The following article was authored by Carolyn Szczurek, Communications Lead at ASUG.
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend and present at the ASUG New England Chapter Meeting, hosted at the iconic Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. The entire event buzzed with energy as SAP customers, partners, and experts came together for a day packed with thought-provoking discussions, insights, and meaningful connections.
The meeting kicked off with the ASUG Women Connect networking breakfast, where attendees broke the ice and built new relationships through Beyond the Business Card—a creative and engaging activity envisioned by Kimberly Sharp, the ASUG New England Chapter Chair. Each participant randomly drew a question written on index cards provided by ASUG, on topics ranging from professional growth and leadership to meaningful connections and community. Breaking into smaller groups to answer each question, all of the participants discussed shared and individual experiences in relation to the topics, taking networking to a deeper level. It was inspiring to see professionals share their experiences, lessons learned, and career journeys in this new and interactive way.
ASUG CEO & Chief Community Champion Geoff Scott, meanwhile, provided attendees with a behind-the-scenes look at key conversations ASUG is facilitating with SAP customers, partners, and SAP leadership. Scott shared what organizations need to do to stay to the front or middle of the “innovation curve” with their SAP technology stacks, emphasizing the importance of cloud solutions and the need for companies to minimize long-standing customizations. He also dove into the topic of generative AI—polling the audience on how much they think generative AI will change their jobs over the next three years. Nearly 60% of attendees expressed their belief that AI will change their jobs "a lot," compared to only 7% who think the technology will not change their roles much. Scott shared how important it is for those in IT roles and lines of business to be learning and experimenting with generative AI to work smarter. After all, as he stressed, generative AI is not going away.
Finally, Scott talked about the importance of change management in technology implementations and to ensure adoption of new technology once implemented, sharing a quote from Patrick Dineen, Senior Vice President of Financial Systems Transformation, NBC Universal, an expert on the topic of change management: “I know the technology is not going to be the problem. Thousands of people have done it. The problem COULD be the people that need to adopt it.”
Scott’s insights reinforced why staying engaged with ASUG is so valuable—ASUG connects the dots between SAP’s solutions and real-world customer needs and experiences.
I was thrilled to present an exclusive sneak peek into the 2025 ASUG Pulse of the SAP Customer Research, to be formally unveiled in the coming weeks, revealing what’s top of mind for ASUG members this year and using live polling to compare the results from our research to the experiences of our New England chapter attendees. While ASUG research reveals key focus areas such as S/4HANA and integration as relevant to the wider member base, those at the chapter shared “growth” and “stabilization” as top areas of focus at their organizations.
The research also examined respondents’ top challenges in achieving their goals, with attendees and research respondents agreeing on “budget” issues as the top challenge they face in 2025. Many of these themes came to life throughout the event, especially in conversations around embracing SAP S/4HANA, Business Technology Platform (BTP), and AI.
Attendees also had the privilege of learning from our valued partners, whose expertise sparked important discussions. Configurable Management reflected on making data validation easier with data validation management solutions. Zia Consulting offered strategic insights on preparing for the SAP ECC 6.0 sunset and transitioning to SAP S/4HANA, while Onapsis shared critical guidance on securing systems before, during, and after RISE with SAP implementations. Rounding out the conversation, Anurag Barua, SAP Transformation Leader, delivered thought-provoking perspectives on AI, adding depth to an already exciting dialogue about how organizations can leverage this game-changing technology. Thank you to all our platinum sponsors—Configurable Management, Zia Consulting, and Onapsis—and our silver sponsor—Panaya—for making this event possible.
Later in the day, we focused on networking and connection through a group discussion on topics that attendees assessed as being of interest: RISE with SAP, BTP, and AI. SAP experts were on hand at the event to provide clarity on what RISE with SAP is and what that means for members' organizations. We also discussed the most important SAP skills to have; business process knowledge, problem-solving, and technical expertise rose to the top, followed closely by communication skills.
The theme of communication came up again between my presentations on ASUG Member Value and ASUG SAP Customer Research, as I asked attendees what non-technical skills every SAP professional needs to succeed. The overwhelming consensus? "Patience and communication." I asked further about this recurring theme of communication, and the responses I received underscored a key takeaway; strong collaboration between IT and line of business teams are essential for successful implementations and adoption of SAP technology.
I wrapped up group discussions by asking which two topics attendees were most interested in learning more about. 70% of attendees indicated they are most interested in learning more about SAP S/4HANA, followed by SAP BTP (52%) and AI (33%). After lunch, acting on feedback from attendees, attendees broke out into smaller groups, each focused on one of these key topics. Attendees were invited to share experiences, ask questions, and get them answered by a subject-matter expert. Observing the level of learning and growth achieved through such powerful opportunities for connection, throughout the day, was inspiring!
Overall, the ASUG New England Chapter Meeting was a fantastic reminder of what makes ASUG events so impactful—the opportunity to learn, connect, and grow with peers who are just as passionate as you are about SAP and business transformation. We hope you’ll attend an ASUG Chapter Meeting near you in 2025. You’ll walk away with fresh insights, new connections, and a renewed sense of inspiration for the year ahead! Keep your eyes on the ASUG Events page for dates and registration information for our Chapters.
Carolyn Szczurek is Communications Lead at ASUG.