Channel apathy?

For an industry that used to thrive on face-to-face networking - times have certainly changed

I'm wondering if some of you can help me out?

As you will all know - CRN has ramped up its events calendar quite a lot recently and we are getting some great feedback from our events from our delegates.

But I have to be honest with you. I am disappointed with the support we are receiving from resellers.

We are getting great registration numbers for our events - but when it comes to the crunch - a large number are just not coming along on the day and are missing out on vital networking and idea sharing opportunities.

This is a two-way street - the only way we can push for issues closest to resellers and get the collective channel voice heard with vendors and market creators - is if we get the support in the first place.

And that (using an awful phrase) means facetime.

If there were tailored events run by media companies on trends in the magazine industry, with my peers giving me examples of what they had done and talking about their successes and failures - oh and it was free of charge - then I would be there like a shot. But we just don't have them in our industry.

We are all ridiculously busy and are expected to do a lot more with less resources. Of course we all understand that.

But sitting in the office all day every day is a recipe for going stale - exchanging ideas and chatting with your peers is surely a good way of picking up some hints to take forward for your business.

So I'm asking you all now - what exactly would make you come to an event that you have registered for?

Or has everyone got the perfect business model, so do not need to waste their time attending tailored events?

Your feedback would be most appreciated.