When Jenna Jorge of The Goodman Speakers Bureau called me about the opportunity to interview Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple and inventor of the personal computer, I will admit that I was speechless. If you know me, it takes a LOT for me to be silent. I’ve interviewed political figures, criminals, and celebrities before, but come on…Steve Wozniak…he is a genius. A month from now, I’ll have the opportunity that only a handful of journalists get when I sit down him for a one-on-one interview. I will be sharing the stage with a man they call “Woz” and we will share his story.
Many people have been asking why I’m interviewing him and what the conference is all about?
So, I would like to share with you what I have learned over the last couple of months about an amazing organization, which is responsible for bringing Steve Wozniak on stage in front of 20,000 plus people.
Meet Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG). They are an independent community of more than 100,000 SAP professionals across 19 industries. They connect entire organizations to resources needed to deliver business results as well as prepare for what’s next in business technology.
ASUG puts on conferences throughout the year, but the biggest one will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from May 17th-19th with SAP’s SAPPHIRE NOW. Thousands of people come from around the world to attend for three days of networking at the largest global business technology event. It’s essentially two conferences in one location. Attendees can connect with the community that uses SAP software every day and learn how to enable their digital business strategy and get more from your technology investment. The space of the conference is massive and there are multiple opportunities to network and learn.
“The Super Bowl, the Oscars…use any analogy you wish. ASUG Annual Conference and SAPPHIRE NOW is the largest SAP event of the year,” said Geoff Scott, ASUG’s CEO. “We are thrilled that Woz agreed to join us for this opportunity to inspire thousands of technology folks. I can’t think of an audience more primed to hear from one of the original disruptors of our time, and learn how he really has transformed our daily lives.”
Each year, ASUG invites top influencers to speak and share their stories. This year, the speakers include Welby Altidor, Executive Creative Director of Creations for Cirque Du Soleil, Geoff Scott, CEO of ASUG, Keith Sturgill, Vice President and CIO of Information Technology of Eastman, and of course, Steve Wozniak. And, did I mention the band Coldplay is performing? Sound like a conference you want to attend?
Steve and I will take the stage around 4:30 on May 17th. We will talk about his life before Apple, how it was started, technology in the classroom, education, his mentors, what he’s doing now and what he expects to be the next trend in technology. If you cannot attend the conference, the interview will be streamed live on ASUG and SAP’s site. Make sure to let me know what you think!