Top Awards tables on sale as judging day nears
Preparations for the staging of this year's channel Oscars are proceeding apace, says Fleur Doidge
Last year's Channel Awards were also at Battersea Park arena
Table sales are ramping up ahead of the Channel Awards as all participants turn their gaze towards this year’s judging day – just a week away, on 7 September.
“We are very excited about the new judging process, which we believe leaves no stone unturned when it comes to fairly assessing all entries – and we do hope you will join us on the big night in November,” says Sara Yirrell, editor of CRN.
The introduction of a second panel of judges for 2010 is sure to attract much scrutiny. However, adding a second layer to the process underlines the Awards objectivity and ensure the cream rises to the top.
Leading lights
This panel will comprise 12 leading lights of the channel including Kingston Technology sales director Ann Keefe, Eurodata Systems managing director Des Lekerman, SCH marketing director Judy Groves, and Ingram Micro director Jon Bunyard. Bernadette Wightman, managing director for the partner organisation at Cisco, is also “thrilled” to be on the panel.
“The Channel Awards have been recognised as one of the most competitive and well-respected in the industry. We work with some exceptional partners, so this gives me a chance to see what other great work is being done within the wider UK partner landscape,” Wightman says.
“I’m looking forward to hearing of genuinely innovative and game-changing initiatives from both vendors and partners alike, showcasing the best of what the UK industry has to offer.”
Jacqueline Davey, vice president of the business partner organisation at IBM, will be on the second-round panel too. She says the CRN awards remain important.
“We see the channel transforming in response to customer demand, with resellers increasingly investing and seeking support in becoming solution providers. Opportunities for highlighting collaboration, dedication and seizing opportunities for growth are relevant and timely for all channel decisionmakers,” she says.
As a judge in the second-round panel, Davey looks forward to celebrating excellence in the delivery of smart, innovative IT offerings. The improved judging system will only boost that relevance, she suggests.
“The new judging system will help put all entrants on an equal footing for being evaluated on the quality of their submissions,” says Davey.
Tony Lock, programme director at Freeform Dynamics, has come back for more ‘punishment’ following his maiden voyage as an Awards judge in 2009. IT procurement is today business-critical for most if not all organisations, so the importance of highlighting the best in class has also increased, he notes.
“The channel is the way by which most organisations procure the essential IT solutions on which their organisations’ daily business operations depend,” says Lock. “The awards seek to highlight those in this essential area that deliver extra value to their customers. It is good to be able to recognise beneficial channel and customer partnerships wherever they exist and, hopefully, to encourage others.”
Lock will judge the first round, alongside nine others including CRN editor Sara Yirrell, GfK business group director for IT, office, stationery, photo, and musical instrument categories Carl West, CompTIA’s EMEA vice president Matthew Poyiadgi, Quocirca service director Bob Tarzey, and Meredith Media Services managing director Simon Meredith.
Meredith, a veteran channel journalist, says the Channel Awards are valuable for resellers in many ways.
Prestige and pride
“There is obviously the prestige and pride that comes from being recognised as a leading player in your particular area of focus. Winning and even being shortlisted is always going to make a positive impression on current and potential customers,” he says.
“It helps staff morale too and gives resellers a higher profile with vendors and distributors, which can be useful.”
Meredith maintains that the hard slog of putting one’s entry together also has intrinsic value, because it makes people really think about how they are making a difference and what value they deliver to their customers.
“That is broadly what we will be looking for in this year’s entries. The resellers that win should be the ones that are setting the best example to everyone else, leading the way in terms of service delivery and helping their customers gain real advantage through their use of technology,” Meredith says.
As usual, a range of tables and single seats are on offer through Incisive Media, the publisher of CRN, online through the Channel Awards website or by phoning Jasmin Sangha on 0207 004 7560.