Joining the Crewe

Despite a bit of a dodgy drive up the M6 to Crewe this morning trying to avoid being killed by angry Audi drivers (what IS it with Audi drivers?), the Synaxon UK conference seemed to go very well today.

Kicking off at the DeVere Wynchwood Park Hotel to a packed room of delegates and exhibitors, Derek Jones, managing director of Synaxon UK charted the firm's rise over the past couple of years and outlined the benefits it can bring its members.

He was then followed by salesman extraordinaire Sean McPheat who gave some sales tips to delegates (and explained what the left and right thumbs were for), and the highlight of the morning was the chief executive of Autotask Mark Cattini - who had flown in from New York especially for the conference.

Cattini gave some very intersting stats about the global outsourcing and business insight market, and how Autotask fits into the mix.

Acer's Olympic team were on hand to talk about the benefits of holding the Olympic Games in London next year (I'm still to be convinced) and the morning was rounded off by Eddy Willems, global security evangelist from G-Data, who fired out facts and figures about the threats we are facing along with some amusing anecdotes.

After a long networking lunch (and the inevitable slinking off of some delegates) was a candid chat from Acer's  SMB and distribution channel manager and an update from Fujitsu's head of channel development Ian Leigh.

I am just about to head back to see who has won the Synaxon awards this year.

There is then a BBQ and live band this evening - I'm guessing there may well be some sore heads in the morning.

Fortunately one of those will not be mine as I have to be in full control of my wits to battle with the copious Audi drivers I am bound to encounter on the way back down the M6.