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Dealmaker of the Year: Apply Now for the Channel's Newest Award
If you're a partner who's been part of a big M&A deal in the past 12 months, you could take home some hardware from the MSP Summit in Atlanta.
Channel Futures Staff
July 12, 2024
4 Min Read
CeltStudio/Shutterstock
The MSP Summit, in partnership with IT ExchangeNet, is launching a new initiative to recognize the best in dealmaking across the channel partner and vendor community.
Called the 2024 “Dealmakers of the Year,” the awards will recognize the technology and channel industry’s most strategic mergers and acquisitions that accelerated company growth and innovation. Winners will be announced during a special keynote ceremony at the upcoming MSP Summit, Sept. 16-19, in Atlanta.
The awards encompass M&A transactions that took place in 2023 and 2024. They will be presented in Atlanta at the MSP Summit, which is produced by Informa’s Channel Partners Conference & Expo organization. The 2024 Dealmaker of the Year awards will be judged on four key criteria: strategic significance, financial impact, industry disruption, and deal execution and integration.
The awards will be judged by a panel of M&A experts in the channel, including media representatives, CEOs, M&A professionals, transaction attorneys and accountants. The review process aims to ensure the winners are part of the most significant M&A deals in the industry. The honorees will be a testament to the hard work and dedication of the companies involved in the deal, as well as the skill and expertise of the advisors who helped to make the deal happen.
M&A is an essential element of how the entire technology channel grows to better serve customers in terms of scale, services and customer experience tools. M&A touches all facets of the technology and connectivity channels including IT solution providers, integrators, MSPs, MSSPs, technology advisors, telco agents, VARs and consulting and professional services firms, and more.
“In the channel partner community − especially in managed services − M&A has helped accelerate partner growth, allowing organizations to expand into new geographies, add innovative solutions or address new customer segments,” said Bob DeMarzo, VP of content, Informa Channel events. “Whether fueled by private equity or other investment options, M&A is changing the way channel partners advance their organizations. Recognizing the best in dealmaking is important so peers can understand best practices and how to grow via merger or acquisition and avoid pitfalls.”
Informa's Bob DeMarzo
Nominations for the 2024 Dealmaker of the Year application and review process may be submitted by any channel or vendor organization involved in M&A. Submissions can come from company executives, advisors or other industry participants. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 9, 2024.
The application process will be broken down into four categories that include Most Significant Vendor Transaction; Enterprise MSP, for transactions valued at more than $100 million; Midmarket MSP, for transactions between $51 million and $100 million; and Small MSP, for transactions between $5 million and $50 million.
To be eligible, deals must have been announced between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, and involved two or more companies in the IT/MSP industry.
Finalists will be evaluated by a panel of judges who review the deals based on the following criteria:
Strategic significance: Applicants must show how their recent deal had a material impact on the industry or the acquirer’s business. This could include the combination of two complementary businesses, the expansion into a new market, or the acquisition of new technology.
Financial impact: Dealmakers of the Year must show a material financial impact on the acquirer’s business, including such initiatives as the creation of new jobs, increase in market capitalization or the improvement in revenue and profitability.
Industry disruption: When submitting applications, nominees must show how their deals have the potential to disrupt the industry. This could include the introduction of a new product or service, the change in the competitive landscape, or the creation of a new business model.
Deal execution and integration: Judges are looking for examples of how deals were executed flawlessly. Nominees should show the negotiation of the terms of the deal, the due diligence process and the integration of the two companies.
The application includes a narrative section where applicants can describe their deal to determine how a particular transaction stood out from others, how it was pioneering or innovative, what the buyer gained in the deal and how it affected the company sector — as well as how it demonstrated leadership.
ITX's Tim Mueller
"In today's dynamic IT channel, recognizing and celebrating the most impactful mergers and acquisitions is crucial,” said Tim Mueller, managing partner of IT ExchangeNet. “These deals not only showcase strategic growth, but they also serve as valuable benchmarks for the entire industry. M&A has become a critical strategic tool for IT businesses globally, enabling them to expand their reach, acquire new capabilities, and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving market,” Mueller said.
Apply now for the Dealmaker of the Year awards.
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