live matching
0
Messages sent
in the community
0
Workshop sign-ups
across 80+ sessions
Measured during SAP CONNECT “Remote”, November 3-4, 2020.
The starting point
When the largest SAP partner summit had to go digital overnight
Converve has provided the event platform for SAP CONNECT since 2019, the largest SAP Partner Summit in the German-speaking region. In 2020 the event faced an unprecedented challenge: an in-person gathering had to become a full-fledged digital experience overnight.
This is the story of how that succeeded, and why an event became a living partner community.
Who is SAP?
An ecosystem that CONNECT brings together
Around 80% of SAP customers are SMEs, served mostly by partners. This is exactly the community that meets at CONNECT, alongside Sapphire Now, one of the most important events in the entire SAP ecosystem.
230M cloud users worldwide
100+ SAP solutions
2,000+ SAP partners worldwide
500+ partners in the DACH region
~80% of SAP customers are SMEs
CONNECT has long been a synonym for the strong community SAP shares with its partners.
How we got there
From an in-person trade show to a live digital event
In just a few months, together with Ottomisu, one of the leading agencies for event technology & communication in Germany.
- 2019
CONNECT on site
The Converve platform supports CONNECT for the first time, as the networking and matchmaking layer of the in-person event.
- Spring 2020
The pandemic changes everything
In-person is no longer an option. One thing is clear: the first fully virtual CONNECT must not fall short of the successful live event in any way.
- Summer 2020
Concept & build with Ottomisu
Together we digitize the CONNECT concept under state-of-the-art conditions: technology, dramaturgy and community conceived as a single whole.
- Nov 3-4, 2020
CONNECT “Remote” goes live
~1,500 attendees from 38 countries, 80+ Master Classes and Roundtables, all built around a Community Wall with tailor-made live matching.
- Afterward
The event becomes a community
Content and contacts live on in the Content Library and Recommendation Hub: networking doesn't end with the final slot.
The challenge
A live event, suddenly fully virtual
To pull this off, the digital CONNECT had to deliver three things at once:
For this event we needed partners who can react quickly to new challenges.
What changed
From the lecture hall to the digital living room
The remote edition was meant to match the live event in every way, and in some places it even offered more.
CONNECT on site (2019)
- Networking limited to breaks and booths
- Sessions live only, miss it and it's gone
- Travel, time and location as a hurdle
- Contacts often left to chance
CONNECT “Remote” (2020)
- Community Wall with networking across two full days
- Content Library: rewatch sessions anytime
- Participation from 38 countries, no travel needed
- Upfront matching suggests the right contacts
The solution
A platform that adapts to the event, not the other way around
In close collaboration with SAP and Ottomisu, modules built specifically for CONNECT took shape:
Whenever I couldn't attend a session, it was easy to catch up afterward, thanks to the Content Library and Recommendation Hub.
The takeaway
Four reasons the digital CONNECT became a success
Mark Kessels, Managing Director of Converve, on the first fully digital CONNECT:
A complete package, not a webinar marathon
Content and genuine interaction created an event feeling that matched physical events in every way.
Content is king, but networking is queen
Thanks to upfront matching, video meetings became even more valuable than a chance encounter at a booth.
Experience as an event planner counts, digitally too
A “fancy” platform without a concept would have carried a high risk of failure. Concept beats technology.
Events become independent of time and place
And with that, more democratic and inclusive. CONNECT Remote showed early on what that future looks like.
The collaboration
Three partners, one seamless event
CONNECT “Remote” came together through close coordination, with each side bringing its own strength.
SAP
Host & community: content, speakers and the partner network.
Ottomisu
Event technology, direction & dramaturgy of the digital experience.
Converve
Event platform, matchmaking and tailor-made modules for CONNECT.
As a software provider, we adapt the platform to our customers' concept, not the other way around.
With this multifunctional platform, we succeeded not only in preserving the character of CONNECT and the interplay of the community, but in enriching it with innovative modules at the same time.
Planning an event like this?
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