SAPPHIRE NOW was a combination of two main hubs (Orlando and Frankfurt), the online platform and virtual "spokes" (locally managed satellite events) in Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and India.

Latin American and Asian customers gathered in offices, hotels or small venues, where there were short networking events before the audience tuned in to streaming video and, in some cases, even interacted with the main hubs.

In Tokyo, 400 delegates viewed a live satellite program from Orlando entirely in Japanese, including an update from the managing director of SAP Japan, an interview with a Japanese customer attending the Orlando event and a translated welcome by co-company CEO Bill McDermott.

Intelligence Note:

Hybrid events connect a broad range of stakeholders. Spend time designing the experience for satellite and virtual participants. Too often, content is streamed one way with limited interaction. Skype and video streaming can accomplish some of the same types of connectivity on a smaller scale. Even simple audio connections can still have an impact.