Canalys Channels Forum 2009 – successfully bucking the trend in Barcelona

Over 250 channel professionals from all over EMEA attended the Channels Forum where they were advised on how to help their customers buck the current economic trend and secure a successful future for their businesses and organisations. The event took place in Barcelona from 4–5 February 2009.

So what attracted so many senior people to the Forum, at a time when many are tightening their belts and restricting travel? Where did Canalys go right?

‘I think it’s down to a coincidence of timing and planning,’ replied Canalys CEO, Steve Brazier. ‘During the planning phase, we came up with our theme “Fit to Partner” and decided we should invite the Channel Community to come and perfect their fitness. This was before the credit crunch hit and we did not realise then how relevant this theme would become! Necessity is the mother of invention and in hard times it’s always the smart leaders who understand the need to harness the latest in technology to create the next phase of growth.’ The content of the event was carefully balanced to focus on tactical initiatives, ie, things that needed to be worked on now, and more long-term trends, which resellers should be looking at for the future, despite dealing with today’s tough times.

Resellers, vendors and distributors left Barcelona with some real solutions to discuss with their customers who, now more than ever, need to be on the ball, to be aware of the paradigm shifts that are happening in technology and how to harness them for their advantage. ‘An inspiring event, it clarified a number of key emerging areas and helped to finalise strategy. It was the most appropriate conference for our business today,’ said John Murphy, Director at A&O Systems and Services, Ireland Ltd.

‘There were some very powerful presentations that were quick and snappy and extremely interesting,’ said Graham Noel, Category Manager, Computacenter (UK) Ltd. ‘I came away with some extremely useful ideas that I can implement, as well as an understanding of some areas I’m not part of yet.’

Vendors presenting included HP, Apple, Acer, APC, AMD, Fujitsu Siemens Computers and Google. Resellers voting live at the event rated the Google speech as the most useful vendor presentation. Also on stage were top-ranked external presenters Andreas Weigend, former Chief Scientist at Amazon, and economist and best-selling author Tim Harford.

Canalys analysts presented an in-depth look at key industry trends and identified new sources of revenue and profitability. ‘Excellent information and ideas about consumerisation, cloud computing, virtualisation, power management and the situation for the channel,’ commented Philippe Waslet, Managing Director at Waslet IT Sprl.

Over 250 business meetings took place at the prestigious Hesperia Tower Hotel in Barcelona, with industry experts discussing the pros and cons, and strengths and weaknesses of specific solutions for their customers. As always with Canalys events, the one-to-one programme was a sell-out. ‘It was an excellent opportunity to meet the right people,’ said Anita Lussenburg, Director at Tower House.

‘The event was intensely demanding but equally rewarding for our delegates,’ said Rita Chaher, Marketing and Events Manager at Canalys. ‘The networking was definitely a key strength of this event. I was thrilled to see resellers, distributors, vendors and the press discussing their businesses not only during coffee breaks but at the lunches and gala dinner too! We are so pleased that all those meetings proved so helpful to the attendees and the feedback for the event is impressive!’ To view all delegate quotes please visit: www.canalyschannelsforum.com.

What our delegates had to say about the event

‘Before the event, I could not clearly evaluate what benefits I could get from this forum. After the first presentation from Steve Brazier, I had no more doubts. A very good forum for networking and sharing experiences. Bravo!’ Daniel Forster, Owner, MacS SA

‘It was a great opportunity to touch base with industry colleagues and spend some time with the vendors. The venue and organisation of the event reflected the professionalism of your team.’ Norman Kough, European Regional General Manager, SCH

‘The content helped me to assess if my own strategy is in line with general channel and manufacturer thinking and development. It grounded me in certain situations and gave me half a dozen items that will help focus activity during the next 12 months.’ Mike Brown, Divisional Director, XMA Ltd

‘My mind was opened to new possibilities.’ James Napp, Director, Bechtle

‘Educational as well as networking with colleagues was useful.’ Sonny Sehgal, Director, Transputec

‘Thanks for organising the event; it was indeed great to network with the key industry players.’ Antoine Barre, VP SPO EMEA, Hewlett Packard

‘An opportunity to focus on where we are going over the next 12 months – invaluable.’ David Butterworth, Managing Director, Skanco Business Systems Ltd

‘Thanks for your efforts to make this event a success in spite of the weather and the economy. The event was indeed valuable for us and we managed to have some good meetings.’ Michael Niotakis, VP Channels & HBN Business Development , EMEA/LAM, APC By Schneider Electric

‘Better overall understanding of the situation for channel partners now and in the coming months/years.’ Ingemar Kullberg, CEO, Benzler

‘It was beneficial to see the trends and learn that we are focusing on the right areas to sustain our business.’ Edel Creely, Managing Director, Datapac

‘I had a very positive view from the event overall – good feedback from the resellers in attendance. I am pleased that you also received positive responses given the work and effort exerted by you and your team.’ Tom Yeates, Director Partner Sales, EMEA, Hewlett Packard

