It had just dawned on everyone that Sage Summit 2014 was going to be in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay.
There we were, in the Gaylord National in Washington, D.C., attending Sage Summit back in July, and thoughts were already creeping ahead to the next summer. I had just walked into a glass elevator overlooking the lobby, getting ready to go to my next class, and a lone Sage employee was already there. We smiled politely at each other like you do in that sort of situation, and the doors slid shut.
Sage have made some major announcements about Sage Summit in the past few weeks, and have promised that the bright lights of Las Vegas is perfect for the all new conference
I’m not sure who she was, but I knew she had been working hard, a stack of paperwork in her hands. And then she said it: “Sage Summit in Las Vegas? What are they thinking?”
She didn’t say it in a bitter or sarcastic tone. It was more a statement of wonderment mixed with a bit of fear. We both agreed that this could be the most awesome Sage Summit ever or — well — it would definitely be an interesting Sage Summit.
Right now, the messages coming from Sage are brimming with anticipation. They’re telling people that Summit is going through a massive change. They’re telling people that the bright lights of Vegas will be the perfect setting for the new and improved Summit. And they’re putting less of your money where their mouths are, to great effect.
Back in December, Sage announced that for a limited time, customer tickets for Sage Summit would be $99 for the four-day conference. That was nearly $900 off of last year’s Early Bird prices for customers! (Well, $700 if you count the promotional code that our customers were able to snag.) Amazingly, in the six weeks of that promotion, Sage received more customer registrations than in any one Sage Summit in the past. Taking into consideration that Early Bird and regular registration hasn’t even started yet, that’s quite an accomplishment.
They’ve also announced contests surrounding new webcast series for their Sage 100 ERP, Sage 300 ERP, and Sage 500 ERP customers where the winners will participate in a ride with the supercar of their choice. It just happens to be during Sage Summit out near Las Vegas. (Pass me the Bugatti Veyron, please.)
But Sage also wants to be perfectly clear: They’re adamant that this year’s conference will be so different, so worth-while, and so beneficial that they wanted as many people as possible to make it. They dropped the price for customers this low so that money would not be an issue for those who wanted to attend.
But Sage hasn’t forgotten about its partners either. Sage announced yesterday that until March 28, partner passes for Sage Summit will be $399 with a discount code. That’s incredible, when you realize the partner price was always more than the customer price listed above. I’m sure this also will bring plenty of people to Sage Summit who have never been.
“There’s gambling going on? I’m shocked!”
I can imagine some may fear that people will attend Sage Summit only to have a four-day Vegas vacation. I’ve got news for you: That would happen anyway, whether they hold Summit in a casino or in a library in the Midwest. Some people use Sage Summit as a chance to get away and relax while doing a little bit of learning, while others use Summit to do a lot of learning and doing a little bit of relaxing. And as long as those people aren’t disrupting any sessions while they’re relaxing, and if the trip’s worth their ROI, then mission accomplished for everyone.
So we’ve had $99 passes for customers and $399 passes for partners. And Sage said they’re not done with announcements yet. What could possibly come next? I guess we’ll wait with wonderment until that time comes.