Channel Partners Expo Blog

The Channel Partners Conference & Expo Industry Keynote will feature Christopher Dean, Chief Strategy Officer of Skype, on the subject of "Service Provider Transformation." The Industry Keynote address will take place Wednesday, Sept. 23, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m., and will also serve as the VON Conference & Expo closing keynote address. The VON Conference & Expo is co-located with the Channel Partners Expo in South Beach and runs Sept. 21 – 23. The combination of these two shows presents a unique opportunity to connect with the full spectrum of partners and customers.

Dean has 20 years of experience in business and corporate development, strategy consulting and advising startups. He specializes in deals to grow revenue, create new distribution channels and develop and launch new products. Dean has led several business development and strategy teams that have defined and prioritized strategic partner targets and identified, negotiated and closed partnerships. He was most recently the co-founder of Texada Capital and responsible for new business development. Earlier, he spent four years as the senior vice president of marketing and business development at Face Time communications, a leading vendor of security, management and control solutions for enterprise-oriented instant messaging.

The roles of carriers, network operators, ISPs, and independent telecom providers are being revolutionized as innovative new IP-based services and business models arise. That means the definition of what it means to be a "telecom service provider" today is up for grabs - Come hear what this well-known industry veteran has to say about all these topics and more.

The Fall 2009 Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Miami will include Hot Topic workshops as part of the education agenda. The Hot Topics were created after hearing your feedback/requests for longer and more in-depth education sessions that offer a more comprehensive look at the various subjects. The Hot Topic workshops will be on Carrier Ethernet, Hosted VoIP/Unified Communications (UC), 4G and Telecom Lifecycle Management (TLM). The Carrier Ethernet and Hosted VoIP sessions will take place Wednesday, Sept. 23, 3 – 4:45pm and the 4G and TLM sessions will take place Thursday, Sept. 24, 9:30 – 11:15 a.m. Each Hot Topic session will feature four speakers taking you through different components or aspects of each area of interest. The Hot Topic sessions do not require additional registration. Keep checking the Channel Partners web site for more education information.

The early bird gets the room ...
... and based on the “sold out” status of the Loews Miami Beach Hotel it would appear the channel is full of early risers!

The Loews Miami Beach Hotel, which was offering a discounted room rate for Channel Partners Expo participants, is already completely booked. But have no fear, show management has worked a deal with a second hotel to offer a discounted rate.

The neighboring Royal Palm South Beach Resort is leaving its lights on for Channel Partners Expo participants at a rate of just $185/night when you book by Aug. 22. The Royal Palm is a mere two-minute drive (or a 15-minute walk) from the Miami Beach Convention Center and is ideally situated in the South Beach Art Deco District.  Click here for hotel contact information and to get more information on the limited time discounted room rate. See you in South Beach!  

By Michael McLelan

It is with mixed emotions that I announce my resignation from the position of senior vice president of PowerNet Global Communications.

After discussing this with my wife, Dawna, and with my family (and much prayer), I believe that it is time to pursue other goals.

I have been with PNG for almost 12 years and have enjoyed every moment of it. Together we created one of the most successful and innovative companies in telecommunications.

PNG was started in the basement of Bernie Stevens’ home. It is now a highly respected and stable company that does more than $100 million in sales. I am most proud of the fact that PNG is known in the industry as a company with integrity and that PNG can be trusted. I know that with the strong leadership team at PowerNet Global, the company will continue to grow and prosper.

I will be forever grateful to PNG for having given me the opportunity to be a part of the accomplishments and the great times we have had over the years. PNG is truly a family company. I will miss working with and seeing the wonderful people.

However, because it is an opportune time for someone else to lead PowerNet Global to greater heights, it is time for me to take myself to greater heights as an individual.

I will remain active in the industry as a consultant, speaker and a member of the PHONE+/Channel Partners Conference & Expo Advisory Board. (See you at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Miami this September.)

As Mark Twain said:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I am off to catch the wind.

Aloha!

Michael McLelan

P.S. You can contact me at mikemclelan@gmail.com, or +1 831 724 4415.

Michael McLelan is the former senior vice president of business markets at PowerNet Global Communications. He is also a member of the 2008-09 PHONE+ Channel Partners Advisory Board.

On Sunday, March 1, the first night of the Channel Partners Conference in Las Vegas, World Telecom Group (WTG) threw a massive agent party (more than 200 people attended) on the roof of the Rio, at the world famous VooDoo Lounge. The energy in the crowd was electric. Agents and providers (BullsEye, 8x8/Packet8, Time Warner Cable, AboveNet, XO, Covad and Access2Go) mingled, enjoyed a dinner buffet (including the largest piece of meat we have ever seen), drank cocktails and engaged in lots of business! Two gorgeous ornately — yet scantily — attired Las Vegas showgirls even entertained and took pictures with the agents, completing the Las Vegas indulgence.

“We have found that our provider and agent partners spending quality time together has been invaluable to the relationship building and the business that it can create” said WTG CEO, Vince Bradley.

Director of channel sales and marketing for Time Warner Cable and a sponsor of the WTG Las Vegas party, Brian Snortheim, reflected that “World Telecom Group places strong focus on creating these types of opportunities which give us closer ties to their agents. As a supplier partner it allows us to interact with their agent base, grow our business relationship, and enjoy the camaraderie all at the same time.”

Topping the night off, WTG gathered all of the providers and agents, center stage, to give away more than $2,500 in prizes including $1,000 in cash! BullsEye representatives Deavah Yune and Tim Basa, along with WTG CEO Vince Bradley, presented the cash to Joe Petretee, a WTG top agent.

Tim Basa, VP of sales at BullsEye Telecom, later expressed that “it was great to participate in this first-class event and meet many of the WTG family of agents. The WTG team has a unique ability to identify, train and support niche products that provide a great value to their clients. This ability makes them an ideal fit to represent our multi-location management product, Corporate Advantage.”

After the party, agents and providers alike remember how much fun they had and have the business to prove it! “WTG has become one of 8x8’s top producing master agents, and we value their contribution to our business,” said Dave Immethun, 8x8 senior director of channel sales. “In addition to knowledge and expertise, WTG agents deliver outstanding support and flexibility and, overall, have been really great to work with.”

If you are an agent looking for a seriously fun master agent with a HUGE portfolio that makes working and doing business easy, then WTG is for you! To find out about becoming a WTG agent, e-mail agentapply@wtgcom.com or call +1 310 456 2200, ext. 3.

The Fall Channel Partners Conference is bringing back the YOU Track—an entire track of education sessions suggested and voted on by you. What session topics do you want to have in Miami? Let us know HERE.

The YOU Track survey will be open through April 17. After the survey closes we will compile of the suggested topics and let you vote on the topics we will present in Miami. The YOU Track was a great success in Las Vegas and we look forward to presenting more topics you want to learn about in Miami.