Vendor and General categories for the SMAs 2019

The criteria in this article is aimed at any firm that is classified as an IT vendor that has a UK channel strategy.

Also included on page 2 is the criteria for the 'general' category, which is aimed at marketing agencies and PR firms that work with the UK channel.

Please do read the entry criteria before crafting an entry because they will give you an idea of what the judges are looking for.

To submit an entry - please click here.

VENDOR CATEGORIES

Best Partner Programme

Criteria

Who can enter? Any firm that is defined as a vendor and operates a UK channel strategy. These can be vendors of hardware, networking and software in all vertical markets, but the business must have a significant channel presence in the UK to qualify and obviously a channel programme that has been in place for more than a year. This can be a single or two-tier channel programme. The period covered for the awards is Jan 2018 to Jan 2019 so bear in mind when talking about additions/changes to programmes and the entry MUST be UK centric.

Briefly describe your partner programme - ie length of time in operation, how it works, size of partner base, how rebates work, how partners get involved, what it offers partners?
Do you have a partner portal? If so can you give some details of the benefits it provides partners?
How user friendly is it? Why do partners want to work with you?
How much time/money do you invest in your partner programme each year?
Why does it stand out from the competition/why have you entered?
How does it help your UK partners? Do they enjoy working with you? Why?
What have been the main benefits to you as a vendor with your partner programme?
REQUIREMENT: Provide a UK partner testimonial within the entry

Written entries must be no more than 1,000 words, and try to think about the judges when composing them. They must be UK RELEVANT ONLY. Use plenty of spacing, bullet points and paragraphs to construct your entry to make them easier on the eye. PDF and other multimedia entries are encouraged, and you can add personality to your entry too to make it stand out. If you are submitting a video, please keep it to FIVE minutes or less.

Best Partner Event

Criteria

Who can enter? Any firm that is defined as a vendor and operates a UK channel strategy. These can be vendors of hardware, networking and software in all vertical markets, but the business must have a significant channel presence in the UK to qualify. The event mentioned can be a brand-new event launched in the past year, or an existing regular annual event. It MUST be a CHANNEL focussed event and not one aimed at end users. It can be a UK based event or one abroad that you took UK partners to. But bear in mind the awards cover the period Jan 2018 to Jan 2019 when talking about events.

Please describe the event (including duration/location) and why you are entering it for this award
Please reference any outstanding results in terms of attendance
What benefits did it offer your reseller/distribution partners
What fun/social elements did the event have? Was it tweeted about? What sort of buzz did it create?
Why did partners attend? How many attended?
What do they take away with them after the event? Have there been any significant business wins as a result?
What do you get out of it as the organiser?
REQUIREMENT: Include testimonials from partners attending the event within the entry itself

Written entries must be no more than 1,000 words, and try to think about the judges when composing them. They must be UK RELEVANT. Use plenty of spacing, bullet points and paragraphs to construct your entry to make them easier on the eye. PDF and other multimedia entries are encouraged, and you can add personality to your entry too to make it stand out. If you are submitting a video, please keep it to FIVE minutes or less.

Best Company to Work For - Vendor

Criteria

Who can enter? Any firm that is defined as a vendor and operates a UK channel strategy. These can be vendors of hardware, networking and software in all vertical markets, but the business must have a significant channel presence in the UK to qualify. The company must pride itself on being a great place to work both in terms of results/growth, staff/employee satisfaction/motivation, CSR and general company culture. The period covered by the awards runs from Jan 2018 to Jan 2019, so please bear in mind when talking about particular activities, trips or incentives offered to staff. Images can also be used if required.

How many staff do you employ in the UK? Where are they based?
Why is your company such a great place to work?
What do you think makes it stand out from your peers?
How are you addressing the gender pay/skills gap in the industry?
How does company culture help generate results?
Has your company used internal social media campaigns to generate a fun working environment? How has this enhanced the staff morale? Give examples.
How does your company empower staff to do their jobs better? Give examples.
Can you give examples of CSR activities? ie Charity events etc
How do you motivate staff and engender loyalty? This can include outlines of bonus/commission schemes, extra leave, holidays, prizes etc
REQUIREMENT: Please provide testimonials from your staff in the entry

