SAPHILA is AFSUG’s world-class biennial African conference, hosted in collaboration with SAP. The 2023 conference is set to take place at the Sun City Resort, in South Africa’s North West province, from 09 to 11 July 2023, with the backing of local ICT heavy hitters. These include Dimension Data, Deloitte, BCX, EY, Adapt IT, Can!Do Consulting, Consnet, Decision Inc., Dimago Solutions, EOH Mthombo, G3G, GlueData, IBM, Insightsoftware, Intellection, Minabiz (BEST SAP), Lemongrass, Nihilent, PWC, Pyramid Analytics, Stratfore Tech, Technology Risk Partners (TRP), Quintica SA, Red Hat, and VOQUZ Labs.
Says AFSUG chairman Duke Mathebula: “SAP’s digital core is shifting towards the cloud, and the organisation has introduced baseline accelerators to assist customer and partner in speeding up their intelligent enterprise transformation. AFSUG is playing a critical role in educating local SAP customers on the cloud conversion paths, helping them understand how to successfully navigate these fundamental SAP technology shifts.
“SAPHILA 2023 is a significant event for SAP users across the continent. It continues to serve as a crucial platform that brings together the wider SAP community in Africa, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, new ideas and best practices.
“By offering a hybrid agenda, we are further extending our potential audience to those delegates who may not be able to travel to – or even within – South Africa to attend in-person, to deliver a cost-effective, convenient, yet still connected experience.”
Virtual SAPHILA 2023 attendees will have access to the conference’s plenary sessions, which include key note addresses from the likes of senior SAP representatives such as Sven Denecken, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer for Industries at SAP SE; SAP’s Global Innovation Evangelist, Timo Elliott; Dr Uwe Grigoleit, Head of Global SAP Customer Evolution, Center of Excellence; Dr Oliver Gutzeit, Vice President – Experience Technology at SAP; and Wassilios Lolas, Global Vice President, Center of Excellence, SAP Signavio – SAP SE.
“With top industry experts scheduled to speak, attendees can expect to learn about cutting-edge SAP technologies and strategies for driving growth and profitability,” Mathebula continues. “Our online SAPHILA delegates will also be able to attend break-out sessions within eight different content streams – from Platform & Tech, Transformation (S/4) and Human Experience Management (HXM), to The Future, Next-Gen, and more. These slots will feature local real-life customer testimonials, panel discussions, technology and innovation updates, and more.
“Aside from being a content-rich event, SAPHILA 2023 additionally provides opportunities for collaboration, and this will be no different for our virtual attendees, who will have the opportunity to participate in interactive sessions and live surveys and engage in lively discussions.
“And while they may not be able to visit the physical partner exhibition, online delegates will still be able to enjoy full access to the SAPHILA 2023 virtual expo centre, where they’ll find online booths for all of our exhibitors and will have the chance to network with booth sponsors, as well as to interact with speakers and take surveys in real time.”
The first view of the SAPHILA 2023 agenda is now live and can be explored by visiting https://saphila2023.com/agenda/. The call for papers, including client success stories, is now closed and the final agenda will be available by the 10th of May 2023.
Proceedings over the two-day conference will be guided by veteran South African journalist, actor, voice artist and TV presenter, Bongani Bingwa, best known for his work on local current affairs show Carte Blanche and as 702’s current Breakfast show host, alongside esteemed broadcast journalist and technophile Aki Anastasiou, who will be the virtual master of ceremonies (MC). Day one of SAPHILA 2023 will also feature a keynote presentation from local business authority and disruptor Vusi Thembekwayo.
Branded SAPHILA merchandise will be on sale prior to the conference and can be booked for collection at Sun City via the website www.saphila2023.com
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities for the conference, please e-mail sponsorships@SAPHILA2023.com, or for assistance with general event information and bookings please send a message to info@SAPHILA2023.com.
ABOUT AFSUG:
The African SAP User Group (AFSUG) is an independent, non-profit organisation that is not affiliated with SAP. Its primary focus is to create a platform where SAP customers and partners can connect within the SAP ecosystem, share information, and communicate with peers and experts. This platform enables members to access first-hand success stories and gain intelligence on new releases and features.
AFSUG serves as a forum for SAP customers to represent their industries, business processes, and technological requirements to share information and experiences. The goal is to accelerate the implementation of successful business solutions and influence the local and global directions of SAP Africa and SAP AG. AFSUG achieves this by promoting the needs and wishes of the user community through regular, focused, and highly professional contact between members, business partners, and SAP Africa at all levels.
The board of directors, which comprises CIO customers, executive partners, and an SAP representative, volunteer their time to manage AFSUG as an independent and non-profit organisation. By providing this platform, AFSUG aims to create a community where SAP users can access valuable resources, gain industry insights, and network with peers.