While the world was in the middle of a global health crisis, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group reimagined its entire business from the big top down. Now, it’s leaping forward and moving its core systems to the cloud with the RISE with SAP solution.
>220
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1,100
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To keep amazing our audiences around the world, we knew we needed to re-imagine our whole business and its digital foundation.
Cirque du Soleil has come a long way since a small troupe of circus performers got together in Quebec back in 1984. It has grown into one of the biggest live entertainment companies in the world, reinventing circus arts and live entertainment along the way.
Known for wowing more than 220 million spectators in 450 cities and over 60 countries, the touring shows and permanent productions created by Cirque du Soleil are massive undertakings. They require a workforce of 3,600 people, including 1,100 artists from 50 different countries who speak more than 25 different languages. And behind the scenes, every show is driven by countless business operations.
So when all that activity was threatened by the recent global health crisis, Cirque du Soleil turned that moment into an opportunity to rethink its core business processes and search for new ways to expand operations and keep audiences spellbound.
As we transform our operations, we could see that only in the cloud could we go where we needed to go.
Cirque du Soleil chose to move to the cloud with a business transformation enabled by RISE with SAP.
At the foundation of the transformation is SAP S/4HANA Cloud, which provides a single source of truth and support for integrated processes across business areas.
“Having the ability to quickly pivot, scale, and create new and engaging fan experiences has never been more important,” said Philippe Lalumière, Vice President of Information Technology, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. “RISE with SAP and SAP S/4HANA Cloud will help power our ability to deliver on these goals.” This move has expanded the relationship between Cirque du Soleil and SAP.
For example, SAP Ariba solutions help Cirque du Soleil manage the thousands of astonishing costumes and specialised equipment that make the shows so special. It also relies on SAP Concur solutions to manage travel and expenses around the world.
In addition, Experience Management solutions from SAP and Qualtrics provide insights that company leaders use to further improve the fan experience.
Cirque du Soleil migrated to a cloud-based platform to fuel a business transformation, enabled by RISE with SAP. Innovating every aspect of its operations allows Cirque du Soleil to create shows that go beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations.
The company’s intelligent enterprise strategy unleashes the kind of operational efficiency Cirque du Soleil needs to drive future growth.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud provides an integrated platform for streamlining business functions such as finance and merchandising across its international operations.
Meanwhile, with SAP Ariba solutions, the company’s costume workshop tracks every component of each customised costume kit by act, artist, and show. In full production, that’s 5,000 costumes, replaced on average every three months. With the cloud, each item is traced in real time, enabling more-efficient inventory management.
SAP Concur solutions drive greater budgetary control with visibility into how and where the company spends its money. Furthermore, experience management capabilities continue to inspire the creative minds at Cirque du Soleil to find new ways to engage adoring fans.
Please take your seats. The show is about to begin.
SAP has been a trusted advisor for more than 20 years and RISE with SAP represents a critical next step in allowing us to continually evolve our business.
Cirque du Soleil creates some of the world’s most-striking live entertainment with unforgettable shows, multimedia experiences, theme parks, and special events. It aims to make a positive impact on people, communities, and the planet with its most important tools: creativity and art.
For more information please visit the official Cirque du Soleil website.
| Industry | Company Size | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Sports and entertainment | 3,600 | Global |
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