Best Marketing Campaign

Criteria

What was the campaign and when did it run? How did it work? Please describe the campaign itself and its title. NOTE: This can be a social media-based campaign, email campaign, print campaign or any other form of campaign.
Why are you entering this particular campaign? Why does it stand out?
Were any distribution partners involved? Please elaborate if so.
Who was it aimed at? ie SMBs, Enterprises, Public sector (or other specific sectors)
How successful was the campaign - use facts and figures to back up claims. How many resellers benefitted from the campaign?
Was there anything quirky or unusual about the campaign that really got it noticed?
REQUIREMENT: Please provide partner testimonials within the entry itself

Best Partner Website

Criteria

Who can enter? Any firm that is defined as a vendor and operates a UK channel strategy. These can be vendors of hardware, networking and software in all vertical markets, but the business must have a significant channel presence in the UK to qualify and a partner website that has been in operation for more than a year. Investment in the website must have taken place between Jan 2018 and Jan 2019 to qualify for entry.

Briefly describe the website and what its main functionalities are (pictures can be provided)
Why are you entering your website? Why do you think it should win this award?
What do you think makes your website stand out from the competition?
How easy is it to navigate and for partners to find what they want? Have you listened to partner feedback on your website? If so, what?
What are the best features of the website from a partner perspective?
How does using your website help resellers with their business?
How much have you invested in the website and can you prove demonstrable ROI on that investment?
REQUIREMENT: Provide relevant UK Reseller testimonials in the entry

Technology Innovation Award

Criteria

Who can enter? Any firm that is defined as a vendor and operates a UK channel strategy. These can be vendors of hardware, networking and software in all vertical markets, but the business must have a significant channel presence in the UK to qualify. This award is aimed at a particular technology or technology set that has revolutionised business for channel partners and their respective customers over the past 12 months.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not an opportunity to market or sell a particular product or descend into techie speak, the award is aimed at describing how a product has actually helped make YOUR CHANNEL PARTNERS money. Bear in mind the awards cover the period Jan 2018 to Jan 2019.

Briefly describe the product you are entering and why it is being entered for this award. Why do you consider it to be innovative?
How does it differ/standout from the other similar products that are on the market in terms of innovation - again keep it brief and focus on the business benefits, not the complexity of the technology.
What benefits has this product or product set you are entering provided for your channel partners in the past year - facts and figures are a must.
Demonstrate how sales of this product have increased through the channel in the past year and why (facts and figures needed)
Why does this particular technology innovation deserve this award? ie because it has made a huge difference to partners' business, customer take up has been phenomenal etc
REQUIREMENT: Back up your claims with testimonials from actual channel partners in the entry, and how this technology has helped their business in the past year. Get them to explain why they think this particular technology should win.

Manager of the Year - Vendor (nominated) - NEW FOR 2019!

This is a brand-new category for 2019 and it is your chance to nominate a manager that you feel has gone the extra mile for you and your colleagues. All we ask is a 100-150 word statement explaining who the person you are nominating is, what their job title is, how long they have worked at your company, and why you are nominating them for this award/what do you think qualifies them as the manager of the year. The more nominations a person receives, the more likely they are to make the shortlist.

Best Graduate and/or Apprenticeship Scheme - NEW FOR 2019

Criteria

Who can enter? Any firm that is defined as a vendor and operates a UK channel strategy. These can be vendors of hardware, networking and software in all vertical markets, but the business must have a significant channel presence in the UK to qualify and the graduate/apprenticeship scheme needs to have been running or further developed since at least January 2018.

The skills gap is the number one problem many tech firms are facing. Describe how your company is looking to plug that gap with a dedicated Graduate and/or Apprenticeship scheme.
Tell us about your particular scheme and why you launched it/how long it has been running. Where do you recruit your Graduates/Apprentices from - how do they apply and how do you select them?
How many Graduates/Apprentices have you trained so far and are you planning on increasing this?
Are you doing anything in particular to encourage more female graduates into your schemes?
How long is the process and what do they do once it is finished?
What have been the biggest challenges in running your scheme?
Describe any particular success stories - ie, someone who has gone on to become a senior manager within your own company or has been headhunted somewhere and has done really well for themselves.
REQUIREMENT: A testimonial from a graduate/apprentice within the entry itself - either a current one, or one that has flourished after completing their training with your company.