Throughout this week PayStream participated in Ariba LIVE from Las Vegas, Nevada. This blog is part of a series detailing our experiences from analyst briefings, one-on-one sessions with SAP and Ariba representatives, and keynote and breakout sessions at this highly informative and entertaining conference.
Ariba LIVE 2014 was held at the fabulous Cosmopolitan Hotel and Conference Center in the heart of the Las Vegas strip with keynote sessions inside the prestigious Chelsea concert hall. Procurement and purchasing professionals from around the world gathered to discuss emerging
industry trends, technologies, and best practices. Keynote speakers included Bert Jacobs, Co-Founder of The Life is Good company, Mark Loring, Director and Global Head of Source to Pay for Deutsche Bank, and David Maley, Vice President of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement for Kohl’s Department Stores among others. Sponsoring organizations included PayStream’s sponsoring partners BillTrust and Scan One as well as suppliers within the Ariba Network such as Staples, Grainger, and many more.
This year marked the 15th anniversary of Ariba LIVE and was by far the largest one yet with an attendance of over 2000 registrants. This year also marked the first year the conference led industry-specific educational sessions. These industries included the retail, financial services, and utilities and natural resources sectors. Accordingly, keynote and breakout session included representative speakers from each industry. These included Deutsche, ING, and Union Bank representing the financial services industry; American Eagle Outfitters, Coach, 7-eleven, and Kohl’s representing the retail and consumer services industries; and Rio Tinto, ExxonMobil, and Southern California Edison representing the utilities and natural resources sectors.
Stay tuned to PayStream Voices for segments 2 & 3 of “On The Strip from Ariba LIVE 2014.” Topics will include keynote speaker discussions, what SAP’s acquisition of Ariba will mean in 2014, and Ariba Strategic Sourcing, P2P, & Procurement roadmaps.
