Digitalization flying high: SAP technology conference at 32,000 feet altitude on Lufthansa aircraft. Artificial intelligence and "the future of work" are focus topics. FlyingLab conference occurs on Lufthansa flight to Orlando, USA, to SAPPHIRE NOW, the world"™s largest SAP customer event.
"SAPPHIRE NOW" began a day earlier than expected"¦on flight LH464 to Orlando. A FlyingLab took place on board a Lufthansa Boeing 747- 400 aircraft, whereby the airline showcased digitalization opportunities, making them visible and tangible for participants. "This way, we are getting passengers in the mood for the topics of the conference," said Dr Torsten Wingenter, Senior Director of Digital Innovations at Lufthansa. Shortly after take-off, the Flying Lab participants were welcomed by Dr. Jürgen Müller, SAP Chief Innovation Officer, via a video clip. "Innovation starts with the exchange of ideas. We are glad to be able to show you, on this flight, together with Lufthansa, what the future of digitalization looks like, and to give the participants interesting "˜food-for-thought"™," said Müller.
The FlyingLab always consists of a conference portion and a test section. During the test section passengers can try out the latest technological developments. On the ten-hour flight to Florida, passengers were able to experience the "Muse" device "“ a technology that measures brain waves – in order to provide feedback and support meditation,. This is particularly of interest for passengers that find flying stressful.
The core of the FlyingLab is the conference section. In this instance, six speakers gave their insight, while on board, on the topic of the "future of work" (Martin Wezowski, SAP), technical support when traveling (Teemu Arina, author and biohacker) and robots as the future of work (Ingrid Rothe, RSB Partners). The speakers give their talks in front of a camera on the Boeing 747-400. The passengers receive the video livestream and presentation notes via on-board WiFi. This network is independent of FlyNet (internet access) and is installed specifically for the FlyingLab. During the talks, passengers can send written questions to the speakers via their own devices. This not only creates a unique conference atmosphere about 32,000 feet above the Atlantic, but also enables a dialogue between passengers and speakers.
There have been three on-board Lufthansa FlyingLabs: the future of travel and virtual reality to San José, to Fashion Week in New York, and to the digital conference South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX. FlyingLab topics are coordinated with the respective event at the destination. "With this, we offer our passengers a more efficient use of their travel time and promote dialogue on board," said Dr Wingenter.
Under the motto "New Heights with Innovation", Lufthansa is hosting the FlyingLab with SAP, thus partnering with a company for the first time. Together with the SAP Innovation Center Network, Lufthansa Digital Innovations will shape the program for the inflight conference. The hosts, Dr Torsten Wingenter and Upen Barve, who is Head of the Department of Customer Strategy & Experience at the SAP Innovation Center Network, will welcome passengers in Frankfurt with a SAPPHIRE NOW gate event. The largest SAP customer conference will take place from May 16 to 18 in Orlando.
