Odoo Experience 2024 - or OXP as the community puts it - brought together thousands of Odoo enthusiasts, partners, and business leaders to discover the newest version of Odoo - version 18!
Among the attendees in Brussels, Belgium, there were several of us Sprinters and our customers, too. For this blog post, we interviewed Marko Happonen (Partner, Head of Sales & Marketing), Samu Tuomisto (Project Manager) and Mahmoud Elmenshawy (Solution Architect).
Odoo is getting bigger and better...
One of the most striking takeaways this year was Odoo’s increasing recognition among major global players. As Marko notes, “Odoo is getting acknowledged among bigger and bigger players. You saw Deloitte and Google there and business cases where Odoo is used for $100M+ companies.” This trend signals Odoo’s evolution into a competitive tool for large enterprises, not just SMEs.
Mahmoud agrees with Marko. "This event reinforced my confidence that Odoo is evolving into a system fit for large corporations, not just small and medium-sized enterprises.”
For Samu, the event offered a deep dive into the continuous improvements Odoo has made in usability. He points out that instead of introducing groundbreaking new features, Odoo 18 is about "sharpening the saw" by improving workflows and usability.
...but can't go forward without AI?
Marko and Mahmoud both emphasized the growing role of AI within Odoo, though the team has varied perspectives on its current usage and potential.
"AI is there, and businesses, including Odoo partners, should figure out how to utilize it both within and outside the Odoo domain.", Marko says.
Mahmoud echoed this sentiment: "Growing integration of AI in Odoo is definitely a trend that excites me for the future."
Samu offers a more grounded view, suggesting that AI in Odoo is still in its early stages: "Although some integrations are already in place, it feels like we’re still in the exploration phase – trying to find ways to make AI useful beyond tasks like content creation."
Acknowledging Samu's perspective, Marko adds another layer of insight. "Odoo themselves mention AI in features like the Website and invoice OCR, but whether that's truly AI or just smart automation is another question," he says. "This is a broader industry trend, where many vendors use the term 'AI' to describe sophisticated automation."
However, Marko sees exciting potential ahead, particularly with Odoo’s cooperation with Google. "As both Odoo and Google are open-source leaders, this collaboration could lead to seamless integrations with Google’s advanced AI tools, creating even more possibilities for innovation."
Favorite new features or interests?
For Marko, the Odoo Sales Quote Builder stood out, as it opens new possibilities for efficient sales processes by combining Odoo’s built-in Spreadsheet feature to quote and sales order calculations.
Samu mentioned improvements in the Make-to-Order (MTO) routes and new project management tools like the “top-bar” feature, which centralizes access to key project documents and reports. These updates are not just incremental; they address real needs from partners and clients, showing Odoo's responsiveness to feedback.
Mahmoud was inspired to focus on the importance of JavaScript and the growing role of AI within the system, which opens up many possibilities for future implementations. Also the Odoo Industry module packages excites him.
Odoo community = Collaboration across borders
Across the board, our team found value in the workshops and talks. For Samu, one key takeaway was that the challenges faced by Odoo partners around the world are remarkably similar. He reflects, "It was reassuring to hear that others have faced the same issues and solved them in similar ways during their successful implementations."
Marko particularly enjoyed the Nordic Partner Meeting. "It was nice to meet Baltic and Scandinavian colleagues and discuss how they do business. It opened up some new opportunities for collaboration."
Mahmoud was also happy to reconnect with some old friends and make new connections as well.
“I think every person you meet has something interesting to offer, and you can always learn from them”, Samu concludes.
Parties and Belgian delights
The Odoo Experience wouldn’t be complete without its fun moments.
While Marko expressed disappointment at missing Fabien’s legendary crowd-surfing (and offered to perform the act himself), he and the others enjoyed the evening events filled with music, lights, dancing, drinks, and the famous Belgian fries (which they playfully renamed Mahmoud’s fries - just look at the photo of smiling Mahmoud, it says more than a thousand words).
Long days, yes, but “every minute was worth it,” Samu sums up the experience.
What's next?
Marko predicts that Odoo’s user base will double or even quadruple in the coming years, impacting even more businesses globally.
The focus on usability, AI integration, and collaboration across countries are paving the way for Odoo to become a central tool in modern business operations.
Our team is eager to implement the new features, share knowledge with clients, and continue exploring how Odoo can further streamline and enhance the way businesses operate.
Thanks for the OXP report for the entire team: Samu Tuomisto, Olli Laiho, Joonas Huhtamo, Marko Happonen, Petri Härkönen and Mahmoud Elmenshawy (left to right, picture in the centre)
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