Every opinion will count
Sara Yirrell previews the first ever Reseller Leadership Forum, where CRN will bring the channel's elite together
Take the floor: The luxurious Four Seasons will be the stage where channel players can openly discuss timely issues.
Getting the top UK channel heads together in one room is a daunting task, as is launching a new event, and the CRN team has been up for the challenge with the Reseller Leadership Forum (RLF).
Taking place on 24 September at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire, the first ever event of its kind run by a UK channel
publication, promises a day of discussions that are particularly timely in today’s economic environment. The RLF will be a gathering of the channel elite, with the invitation-only event focused on managing director or director-level delegates.
CRN’s aim is to get everybody talking, we are hoping it will not be a day for attendees to be talked at, but a day where everybody will offer their opinions on the particular topic of the moment. All views count.
Ian French, managing director of Siceo, who is chairing the event, agreed that delegate participation will be key. “The
timing of this event could not be better in terms of the market, and it is all about the quality of presentation on the day and ensuring people take part in interactive discussion,” he said.
Joe Hemani, chairman of Westcoast agreed that the timing was right. “These are difficult times for the general
economy and for our industry,” he said. “There is strength in numbers. If we get together at an event like this, we can
discuss relevant issues. I think the current climate requires us to talk more openly.”
Starting at 9am, the schedule includes a keynote from the chief executive of the UK’s largest corporate reseller Mike Norris of Computacenter. Norris will be talking about creating value and maximising profit in leaner times.
Following Norris’ keynote will be the first panel debate, with panel members including Sukh Rayat, vice president of Avnet Technology Solutions EMEA, Andrew Brimson, director of Khipu Networks, and Mark Price, financial director of BT Convergent Solutions. The panel will be discussing the key to engaging new customers and keeping them.
Following a coffee break, the first of our Interactive Focus Groups will start. Four breakout panels will investigate such topics as unlocking capital and credit, evaluating and mitigating risk, planning for M&A, managing expansion, and
reaching and retaining SME customers. Delegates are free to choose one panel to attend. A well-earned three-course lunch will follow the panel session before the afternoon’s schedule resumes.
At 2pm, Avnet’s Sukh Rayat will kick off with his keynote on untapping the distribution value. In support of the RLF, Rayat said: “This is an opportunity for us to create a forum allowing individuals to discuss the issues and trends that are out there, so they can be better equipped to face the challenges of the market.
“When people know that their problem is also their competition’s problem, it makes people keen to come together to help fix it.”
Rayat’s talk will be followed by the second Interactive Focus Group session, with the topics covering attracting and retaining key staff, building effective and winning collaborations, adopting the green agenda and making the most of virtualisation.
The day will close with the last panel session, entitled: ‘Shift, adapt, survive: the changing dynamics of the channel, services and profitability’. Panel members on this debate include Martin Prescott, managing director of RedPC, Judy Groves, group
marketing director at SCH Group and Des Lekerman, joint managing director of Eurodata Systems.
The RLF will conclude at about 4.30pm with a drinks and canapés reception before delegates either make full use of the hotel’s excellent facilities or head off home.
It is not too late to join us for the RLF. Places are still available and can be booked by contacting event manager Nathalie Perez by phone on 020 7316 9586 or by email at: [email protected] .
For more information please visit here.