Successful 10th Partner Power World Conference

The scene was set March 18th in Istanbul for the 10th successive Partner Power World Conference dedicated to international organizations wanting to learn from – and network with – other international companies who are engaged in centrally managed ERP & CRM implementations. During the conference, the attendees were also able to meet and learn from leading Microsoft executives and partners from more than 50 countries around the world, as well as senior staff and international project managers from Partner Power.

100 attendees joined the conference in Istanbul, and the atmosphere was full of excitement. In front of them was a fully packed day with exciting presentations all dedicated to sharing experiences and learning’s on international ERP and CRM implementations.  

Highlights from the conference 
The conference was launched with CEO and Founder of Partner Power, Poul Kjaer’s presentation on “Lessons learned from more than 300 international implementations”. Sharing the extensive experiences from Partner Power’s many international projects contributed to the audience’s understanding of the key drivers of an international project and some of the successes and pitfalls that lies – and very often in the details – in any international project.   

Following Poul Kjaer, Doug Kennedy, VP Microsoft Dynamics Partners and Jan Sillemann, Director Microsoft Dynamics ERP, showed Microsoft’s dedication to continuously improve the Microsoft Dynamics product suite by sharing the product roadmaps on AX, NAV and CRM and some of the upcoming features with the audience. This part of the presentation was highly valued by the attending customers and prospective customers, who were thrilled to learn about the future product strategies and what impact it might have on their international project and business: “For me the conference provided a great deal of insight not only into the technologies and products on offer, but also into the cultural approach and added value of Partner Power. I very much enjoyed the presentation by Microsoft; having the opportunity to see their direction for the coming years. A major take away point for me was Microsoft’s commitment to MS Dynamics and its supporting products, a positive message that I have been able to communicate within my own organization,” says one of the prospective customers.

After Microsoft’s contribution, International Project Managers, Harry Gerhäuser and Stig Seiling Christensen, as well as Sales Executive, Klaus Landsmann, gave a unique peek in the toolbox used for organizing and running international projects. During the presentation the audience was given a solid overview of the various tools Partner Power uses for organizing and running international projects, and got introduced to the Microsoft Sure Step Methodology, Project4biz, PPI Project-Server, Dynamics NAV Rapid Implementation Methodology, and various Dynamics AX & CRM Tools. Bjorn Vestergaard Hoj, ERP Project Manager at B-K Medical comments on the presentation: “I was pleased to see the project approach that Partner Power has chosen and the benefits that could come out of a global joint approach between the local partners and Partner Power”.

The second part of the day was dedicated to customer presentations from Sony Music Entertainment, Lechler, Norican Group and Marionnaud. All of these presentations were focused on sharing experiences and know-how on centrally managed Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM implementations.

Sony Music Entertainment has been using Microsoft Dynamics NAV for many years and in more than 20 countries. In 2009, Sony Music Entertainment decided to get a better control of the local solution by redefining their CORE strategy and updating the local countries. During the presentation, Robert Birkett, Head of Navision Support, talked about the re-design of the strategy and solution, how it was done and lessons learned.

Lechler decided to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM internationally and needed a central partner to facilitate the process, while several of the project tasks were actually carried out by Lechler internally. The attendees learned about Lechler’s vision and concerns, and how they managed to succeed with their CRM-project in collaboration with Partner Power. Lecher has done better than many other organizations trying to implement a CRM system, and it was a good opportunity to learn from someone who got it right.

Norican Group is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to improve metallic parts, and employs 2200 people on 5 continents with major operations in Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Poland, Switzerland, UK and USA. Bo Bugge, Senior VP ad CIO of Norican Group shared Norican’s considerations and experiences deploying a central AX solution for the group.

Marionnaud decided to create a new ERP backbone for their highly optimized retail and supply chain operations. Marionnaud is an example of a centrally managed CORE project where the CORE is build centrally and then rolled out into the local countries. Marionnaud has a very professional project organization, and it was very interesting and valuable presentation for anyone who’s about to start an international project.

