The SAP Marketing Community Meeting, An Experiment
On April 8,9 & 10, SAP is trying something unique, something different, yes, we're experimenting! We're holding a world wide marketing community meeting - Virtually! That's right, no conference center, no travel, no second rate hotels, no second rate food... all from the comfort of our offices and homes, we plan on bringing the entire community of SAP marketers together to get educated, to get focused and to network. How are we going to do this? Well, first off we're going to be using Unisfair as our virtual conference center, where everyone, regardless of geography and time zone can gather.
If you don't know Unisfair you should check it out. While we're convinced that we will run into some technical glitches using them the concept of a virtual event environment is the right one for a gathering of over 2000 marketers. Its also missing some functionality that they need to be more full service such as a true blogging platform. And boy will there be blogging. I offered to help with the content flow so I went with what I know best, the blogosphere. We've invited some top tier bloggers and speakers to help drive knowledge transfer to the SAP Marketing Community. Among those participating are:
We have room for one or two more so if you are interested let me know! (Don't know if there is more budget but that I can check!).
I'm hoping we can build a great body of third party thought leadership which the SAP Marketing community will come to draw upon regularly even after the event is complete.
I love grand experiments! Experimentation and Failure Breeds Success!
Steve, this is an awesome experiment. So glad you included me. I'm sure that it will be successful.
Best, David
Posted by: David Meerman Scott | April 01, 2008 at 05:08 PM
Cool experiment. Is anyone able to "attend"?
Leslie Poston
Profy.com
Blorge.com
FreeAccess.com.au
AppleGrrl.com
WritersWell.org
BGWE.org
Posted by: leslie | April 01, 2008 at 10:46 PM
Thanx David. Here's to hoping!!!
Leslie- thank you for your interest. This is an internal meeting only but the bloggers will be sharing some of their thoughts and comments publically.
Posted by: Steve Mann | April 02, 2008 at 08:14 AM
Steve, just signed up to follow you on twitter...thx for info about SAP virtual meeting experiment... i'm starting up cocotalks... exploring games & virtual to teach and connect marginalized youth in cooperative community action... the virtual is tricky...glad to see people at SAP paving the way!
Posted by: meryl steinberg | April 02, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Thanx Meryl... we will be sharing our thoughts and feedback on the whole virtual event thing so stay tuned!
Posted by: Steve Mann | April 02, 2008 at 11:26 AM
Steve, looks fascinating. I can see tremendous synnergy in this for sustainabiality management and corporate social responsibility.
Most companies these days are trying to better leverage their CSR programmes to both assure and innovate new markets & products.
The basis of CSR assurance standards are 'inclusiveness' and 'responsiveness' - so web 2.0 connection is obvious. On the innovation side Goldman Sachs did a great study last year GSSUSTAIN showing how firms are driving out new markets through collaboration w stakeholders on sustainability problems: collaborative governance models, business process innovation, alternative energy, micro markets, base of economic pyramid development.
The more a firm can connect w stakeholders on this and collaborate then the better prepared it will be to tackle the challenge of growth in large developing markets and increased constraints from the natural environment.Web 2.0 must play a role in more fluid stakeholder engagment.
Finally. CSR reporting need not ape the problems of financial reporting - more firms will look to more dynamic models. Why? Because financial reporting regimes satisfy regulators but reports have a different task, they must build a consensus of trust amongst a critical mass of stakeholders so better models of reporting and assurance are needed. Another great potential application of web 2.0 for the enterprise.
I hope your conference finds time to explore some of this and let me know if I can help.
Incidentally, working with AccountAbility (the CSR assurance standards body), Business for Social Responsibility, International Business Leaders Forum togther with thought eaders from Harvard JFK School of Government, World Bank IFC and 10 other thought leaders we will be examining this issue in a working session - how consumer web 2.0 technologies are driving wider stakeholder representation and increased demands for corporate accountability and better governance, risk and compliance management and assurance. Can the enterprise be responsive and agile to this demand for conversation. would be great to have you involved.
Posted by: James Farrar | April 05, 2008 at 08:37 AM