SAP HR 2009 Recap

Last week I presented three sessions at SAP HR 2009 in Prague. It was a good conference, as each one has been since their inaugural in 2004. Or was it 2005? Time flies....

As the conference was winding down, I reflected on the information I shared: over 250 Powerpoint pages with lots of detail and take-away tips, dozens of questions answered after presentations and at Ask The Experts, and consulting experiences shared with my colleagues. I also learned from my peers and from the questions that participants asked. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

I've noticed that many customers have cut back on the number of people they send to conferences, if they send any at all. That is too bad - high quality conferences can return a lot of value to companies. The information I see presented at the SAP HR conferences will cost you a lot of money if you had those consultants come onsite and present the same information.

Also, there is tremendous value to networking with your peer companies. Not only can you get ideas from how others are using their SAP HR, but you can also get connections to leverage whenever you decide to change or expand your own system in the future.

Of course, you can goof-off the whole time and waste it all. It's up to the participants and their companies to make sure the time is used well. But if you go to a good conference with the attitude that you are going to learn and make connections, it will be time well-spent.