03/03/2010
The Channel’s Big Bang
By Kelly Teal
In space, when forces of immeasurable strength meet head on, new galaxies are said to emerge. The principle applies here on Earth, too, and that kind of cosmic event shook the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this week when 3,200 people gathered to take part in the Spring 2010 Channel Partners Conference & Expo. But this wasn’t just any trade show – on the cusp of an economic recovery and meteoric tech innovation, this was something more: the channel’s Big Bang.
One of the key takeaways from the recent recession – for partners, that is – is that businesses don’t just want the best price, they want the best value. They want someone to manage their services, not just find the lowest transport cost. They also want outside experts to choose, install and maintain their hardware. That means traditional telecom agents and traditional data VARs have to expand their capabilities and specialties, and rely on each other to learn the ins and outs.
That was the main message from speakers this week during the Channel Partners show. Hosted services, unified communications, energy sourcing and equipment provisioning all are the answer to many end users’ communications needs – and to agents’ and VARs’ business evolution musts. In the hallways, session rooms and expo hall, each of those topics dominated conversations. Entire tracks were dedicated to managed services, business continuity and more. Yet each conveyed a similar theme and one that Motorola Inc.’s Janet Schijns perhaps summed up best: Price has to matter and investments must hold value for customers. And if you aggregate the right combination of services, you will future-proof your revenue streams.
That’s especially important as some carriers trim their agent commissions or axe indirect partners altogether. Partners are realizing that long-term network access sales are not sustainable. On the VAR side, experts are watching their traditional customer base drift away due to lower capex spending. So, like agents, they’re shifting their focus, too, toward managed services.
And there’s already no shortage of choices. For example, Alteva this week introduced its hosted platform that incorporates Microsoft’s unified communications software, Exchange and open-development features. Alteva handles the billing and other back-office functions, among other tasks, and agents can sell role-based licenses – for executives, call center agents, telecommuters and so on. The company also sells equipment and offers one-time hardware commissions.
Meanwhile, Masergy is providing hosted IP VPN managed services through channel partners. Broadview just launched its internally created hosted VoIP system. Developers can control the features and functions through cloud access. World Telecom Group (WTG) and colo firm Telx talked up their new partnership that lets partners add data centers services to their portfolios. End users don’t have to pay for infrastructure or internal IT employees. A.C.T. Conferencing is putting audio, video and Web conferencing into a unified portal. And Cbeyond and ADTRAN are bringing together cloud services and the necessary gear.
Those few case studies illustrate just how the channel is moving into its next phase of growth and change. And partners are consuming all the information they can. Consider the standing-room only education sessions, like the one on energy led by WTG’s Vince Bradley, and the 32 percent increase of partner attendees as compared to the 2009 Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas (based on final registration). Overall, participation soared 43 percent – because that’s what happens when channels collide.
A Salute to You
By Kelly Teal
It’s been several years since I had the opportunity to attend a Channel Partners show. And I have to tell you, I was blown away by you, the partners and suppliers. The economy, horrific as it has been, has increased your resolve to be your customers’ most valuable resource. For agents, some providers’ unwelcome commission changes have pushed you to educate yourselves on new products and sign up with fresh vendors and masters. And for VARs, the reduced capex spending among your traditional base has you eyeing the telecom side of the data world.
All of that drove you to take advantage of everything Channel Partners had to offer. You crammed the education sessions and vendor presentations, clamored to the Peer-to-Peer networking mixer and fueled non-stop activity on the show floor. I overheard so many serious discussions and business deals in the works that I lost track of the number – honestly.
You all seriously impressed me, and I know you impressed one another. At least a dozen people talked to me about the industry’s energy, how it feels invigorated and refreshed, on the verge of exciting change. I agree. And it’s all due to your eagerness to evolve, and due to the Channel Partners Conference & Expo (the result of many of my co-workers’ earnest and intense labor). I don’t know when I’ll see most of you again but when I do, I expect to see continued transformation and enthusiasm, and reports of ever-growing revenue. Thank you for such a great show!
02/21/2010
Channel Partners Expo Sneak Peek
You might be wondering why we are sending the first edition of Spring 2010 Channel Partners Conference & Expo Show Daily when the event, March 1-3, is a week away. It’s simple really – there is so much going on at this show, we wanted to give you a sneak peek.
You’ll also receive the Show Daily on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday before the show with more highlights of what’s to come and what you won’t want to miss.
PLUS, we have some firsts for Spring 2010:
I could go on and on about all this event has to offer, but hopefully this list will help you plan for Vegas!
The Best Giveaways and Parties at Channel Partners Expo
We know you’ve been waiting for this list! As if there weren’t already tons to do and see (and grab for free) in Vegas, here is a list of some of the hot giveaways and events taking place at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, March 1-3!
