simply quintessential

The "downtown" networking area included a variety of gathering spaces. In addition to traditional leather seating cubes, organizers also brought in hundreds of cardboard cubes, which were strong enough to sit on but light and easy to move.

Live greenery decorated the networking area, from large, potted trees to smaller plants in tin cans. Electrical outlets and charging stations were also located throughout the space.

In addition to the large keynote theater, five smaller theaters lined the perimeter of the new networking area and offered a continuous schedule of presentations.

Blue and gold lighting illuminated fiber curtains around the perimeter of Sapphire Now's new networking area to create a subtle division from the rest of the event floor.

The executive meeting area was 40 percent larger this year and included a mix of open meeting spaces and enclosed, soundproof rooms that accommodated as many as 30 people.

New this year, concierges at the entrance to the executive meeting center were available to greet customers and look up their meeting locations on an iPad. In the past, customers and account executives had to check in at a counter, which created a backlog.

Distinct symbols indicated the industries that corresponded to the content offered in the "Industries" campus.

More than 250 partner companies exhibited at Sapphire Now, a 3 percent increase over 2013.

Lighting hung from wood beams above the food counters in the executive meeting center to keep the design consistent with the wood pallets used in the new networking area.

Three displays within the networking area demonstrated specific applications of SAP software, such as an interactive vending machine.