SAPPHIRE NOW is part of this continuum of events that produce results at SAP.

Field Kick-off Meeting: held early in the year, informs sales about the company's direction
SAPPHIRE NOW: helps customers make buying decisions (together with similar but smaller events in countries around the world)
SAP TechEd: trains the employees of SAP customers how to use their new systems
SAP Influencer Summit: reveals the roadmap for the coming year to industry analysts and other influencers

Intelligence Note:

A standalone event will have much less impact than an event that is tied to a communications continuum. SAP not only ties the SAPPHIRE NOW event to other events, but also to its sales activities. If holding a series of events is too expensive, consider other forms of communication. Virtual activities can make an event part of a year-long continuum. Consider a series of webinars, conference calls or threaded discussions (or a combination) that lead up to and follow a main conference.