Sold on talent

A glitzy night in London celebrated the success of the channel's sales and marketing stars. Sara Yirrell rounds up all the action

The CRN Sales and Marketing Awards were hailed a success, with 17 companies celebrating their individual and team wins on the night.

But it could be said that another winner was host Colin Murray (pictured, right), who not only compèred the event and awards brilliantly, but spent time before and after the event meeting and speaking to guests and getting to know the industry. He certainly gained a few more Twitter followers that evening.

Almost 400 people piled into the Lancaster Hotel in London on the night to celebrate their success in 17 different categories (winners listed here).

Now in its second year, the categories had been tweaked slightly to reflect the ever-changing nature of the channel, and included new categories such as Best Company to Work For (reseller) and Best Distributor Website.

Guests were wined and dined on fish-cake starters, a main course of lamb and chocolate torte with ice cream for dessert, while the vegetarians enjoyed mushroom cannelloni as a main course.

After the awards were presented, a slightly more "refreshed" audience was treated to a live performance by band iPop while orders at the bar flowed in true channel style.

During the evening, guests were reminded of the results of the first ever Channel Jungle quiz in partnership with our headline sponsor Comms-care.

We had more than 400 respondents, and 41 per cent felt most akin to sales and marketing elephants - strong, dependable and 100 per cent focused on their goals, and unwavering in their loyalty to both their team and their company.

The next most popular answer was chameleon, with 27 per cent opting for the reptile that can adapt to fit into any environment.

In third place was the lion - with a mane of impressive hair. In total 14 per cent of our respondents felt they were the king of the sales floor and were quick to pounce and seal a deal.

Fourth place was the sales monkey, with 11 per cent admitting to being "mischievous, fun-loving and energetic". Surprisingly, joint bottom were the parrot and cobra, both scoring four per cent.

CRN's publisher, Alan Loader, said: "The SMAs showcase the engine room of the channel - those who are working hard at the coalface and make things happen. There were some very deserving winners on the night. Well done to them all."

Richard Eglon (pictured, right), marketing director at Comms-care, said the event had gone down well.

"I thought what was really nice about the event is that it was intimate, but big enough at the same time. It still had all the glamour but it was the right size to ensure there was a good buzz about the night. The mix of people created a good atmosphere.

"It was great to see companies win that do not always get the exposure and recognition. You could see it meant a lot to them. From what I heard everybody was saying how much better it was in year two and it certainly sets the scene for a growth event next year."