As part of its investment in RISE with SAP, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group will migrate its SAP ECC 6.0 systems to SAP S/4HANA Cloud. By deploying the SAP ERP cloud software, the Montreal-based contemporary circus producer aims to simplify the business and further support the organisation’s global growth strategy.
An important driver of SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) adoption, RISE with SAP continues to gain momentum after a successful introduction in January. The German enterprise software giant saw strong demand for the holistic Business Transformation as a Service (BTaaS) solution from organisations of all sizes, closing deals with over 300 customers in the third quarter. Among those that selected the RISE with SAP offering in Q3 to manage their mission-critical core processes is Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, a leader in providing live entertainment programs and services.
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is looking forward to a post-pandemic comeback with the relaunch of its global touring operations, which has been on hold for more than a year as a result of spacing rules and lockdowns. Having to pause performances in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the November 13th opening of its show Alegría in Houston will demonstrate a celebratory movement for the live entertainment industry, production staff, and performers.
During one of their most difficult times amid the pandemic, the company turned to SAP to boost business continuity and ensure flexibility to support its business strategy. The adoption of RISE with SAP is a significant milestone in SAP and Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group’s long-standing partnership, which intends to bring new and exciting experiences to global audiences through the use of the latest technologies. Reflecting on the expanded collaboration, SAP North America President DJ Paoni said:
“People around the world love Cirque du Soleil for the performers’ incredible agility, flexibility, coordination, and talent. This partnership is all about helping Cirque du Soleil embrace and incorporate these same values in its day-to-day operations as a company.”
Cirque du Soleil Leverages SAP ERP Cloud Software for Business Transformation
SAP and Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group’s innovation-driven alliance dates back to 2001 when the latter became a customer in a bid to look into innovative solutions to boost customer experience and transform the business into a world-leading entertainment company. During an Australian tour in 2017, Cirque du Soleil utilised data processing technologies to provide audiences with a more immersive, interactive, and personalised experience. An application powered by SAP HANA’s platform facilitated communication between viewers and the show’s visual effects.
Moreover, the companies’ two-decade partnership also saw attendees of KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities taking part in a Proof of Concept (PoC) where their emotional journey was captured using facial recognition technology and analysed through SAP HANA, Big Data, analytics, and machine learning (ML). The goal of the project conducted in 2019 was to provide new insights into how spectators reacted to the show.
Recently reaching new heights with RISE with SAP to further invest in its intelligent enterprise strategy, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group will migrate from SAP ECC 6.0 to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and integrate additional modular cloud products such as SAP Concur, SAP SuccessFactors, and SAP Ariba. In addition, SAP BTP will be used to innovate where highly unique processes are required.
Commenting on the latest partnership, Philippe Lalumière, Vice President of Information Technology at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, stressed:
“Embracing an intelligent enterprise strategy will simplify our business and support the organisation’s global growth strategy. Having the ability to quickly pivot, scale, and create new, engaging fan experiences has never been more important given the impact the global pandemic has had on the entertainment industry. RISE with SAP and SAP S/4HANA will help power our ability to deliver on these goals.”