Gadgets & Gear
AT Conference is holding a drawing for a 32GB iPod Touch. The drawing will be held on Wednesday, March 3, and the winner need not be present to win. Drop a business card by Booth 1624 to be eligible.
Broadvox is giving away a Kindle. There are two ways to enter – either stop by Booth 1707 and have your badge scanned or go to www.broadvox.com to register. The drawing will be March 22, and the winner will be notified.
Color Broadband Communications is giving away a Barnes and Noble Nook, the newest e-Reader on the market. Drop a business card in the fishbowl at Booth 1328 to enter. The winner will be drawn at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 3. The winner does not need to be present at the drawing to win, but must be available by phone to pick up the prize.
Communication Management Services (CMS) is asking attendees to redeem their $500 casino chip from their attendee bags at Booth 1215 for a spin on the CMS slot machine. Slot machine prizes include five $100 Mandalay Bay Casino Chips, rolling coolers (Sprint Nascar Logo), stadium chairs, leather brief cases, notepads, calculators and pens. Everyone who spins the slot machine will be entered into the CMS drawings that will be held on Tuesday, March 2, at 3:30 p.m. for a Nike Golf Bag, at 4:30 p.m. for a BlackBerry Tour 9630 Sprint wireless phone, and at 5:30 p.m. for a $500 Mandalay Bay Casino Chip. Drawings will be held at the CMS booth and winners are required to be present. Also during expo hall hours on March 1-2, CMS will be serving Sierra Nevada beer in commemorative glass mugs. All giveaways and drawings are for agents only.
The Conference Group invites attendees to visit Booth 1315 to Spin to Win. Prizes for spinning the wheel range from recycled note pads to T-shirts. You can also drop a business card in the fishbowl to enter to win the grand prize drawing for an Apple iPad. The prize will be delivered to winner when it is available to the general public for purchase (anticipated April 1, 2010). The drawing will be held at the end of expo hall hours on Tuesday, March 2, and the winner need not be present to win.
New Edge Networks is having a drawing for an HP - DreamScreen 100 10.2" Widescreen LCD Wi-Fi Digital Photo Frame. Stop by Booth 1421 to drop a business card in the fishbowl. The drawing will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2. The winner does not need to be present to win, and the prize can be taken home immediately or shipped to the winner if he/she is not present.
The Planet is giving away two Creative Vado pocket video camcorders. Stop by Booth 1326 to enter by submitting a business card with a completed three-question survey. The winners will be drawn on Tuesday, March 2 – the first at 2 p.m., and the second at 5:45 p.m. Winners do not have to be present to win, but must pick up their prizes before the show closes on Wednesday, March 3.
Qwest is giving away a Dell Inspiron netbook at its vendor presentation on cloud computing on Tuesday, March 2, at 9:30. Attendees can stop by Booth 1611 during expo hours Monday evening to pick up a raffle ticket, sign the back of it and then take it to the presentation on Tuesday morning. The drawing will be held after the presentation, and the winner must be present to win.
Telx is having a Wii Ski Jump competition at Booth 1226. To participate, a business card must be dropped in the fish bowl, and Telx will keep track of the top three scores throughout the show. The person with the longest jump will win a brand-new Wii and the ski jump game. Second place takes home $100 in gambling chips; third place takes home $50 in gambling chips. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 3, at 11 a.m. at the Telx booth. Winners need not be present to win.
Time Warner Cable Business Class invites attendees to experience live magic and enter to win one of two Flip MinoHD Camcorders. To enter the drawing, drop your business card off at Booth 1413 and learn how TWCBC’s advanced communication solutions can help grow your business. Winners will be drawn at the close of the show at the Time Warner Cable Business Class booth. Winners need to be present to win.
Vocal IP Networx is giving away two 8GB iPod Touches. Stop by Booth 1232 and drop off your business card to enter the drawing. One iPod Touch will be given away 30 minutes prior to show floor closing on Tuesday, March 2, and on Wednesday, March 3, and you do not need to be present to win.
WorldGate invites attendees to visit Booth 1813 to register to win a pair of digital video phones. Visit the booth to learn about WorldGate's end-to-end video communication solution and enter to win a set of digital video phones being given away each of the three days of the show. Drop off your business card to be eligible for the drawing, which will be held March 4.
Gift Cards
AT&T is inviting attendees to stop by Booth 1221 to play Speed, a fun, fast interactive game running continuously throughout expo hall hours. Participants will answer multiple choice questions about industry topics and AT&T solutions. The first correct answer gets a point, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins a prize. Prizes include a range of gift cards to places like Starbucks, Borders and gasoline retailers.
