The future of connected planning defined at Anaplan Hub

In a world where disruption and transformation projects have become the norm, businesses need information to make timely decisions now more than ever. Traditional planning methods simply cannot provide the real-time view that today’s complex, global organizations need to successfully cope with change and bring agility to decision-making. This was the theme of the connected planning track at Hub 2018.

For two days in Las Vegas, innovative and strategic planners from some of the world’s leading organizations converged at the Aria Resort and Casino to showcase their connected planning journeys or explore the art of the possible—what connected planning could look like for them.

Each approach to connected planning is unique

For customer speaker Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the journey to transformation with Anaplan has been complex and extensive, but highly rewarding. With more than 20 use cases and 60 models already rolled out, RB’s breakout session displayed what a true connected planning vision looks like. Demian Shinzato Perren, IS Manager, Global Planning & Performance Systems at RB, told the story of how the business evolved from an organization with siloed data models and limited to no interaction and became a globally connected enterprise with speed, agility, and visibility into its plans.

In another memorable session, Tableau shared how its team leverages a hybrid approach to connected planning across multiple business use cases, including FP&A, sales planning, head-count management, and more. Attendees learned what a joint approach to planning can look like for their businesses and how Tableau has achieved a dynamic and scalable financial planning model tailored to its organization’s unique needs.

Forging a personal path toward connected planning

Along with customer-led sessions, the connected planning track at this year’s Hub conference delivered a diverse array of educational opportunities for Anaplan users of all skill levels. For those just beginning their journey, Nick Barker, Anaplan’s Principal Customer Success Business Partner, examined spreadsheet issues and how the Anaplan platform can solve them in his session titled “Transitioning from spreadsheets to Anaplan.” Although the session was primarily aimed at users new to Anaplan, its message about the steps that lead to spreadsheet exhaustion and over-complexity were universally relatable.

Lastly, for aspiring Anaplan gurus, there were advanced breakout sessions that covered best practices and deep-dives around model building, implementation, application lifecycle management, bring your own key (BYOK), and defense security. When it comes to a cloud-based technology, innovation, security, trust, and protection of data, these are Anaplan’s top concerns.

Ending with an unforgettable closing party at Jewel Nightclub, Hub 2018 proved to be not only a highly insightful and educational experience, but also an enjoyable one for all who attended.

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