By Marcy Rizzo

Guess which sessions were the most popular at the recently held SAP Insider Logistics and SCM, Procurement and Materials Management, PLM, and Manufacturing Conferences?

 I’ll tell you first the content areas these top 12 sessions addressed, and follow that with a list of sessions and speakers.

 It is always interesting to see what is foremost among our attendee’s concerns. Each of the sessions listed below had between 80 and 125 attendee’s. This is no small accomplishment considering there were up to 20 sessions running concurrently at any given breakout time.

 The best attended sessions covered the following types of content and type of speaker:  (in ascending order)

1. Production planning in SAP ERP versus SAP APO functional comparison (consultant)
2. SAP BusinessObjects Spend Performance Management decision points for implementation (customer)
3. Managing by exception in SAP ERP (consultant)
4. SAP manufacturing solutions for improved performance (SAP)
5. SAP PLM implementation and decision points for implementing (customer)
6. Advanced techniques to optimize SAP APO DP (consultant)
7. SAP ERP-based reporting tools to improve supply chain performance (consultant)
8. SAP EWM implementation (consultant)
9. SAP SRM examples of how customers are finding value (SAP)
10. How to set up SAP ERP Variant Configuration (consultant)
11. How to set up SAP ERP Variant Configuration (customer)
12. Implementing a document management system pilot (consultant)

Best attended sessions and speakers List:

Production planning in SAP ERP versus SAP Advanced Planning & Optimization (SAP APO) — How to make the best choice for your
business needs          
Parijat Chakraborty, Falcon Prime

Case study: Johnson & Johnson’s strategy for controlling spend and reducing
supplier risk
Riyaz Rawoof and Susan Johnson, Johnson & Johnson

Techniques for monitoring supply chain exceptions and managing events to optimize inventory, streamline procurement, and boost service levels           
Rodney Dawson, Reveal USA    

How SAP customers are enhancing manufacturing performance using SAP solutions for manufacturing     
Carter Johnson, SAP     

Case study: How and why Rockwell Automation uses SAP Product Lifecycle Management (SAP PLM) for idea capture, engineering design, and product launches    
Greg Hathaway, Rockwell Automation    

H ow to increase the value you derive from demand planning functionality — Beyond basic forecasting     
Tom Cassel, BM Global Business Services         

 How to use standard SAP ERP functionality for reporting to reveal opportunities to improve supply chain performance           
Keith Searls, Reveal USA          

How an early adopter took the guesswork out of inbound and outbound materials management using SAP Extended Warehouse Management
(SAP EWM) 
Chris Moose, IBM         

How customers are maximizing the ROI on SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM) in a centralized procurement environment      
Lalitha Rajagopalan, SAP Global Marketing         

Comprehensive instruction for setting up variant configuration functionality to support make-to-order or make-to-stock requirements  
Jean-Yves Popovic, Adelante

Case study: How Cirque du Soleil successfully plans for and produces highly configurable products using SAP ERP           
Olivier Gariépy, Cirque du Soleil 

How to implement a document management system pilot project in under
six weeks          
Eric Stajda, LeverX

Many other sessions also had great attendance, and some topics are just simply designed to be "niche" in who they speak to, and the kind of help the cotent is intended to provide.

Did you attend? If so, what was your favorite session?

Thanks!