‘Thanks for a very good event.’ Graeme Watt, President Worldwide Distribution, Bell Micro

‘A convivial environment, mixing with senior executives from our industry, it was enlightening to hear their thoughts and how they viewed each other’s products and strategies. So well done Canalys, one of the most useful events I have ever attended.’ Joe Hemani, Chairman, Westcoast

‘There were possibilities to make alliances with vendors and other companies in order to have a very complete solution on the market.’ Maurizio Caldarelli, Sales Manager, Gruppo Loccioni

‘I would like to thank you for the invite to the great conference you organised and to congratulate you on its success. In addition to having the pleasure of meeting many of my old business contacts, I went away with many good ideas for new business opportunities. The balance between the networking, information sharing and social aspects was excellent and the location was well chosen! I really encourage you to continue organising this event in the future, since there is nothing comparable in the European IT industry.’ Peter van den Berg, General Manager Europe, Global Technology Distribution Council

‘Some good ideas on virtualisation, how to cope with the recession, how the market will change into a more subscription-based business – very useful topics and solutions!’ Ernst Graaff, Director, Buyitdirect.com NV

 â€˜The conference was very inspiring, and a good reality check for both strategy but also tactical details.’ Virpi Matikainen, Director Global Midmarket Campaigns, Hewlett Packard

‘I very much valued the dinner and the chance to exchange information among peers.’ Milko van Duijl, President, Lenovo EMEA

‘It provided me with a better understanding of where the IT industry is currently at and where it is likely to go.’ David Gould, Commercial Director, BT / Dabs

‘Gained an understanding of the level of expectation for the coming year from others within the industry.’ Steve Wood, Director, Parity Medical

‘Thank you for a superb event in Barcelona these past two days. I think the messages really did hit home and I am sure we will see a more informed and armed channel going forward into this year. For me the key takeaways were views of our channel partners and their perspectives. It is also clear that our new channel programme is going to address and support many of the issues that the partners face today. The hotel and arrangements were top class and, as usual, I found the event very useful and very enjoyable.’ Gill Cheesewright, EMEA Program Manager, APC by Schneider Electric

‘Confirmed strategy and helped me know more about vendors and competitors.’ Gerard Commune, Sales and Marketing Director, Misco France

‘I would like to make my personal congratulations to you all for your Channels Forum for both content and organisation.’ Alessandro Cetto, Sales Manager, Converge

‘It was good to hear an international point of view to the economic crisis.’ Henrik Lassen, Director, Businessmann

‘Excellent opportunity to network with industry peers and take time to stand back and take a more holistic view of the current circumstances and opportunities.’ Mitch Trouth, Sales and Marketing Director, Keltec Ltd

‘We thank you for the invitation to the Canalys Channels Forum 2009. The organisation was very good and the presentations were really interesting.’ Virginie Daunois, SIT Group

‘Good networking opportunity and interesting tips picked up.’ Stewart Hayward, Commercial Director, WStore UK Ltd

‘Re-energised my services strategy.’ Rinaldo Ballerio, President, Elmec Informatica

‘Helping to set revenue and profit expectations for the coming year properly; input to addressing SaaS / hosting market and new market opportunities.’ Ole Eklund, Sales Director, Nordic, Actebis Computer A/S

‘Just a quick note to say very good event and extremely well organised.’ Loay Lawrence, Commercial and Marketing Director, Vohkus

‘Benefited from the realistic sentiment about the economic outlook.’ Martin Hellawell, Managing Director, Softcat

‘I enjoyed it very much.’ Jan Jensen, VP, International, Iomega

‘I truly appreciated it and was able to connect with many Industry Captains.’ Thomas Sieber, independent

‘I got a lot of ideas but most of all I got confirmation on that what we are doing is right.’ Kjell Gabrielsson, moln.net Manager, Office IT-Partner

‘Identifying new sources of revenue and profitability; better understanding current trends’ Dimitrios Papantoniou, CEO, Performance Technologies AE

‘It was valuable to be able to compare my own vision and understanding of the economic situation with the one that was presented at the conference.’ Pekka Lehto, Managing Director, BCC Finland Oy

‘Brilliant session for understanding vendors’ strategies, go-to-market strategies and what technology solutions we should be preparing our business for if we want to be successful.’ Collett Clements, HP Business Executive, TCM

‘The event has given me extra confidence in the IT solutions ADA is building for its clients.’ David Rabson, CEO, ADA Technology Services

‘Networking, global view of the businesses and perspectives from other sources.’ Jef Matthe, General Manager, Kender Thijssen Solutions

About Canalys

Canalys specialises in delivering high quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors. It is recognised as a key provider of continuous advisory services and confidential custom projects for marketing managers and strategists within blue-chip IT, telecoms, navigation and consumer electronics companies. It has unrivalled expertise in routes to market for all kinds of high technology products and services in the consumer, SMB and large enterprise segments, and provides worldwide market data and trends analysis.

Receiving updates

To receive future Canalys press releases directly, please e-mail a request with your details to press@canalys.com or complete this form specifying the technology market topics in which you are most interested.