Curtain up on Channel Expo
Tough times no longer top the bill so channel players at Expo will focus on performance increases, finds Fleur Doidge
Step right up to Olympia, London, for this year's Channel Expo
In two days the curtain goes up at Olympia for this year’s Channel Expo, and with exhibitors aiming to boost performance and engage more partners, attendees looking to emerge from tough times will have plenty of opportunities to explore.
Business wins cannot be left to chance, so Expo’s targeted seminars are all about boosting sales and increasing business opportunities for the channel. The CRN events team has spent many weeks brainstorming Expo as a springboard for partner success.
“Some that have survived the last two years are struggling, while some have done surprisingly well,” says Sara Yirrell, editor of CRN.
“But one thing is certain: although success in the channel – like anything – is partly about persistence, that alone may not deliver success when times change. Future success is about surveying your options and applying innovation, and Expo helps the channel do just that.”
Her sentiments are echoed by Mike Farrah, commercial director at Platinum sponsor Ingram Micro. “We have a huge presence, with a stand of over 250m2. This year we have gone for a striking design and some great features,” he says.
Ingram Micro is having live presentations from key vendors over the two days, and a private, on-stand meeting room, with plenty of seats. Chat over a freshly brewed barista coffee, also available for visitors on its stand.
“We have got great vendors attending with us this year too, with a dedicated Microsoft area, and feature stands from Logitech and HP. Other vendors attending with us on the day include Sony, Toshiba, Cisco, Trend Micro, CA, Ergotron, Canon, Acer and Antec,” Farrah says.
“We will also be available to talk about our initiatives in marketing, logistics and credit and take orders on the day. We are really looking forward to seeing many of our resellers there and to doing business!”
Hugh Furness, European sales director at Wasp Barcode Technologies, says Wasp, like most, is exhibiting its particular opportunities in its specialised space.
“We are coming to reconnect with a lot of our channel partners, and to meet new partners, so that we can support them and talk about market opportunities,” says Furness. “We are focusing on the growing demand for time and attendance systems, and our new product, Wasptime, will open new doors in this area for our VARs.”
Portfolio expansion has become more important as margins have narrowed. Justin Coombes, marketing manager at Gamma Telecom, said Gamma’s IP-based voice services are easily accessible to resellers of data and IT services looking to add voice to their product portfolio.
“Channel Expo provides us with the ideal forum to talk to those resellers and for us to form new partnerships with them,” Coombes says. “We expect a lot of interest in SIP trunking at the event this year as a recognised alternative to ISDN, and we’ve recently made it available over Ethernet as well as broadband, opening up many opportunities for the channel where voice is part of a broader solution.”
It is not too late to register, and join us 12-13 May to learn where the industry is headed and how best to profit. The show, as they say, goes on.
Free online registration and more info
http://www.channelexpo.co.uk/c2010/visitors.html