Channel Partners’ Conference Sessions Are On-Track
Conference tracks include business of the channel, technology and innovation, and emerging and disruptive technology.
March 15, 2022
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Midmarket partners are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. Most lack extensive IT departments and rely on tech suppliers to solve their needs. Alberici’s Aaron Geiger, CTO, and Tom Turner, senior vice president of alternative channels for Coro, will look at affordable all-in-one solutions that are easy to deploy and support.
To stay competitive, MSPs and IT service providers must continually add new products and services to their stacks. This can create chaos unless it’s done in a structured approach. Len DiCostanzo, CEO of MSP Toolkit, will explain the process for building and managing a profitable hybrid IT services catalog
Small, fast-growing IT services firms can’t help but wonder just how big they need to be before they show up on the radar of the hyperscalers, i.e., AWS, Azure and Google. How do they get the competitive prices and support the bigger firms enjoy? By working with alternative cloud providers that want and value their business. Kelly Teal, Channel Futures contributing editor, will lead a discussion with Blair Lyon, vice president of cloud experience at Linode, and Shane Zide, vice president of global sales and channel at The Constant Company, about how to use the price performance advantages of alternative cloud providers to increase margins and how alternative cloud providers fit in hybrid and multi-cloud deployments.
Len DiCostanzo is back, this time to share his best tips on how to come up with the right pricing for IT services. Drawing on his own success as an MSP, plus his work with MSPs, VARs and solution providers worldwide, he’ll walk attendees through how to understand their costs and price for profit.
In B2B technology, it’s vital not to follow trends, but to stay ahead of them. Mike Crosby, a director and B2B technology analyst for The NPD Group, will provide actional insights on industry trends. Drawing on data from The NPD Group, he will discuss the specific IT drivers for small, midsize and enterprise businesses. He will also provide attendees with an industry outlook through 2023 with category highlights from NPD’s Future of B2B Tech forecast.
MSPs have been surrounded by a flurry of private equity and M&A activity over the last year or so, and it shows no sign of slowing down. It’s vital that MSPs understand what’s going on around them and how they can use it to their advantage. Juan Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of MSP Growth Coalition, will lead Michelle Accardi, CEO of Logically, Cristian Anastasiu, managing partner of Excendio Advisors, and Colin Knox, CEO of Gradient MSP, in a discussing the details of MSP deal making — from the mechanics of private equity to how M&A can strengthen and supplement a business
It’s not easy to grow a company’s top line. It requires achieving a balance among factors such as recurring revenue, customer acquisition costs and an evolving portfolio of products and services. Michael Schmidtmann, owner of Trans4mers, will lead three industry veterans in a discussion of transforming revenue-generation practices. Frank Lusko, executive president of sales for Red River, Joe Rittenhouse, co-owner and president of business development for Converged Technology Professionals, and Amy Roman, chief marketing officer at Channel Program, will provide insights on the techniques of the fastest growing companies, how to sell more with fewer people and how to squeeze more margin from commodity services.
Every owner is curious about the value of their business, but few understand how valuations are determined. The same goes for selling a business or how to maximize the transaction value and proceeds of a sale. John Holland, managing director of Corporate Finance Associates, will explore M&A trends in the IT and telecommunications services, with a specific focus for agents and direct sellers in the connectivity channel industry.
There are myriad elements to be dealt with in operating a channel organization. But no matter what else is going on, the one thing that always matters most is the customer. The customer experience is the heartbeat of the business. Hilary Gadda, director of national channel development for TPx, will lead Dany Bouchedid, founder and CEO of COLOTRAQ, Scott Levy, CEO of Bridlewood Consulting, Jeff Ponts, founder and executive vice president of Datatel Solutions, and Peter Radizeski, founder and president of Rad-Info, in a discussion of strategies and tactics for improving the customer experience.
Commissions are the lifeblood of any technology adviser, agent and direct seller in the connectivity channel. They’re also the subject of constant speculation about where commissions are growing (and shrinking) and whether strategic providers could do more. Understandably, technology service brokers (TSBs) want to ensure they’re properly compensated for selling to and supporting customers. Allan Jaffe, vice president of technology at Top Speed Data, will provide insight into the issues impacting commissions including automation, operational efficiencies and moving up the value stack to sell higher-margin services.
Organizations move to the cloud to reduce costs. But most find out that while capex is reduced, open increases. Why? For starters, there are inefficiencies, waste, complex pricing structures and lack of cloud cost understanding. Mark Williams, founder and CEO of CloudSaver, will explain how to help customers save money by working with them to better manage resources, eliminate waste, use advanced scheduling and add any available discount programs.
Many of the AI techniques that have been put to work in contact centers are built on aging technologies. A new technique, Generative AI or GPT-3, is showing promise in replacing existing AI. Commerce.AI’s Jay Acosta, vice president of go-to-market, and Andy Pandharikar, co-founder and CEO, will provide an overview of the opportunities offered by GPT-3 as well as the pros and cons of leveraging this technology in the contact center space.
The future of hybrid IT distribution is bringing together hardware, SaaS and services. Michael Sterl, senior vice president of partner success for Intelisys, will explain how to create a sales methodology that includes upselling, cross-selling and solution selling. Modern sales teams need purpose-built strategies.
UCaaS adoption continues to grow at double-digit rates. But are businesses getting the most out of this technology? Jon Arnold, principal of J Arnold & Associates, will explain the importance of moving customers beyond phone systems and into collaboration platforms. Channel partners must use strategic selling to show their clients how modernizing their communication infrastructure can make them more competitive.
UCaaS adoption continues to grow at double-digit rates. But are businesses getting the most out of this technology? Jon Arnold, principal of J Arnold & Associates, will explain the importance of moving customers beyond phone systems and into collaboration platforms. Channel partners must use strategic selling to show their clients how modernizing their communication infrastructure can make them more competitive.
The one constant in the channel is change. Conference sessions at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo and co-located MSP Summit aim to help partners survive and thrive, no matter what’s going on. This year, there will be three conference tracks: business of the channel, technology and innovation, and emerging and disruptive technology.
Business of the Channel
Providing clients with the technology they need to solve business challenges is just one part of a channel company’s operations. And it isn’t even the biggest part. A channel company is a business. And to stay on top, partners must stay abreast of the latest strategic issues. This track includes sessions on revenue growth, pricing, profitability, customer acquisition and retention, partner management, M&A and more.
Register now to join 6,500 fellow attendees at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo and co-located MSP Summit. It all happens April 11-14, in Las Vegas. You can also interact with more than 300 key suppliers and technology service distributors. |
Technology & Innovation
Technology is evolving faster than ever, and it’s not easy keeping up with the latest technology on trends. That’s why this track includes sessions on such topics as security, cloud alternatives and B2B technology trends.
Emerging & Disruptive Technology
Many partners want to get in early on the revenue and profit opportunities of emerging technologies. What’s new in AI, AR&VR, IoT and blockchain? Ever heard of Generative AI? You will in this track.
For a closer look at the conference sessions being offered, scroll through the slideshow above.
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