PowerNet Global will be having a drawing for one lucky attendee to win a $500 AMEX gift card. Drop off your business card at Booth 1505 to be eligible. The drawing will be held on Wednesday, March 3, and the winner does not need to be present to win.
Quest is providing a few different chances to win gift cards. At Quest’s vendor presentation on Tuesday, March 2, 10:30-11:20 a.m., every attendee will get a take-home gift, and two winners will receive $200 AMEX cards (winners must be present to win). Additionally, at the Quest booth, 1533, attendees can take a spin on a slot machine for a prize. Every player gets a coupon valid to Double The Referral Fee on any leads, and top winners get a $25 AMEX card.
TelCentris is giving away two $100 Visa gift cards. People can either drop off a card in the fishbowl or get scanned at Booth 1622, and one winner will be drawn from each group. The drawing will be held after the exhibit hall closes and winners will be notified the next day. The gift cards will be mailed to the winners.
Get-togethers (and other notable notions)
McGraw Communications is offering its signature margaritas with an Olympic-style twist. The reseller’s booth (#1308) will have a McGraw logo ice sculpture fashioned as a luge for the tequila-based libation. Margarita mix will go in the top of the luge and take a frosty trip to the bottom into margarita shaker keepsake glasses.
PAETEC invites attendees to stop by Booth 1616 during expo hall hours on Monday and Tuesday, March 1-2, to pick up a flyer for free admission to Mix Lounge atop Mandalay Bay's THE hotel on Tuesday evening. Come party with PAETEC!
Telarus is having an open social on Sunday night, Feb. 28, 7-9:30 p.m., at the Gold Coast in the Nevada Ballroom. Come chat with Telarus and partake in a yummy chocolate fountain.
02/16/2010
Putting Education Into Practice
The two days of education planned for the Channel Partners Conference & Expo will take you to the outer limits of channel exploration. Make plans to attend the final general session to learn how to put it all into practice. Join your peers Tuesday, March 2, at 11:30 a.m., for this can’t-miss hour of practical advice and best practices from an expert panel of service providers and channel partners.
With the increasing pressure to become a full-service provider, channel partners are faced with the Herculean task of integrating new product lines and service delivery methods into their business models. This panel of service providers and channel partners will discuss way to do that and ultimately transform channel businesses for the future.
This session will be moderated by Ted Schuman, CEO of Planet One and will include Randy Jeter, partner and lead consultant at Premiere Worldwide; Debbie Clavadetscher, founder of SpiriTel; and Don Douglas, CEO of Liquid Networx.
Click here to learn more about these speakers.
Click here to register now! Online registration closes Friday, Feb. 26, so don’t put it off another day.
02/08/2010
Ready for Economic Recovery?
With an economic recovery comes the return of heavy competition. Are you ready? Enough already about the gloomy economy – we need to look toward the future. At the upcoming Channel Partners Conference & Expo, March 1-3, in Las Vegas, channel expert Janet Schijns, vice president of global channels at Motorola, will lead a general session that will arm your business with the knowledge needed to make a difference when customers start spending again.
The session, “Top 10 Ways to Prosper from an Economic Recovery,” will explore unique strategies like social CRM, emerging solutions positioning, services strategies for profit, compelling green initiatives, competitive pricing strategies and managed services. Economic recoveries offer endless opportunities to channel firms that have the right plans in place to succeed. The latest recovery will bring with it more and new forms of competition requiring a change in your plan to prosper for the future.
Bring an open mind and an open notebook and prepare to pay close attention as Schijns shares her unique perspective on how to profit in the channel!
Click here to find out more about the speaker for this session and others at the show!
Click here to register!
02/01/2010
THE Mixer To Attend in Vegas
We all want to know what our peers are up to. What kinds of problems are they facing? What do they are the killer apps of today? How have they been successful in certain areas? How do they juggle all of their back-office responsibilities? Well, here’s your chance to find out.
At the upcoming Channel Partners Conference & Expo, March 1-3, in Las Vegas, PHONE+ will be offering its third Peer-To-Peer Networking Mixer.
This free two-hour event, sponsored by PlanetOne Communications, will enable you to meet your peers in a vendor-neutral environment – NO VENDORS OR MASTER AGENTS ALLOWED. The mixer will feature a one-hour speed networking period followed by a one-hour roundtable session.
Last year’s event was great! The room was abuzz with productive conversation. The exclusive mixer was definitely the place to be.
So, come get to know other independent agents, share information about vendors, discuss common business concerns, find potential partners based on skill, product or geography, and begin friendships that can help you in 2010 and beyond.
Previous participants have found this forum – created by agents for agents – to be a must-attend part of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo experience. Space is limited so you must register in advance to attend this event. Registration ends Feb. 19, so register now!
Click here to register.
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