What benefits did the customers and prospective customers get from attending?
A great deal of the value of attending the conference is the time between sessions where there are plenty of opportunities to meet, network and share experiences and know-how. This possibility was highly valued by all attendees: “Of particular value was the opportunity for us to network and share experience with Partner Power partners and customers. The conference is truly unique in that it made available to us highly experienced specialists from across the globe. This enabled us to have detailed discussions about regional implementation challenges with people who really understood each region’s complexities. The whole experience was definitely time well spent and will help us develop our future strategies,” explains Mike Leeding, Head of IT Services at Hollister Europe. 

The attendees' responses to the question: How do you rate the Partner Power
World Conferencecompared to other international Microsoft Dynamics events?

The “Turkish evening” event at the famous “Borsa Restaurant” the day before the conference, and the evening event on the conference day onboard a yacht sailing up and down the Bosphorus strait gave the attendees great chances to network. Moreover the attendees got a unique chance of exploring Istanbul from the seaside while they enjoyed a delightful dinner accompanied by live music.
 

Next year’s Partner Power World Conference
Next year the Partner Power World Conference will be held in Amsterdam. If you have additional questions in relation to the next Partner Power World Conference, please send an e-mail to Jesper Vang Larsen: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 


What did the customers and prospective customers say?
“For me the conference provided a great deal of insight not only into the technologies and products on offer, but also into the cultural approach and added value of Partner Power. I very much enjoyed the presentation by Microsoft; having the opportunity to see their direction for the coming years. A major take away point for me was Microsoft’s commitment to MS Dynamics and its supporting products, a positive message that I have been able to communicate within my own organisation.

The key benefit that I took from the conference though was the unique opportunity to share experiences with fellow international customers. It is quite an enlightening experience to realise that many other customers face the same challenges within an international organisation when supporting business processes and business intelligence. Furthermore, the exposure to their thought processes and the direction that they took provided inspiration and food for thought.

To summarise I would say that the PP conference provided a unique platform for innovation and conversation within our ever challenging world of international business solutions.”
Anonymous, prospective customer


“The presentations were enlightening, especially Microsoft's presentation regarding their future direction and the customer experience presentations.

Of particular value was the opportunity for us to network and share experience with PP partners and customers. Your conference is truly unique in that it made available to us highly experienced specialists from across the globe. This enabled us to have detailed discussions about regional implementation challenges with people who really understood each region’s complexities. The whole experience was definitely time well spent and will help us develop our future strategies.”
Mike Leeding, Head of IT Services, Hollister Europe


“I was invited by my ERP partner thy:data and I was pleased to see the project approach that Partner Power has chosen (extended "Sure Step" method) and the benefits that could come out of a global joint approach between the local partners and Partner Power. Using someone like Partner Power seems to level the global awareness that a mid-sized company might lack in bigger IT projects like ERP implementations. Also the customer cases were interesting because it was made clear that the sheer size of a company could force them to have multiple ERP platforms and strategies."
Bjørn Vestergaard Høj, ERP Project Manager, B-K Medical


"I benefited from the conference in two different aspects. One was from a Navision point of view, where I found it very helpful to hear of other clients’ experiences, lessons learned, etc. As well as listening to MBS and understanding their vision for the product.

Second area I benefited from was on an operational level, I found it very helpful to meet the people I work with on a day to day basis, to put a face to a name. As well as understanding PPI global structure and culture."
Malki Sprung, Navision Project Manager, ISI Emerging Markets


"Not only was it extremely well organised and informative in terms of the product but it also gave us the opportunity to speak with many of your partners and most importantly for us, your customers regarding their own experiences during implementation.

As a prospective customer, it is very reassuring to see that by partnering with an organisation such as your own, we could have access to such a network of local expertise in those countries where we will need it.

I would certainly recommend attending any future events, as it was a worthwhile, informative and enjoyable experience!"
Lesley Oades, Global Sales and Marketing Application Manager, Hollister