Day 2 Highlights: Sage Summit 2013

FORT WASHINGTON, MD (7-22-2013): Although Sage Summit 2013 officially commenced at the grandiose Gaylord Hotel on Sunday, July 21, it was not until the action-packed Business Partner Opening Keynote on Monday morning, July 22 when Summit actually kicked off with much pomp and circumstance.

With a backdrop displaying the highest mountain peaks in the world, President and CEO of Sage North America, Mr. Pascal Houillon, led off with an optimistic message focusing on Sage's pledge to continue rising and lifting its partners to reach new "summits" in the coming year.

Sage N.A. President & CEO Pascal Houillon



Up next and introduced by Mr. Houillon was none other than the Chief Executive of The Sage Group plc and avid climber, Mr. Guy Berruyer, who echoed Mr. Houillon's "rising to the mountaintop" theme, and introduced Sage's strategic initiatives, including continued strong customer support, new product strategies, and forthcoming opportunities for expansion to the cloud and to mobile platforms.

Next up was CTO and Head of Product Strategy at Sage North America, Mr. Himanshu Palsule, who provided a captivating and detailed presentation on Sage's long-term vision with respect to its new products and services portfolio. In a witty yet serious manner, Mr. Palsule highlighted Sage's laser focus on mobility and connected services, in addition to transforming some of Sage's existing ERP systems and modules to a cloud-based format.
 

Sage N.A. CTO Himanshu Palsule



The Business Partner Opening Keynote included several additional presenters, and was followed by four simultaneous Super Sessions led by Sage North America executives and industry leaders, who provided insight and analysis on subjects ranging from Sage's "New Product and Technology Strategy" to "Mapping a True Customer Experience Strategy," and from the "Fundamentals of High-Performing Firms" to "Growing One's Business through Solutions-Based Selling."

 

A scene from the Sage Summit 2013 Business Partner Party



Informative business partner breakout sessions throughout the day were followed by a live expo in the early evening featuring Sage partners and product resellers. Capping off a busy day was Sage's Business Partner Party on the Potomac, with a live musical jam session by the band consisting of Sage and Partner employees, The Usual Suspects.