(MENAFN Press) November 8, 2012“
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will feature prominently at next week's SAPPHIRE NOW, the premiere customer event from SAP AG (NYSE: SAP).
SAPPHIRE NOW was recently named "The Most Innovative Meeting of 2012" by BizBash Magazine ahead of fierce competition from event powerhouses such as TED.
SAPPHIRE NOW runs throughout the year, with the latest incarnation taking place in Madrid, Spain, from 12-16 November.
MENA, which is regarded as one of SAP's most important markets, will be represented by key customers and partners, as well as a strong press delegation.
"SAP brings the same focus on innovation to our event strategy as we do to our customers, products, and solutions," said Jonathan D. Becher, chief marketing officer, SAP.
"We design our events around what our attendees want to hear and recruit presenters from our customers and partners. The attendee feedback, the business results and the award validate our approach."
Among the SAP customers attending are the gold winners of the 2012 SAP MENA Quality Awards, which celebrate those that use SAP Quality Principles to effectively manage software implementations marked by multifaceted technical and business process requirements, excel in execution and deliver significant benefits, and achieve fast, low-cost implementations.
The details of the MENA-based companies and their achievements will be announced during SAPPHIRE NOW. They will then compete against a field of gold winners from across EMEA, and assessed by an expert judging panel comprising SAP partners, industry experts and former SAP Quality Awards winners.
"We are delighted to welcome a formidable line-up of companies from the MENA region, all of which provide invaluable insight into how innovation can be intricately attuned to specific market needs and rolled out to effectively accommodate today's demands for rapid realization of return on investment," said Frank Forndron, Director - Head of Quality Management, SAP EMEA Emerging Markets & SAP MENA.
"The level of receptivity to SAP's solutions in this part of the world is hugely encouraging, and an inspiring indication of a host of rapidly evolving development plans and business aspirations."
SAP's "always on" approach will reach over 500,000 physical and online participants globally from November 2011 through the upcoming SAPPHIRE NOW from Madrid in November 2012.
This time span includes SAPPHIRE NOW from Madrid in 2011, China SAPPHIRE in November 2011 and July 2012 and SAPPHIRE NOW from Orlando in 2012. Global participants continue to access content and contribute to conversations via www.sapphirenow.com, YouTube and social media platforms such as LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Weibo and Youku. Social media impressions globally have reached approximately 1.2 billion and continue to grow daily.
To learn more about SAPPHIRE NOW, view the "always on" content or to register for future events, visit www.sapphirenow.com. For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews and @sapphirenow.
