Channel Awards rolling around again
Entries are now open for the one and only ‘channel Oscars' to be held as usual in London in November, says Fleur Doidge
The big wheel keeps on turning, goes the song, and once again the earth has spun around on its axis to the time for the launch of that most splendiferous of UK partner events - the annual CRN Channel Awards.
As usual, the curtain will go up on the biggest party in the reseller, distributor and vendor calendar in London on Thursday 15 November at Battersea Park Arena, with the entry and judging cycle to start rolling very soon.
Compared against the brand-new Sales and Marketing Awards, which will be held 21 June, the CRN Channel Awards focuses more on business and company success than individuals. The black-tie event, which includes a three-course dinner and massive afterparty, is a world apart from the SMAs, which provide a great way of rewarding the diligence of talented and hard-working individuals in the channel sales and marketing teams.
Sara Yirrell, editor of CRN and ChannelWeb.co.uk, says there will be no overlap in the roll of honour at these events, although the online entering and judging processes have their similarities. "The categories for which people enter are quite different, and the judges will also be different," she says.
"Entrants and channel companies generally need not fear that one prizegiving will devalue the other - we have worked very hard, and will continue to, to ensure that cannot be the case."
The competition, which seems to get more intense every year, remains open to all kinds of channel company - vendors and manufacturers, services and solution providers, integrators, cloud specialists, resellers, distributors and all variations on the theme. Entries should be made online for each category and, we must warn you, no lateness will be tolerated as this only makes the first and second judging panel's already tough task more difficult.
Previous years have seen many well-recognised names do well, but there are always a number of upsets. The best way to be sure of doing your best is to think through your entry carefully, and submit it, taking care to read the criteria, in plenty of time. Judges can use their discretion where necessary to elevate, say, a smaller but very hard-working player that ticks all the boxes above a bigger name.
Fair and objective
Yirrell says: "We always find that people will look for any excuse to explain why their entry did not win on the night. However, we make the process as objective as possible and give everyone a fair go - and it must be added that not everyone can win, or it would not be a competition."
She says she is already looking forward to perusing the entries, which she herself takes pride in doing every year, not least because her role as editor and journalist allows her the objective viewpoint of a relative - albeit privileged - outsider.
"We really must stress that we believe our Awards are the most unbiased you will find anywhere in our industry," says Yirrell.
"So do not feel daunted even if you have never won or entered before - have a go in 2012. And don't forget that it is always a lot of fun on the night, giving industry leaders, their partners, and journalists a chance to let their hair down."
Be sure to keep an eye on CRN and ChannelWeb for further announcements.