Sage Summit Tour Targets Business Builders

By Dipo Olowookere

Sage, the market leader for integrated accounting, payroll & HR, and payment systems, will highlight technologies taking business builders to a future of invisible accounting at the Sage Summit Tour in Johannesburg.

Sage customers and business partners from around Africa and the Middle East will gather at the Sandton Convention Centre from 7-9 March 2017 to learn about new technologies, digital transformation and the future of work.

Sage CEO, Mr Stephen Kelly, will share insights about how Sage is levelling the playing field for customers – and it’s just the start of a technology revolution all enterprises of all sizes need to be a part of to compete and grow.

Other speakers include Valter Adão, Head of Digital at Deloitte Africa, Justin Spratt, Head of Business, Sub-Saharan Africa at Uber and Gil Oved, co-founder and co-CEO of The Creative Counsel.

“Business builders and entrepreneurs don’t go into business because they want to wrestle with red-tape and manage admin. Our vision is to make those tasks invisible by 2020 by automating the back-office functions so we can free business builders up to follow their dreams,” said Sage CEO, Stephen Kelly. “At the Sage Summit Tour, they will get inspiration from other entrepreneurs, experts, and peers about how they can take their businesses into a future of invisible admin.”

The digital future of work

Speakers at the Sage Summit Tour will focus on how digital native young professionals and exciting emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, mobility and automated data collection are reshaping the workplace.

Ahead of the Sage Summit Tour, Sage has been discussing these ideas in a series of podcasts, Invisible Admin: Conversations about the future of work.

Said Anton van Heerden, Managing Director and Executive Vice-President, Africa & Middle East at Sage: “Technologies such as artificial intelligence are the answer to the everyday pain points people are facing now. Our work at Sage allows us to use these advances to address the immediate challenges our customers face today. We are helping to free them from mundane admin tasks so that they can focus on creativity, growth and innovation.”

Invisible admin and accounting

Invisible accounting will be built on the back of three powerful emerging technologies, as illustrated in Leading the Invisible Accounting Revolution (http://APO.af/O0dd4h), a new white paper from Sage and Ovum:

    Artificial Intelligence will enable users to interact with accounting systems via conversational interfaces. It will also elevate back-office automation and the processing of massive amounts of data.

    Blockchain technology promises to transform how frictionless processes can take place, where money transfers, for example, can flow in an automated manner and be auditable and compliant.

    The Internet of Things will transform the supply chain and deliver superior efficiencies and lower costs.

Together, these technologies will enable an era of seamless business processes, continuous budgeting and agile accounting.

Release of the Payments Landscape Report

The Sage Summit Tour will also reflect on the results of its Payments Landscape Report for South Africa, which shows that consumers are increasingly demanding choice when they pay.

The majority (96%) of South African consumers surveyed claim it’s important for businesses to offer customers a diverse range of payment methods. South Africans feel strongly enough to act on it, with 90% claiming they would be more likely to shop somewhere that offered them multiple ways to pay.

Investing in the community, inspiring change

Sage will update delegates about how the Sage Foundation is making a difference for communities and non-profit organisations across Africa and Middle East with its approach to social investment. The company unveiled its $1,000,000 Challenge in partnership with parkrun.

This global fundraising challenge is going around the world with the Sage Summit Series, to make sure Sage transforms more communities. The three inspiring local based community partners are: SA Teen Entrepreneurs, SOS Children’s Villages and Dignity Dreams. Sage colleagues, customers and partners will be partnering with parkrun on 8 March 2017 at Woodmead Country Club to raise money for the three non-profit charities.