The Canalys Channels Forum continues to innovate; keynote slots sold out in both regions

Rita Chaher, Marketing and Events Director at Canalys, said, ‘We have been overwhelmed this year with requests from vendors to participate in the events. The keynote slots sold out quickly in both regions and availability at lower levels is running short. Sponsors’ reasons for participation are varied, but most are looking out for new partners, either due to changes in product and service sets, or to fill perceived gaps in coverage. This is especially true in the security, networking and cloud sectors, which, as always, have a particularly strong showing at this year’s events, and we’ll have top resellers from each region ready to partner. Sponsors are now highly engaged and eager to maximize their time while enjoying the luxurious locations we have chosen for 2013.’  Canalys is delighted to confirm that IBM and Microsoft will be joining EMC, Lenovo, HP and Cisco as sponsors at keynote level. Other sponsors include Schneider Electric, Juniper Networks, Toshiba, Adobe, Acer, AMD, Eaton, F5, Fujitsu, McAfee, Trend Micro, VMware and Webroot. They will be joined by Autotask, CHG, Vision Solutions, Vidyo, ShoreTel, Seagate, SAP, Symantec, Samsung, Miradore, Box, Barracuda Networks and Violin Memory at the events.

In 2013 we will be introducing some more fun to the events by launching the CCF Championships. Partners will be awarded points for every session and one-to-one they register for and attend. The winners will be announced during the closing ceremonies for the groups within distributors that accumulate the most points throughout the events. There will be a mixture of teamwork, competition and fun as the data will be displayed live during the two days of the events.

The closing ceremonies are set to be highlights of both the APAC and EMEA events. ‘Even as vendors are globalizing the structure and development of partner programs, many investments and resource priorities are determined regionally,’ said Alex Smith, Channels Analyst at Canalys. ‘The Channel Leadership Panels at the closing sessions offer delegates the chance to pose questions directly to their vendors’ regional leaders and gain clarity on challenging issues, such as sales conflicts, marketing support, portfolio direction and investments for certification. It is a rare opportunity to have technology’s global titans respond to the channel’s concerns on stage, side-by-side,’ he added. 

The one-to-one meetings have been cited by many delegates and sponsors as a key differentiator of the Canalys Channels Forums. Balancing the content from Canalys expert analysts in the channel with networking time is an exciting challenge. ‘We are fortunate that our delegates come prepared to work and play hard over the two days. One-to-one meetings can be scheduled anytime from 7am to 7pm in half-hour slots and the booking system is now live. From a content perspective, the plenary sessions are mandatory but the high ratings of some theater sessions surprised us in 2012, as the delegates get more interaction with the speakers and a deeper understanding of the messages. We think the healthy competition for delegates’ time has kept the events fresh,’ Rita Chaher added.

About Canalys

Canalys is an independent analyst firm that strives to guide clients on the future of the technology industry and to think beyond the business models of the past. We deliver smart market insights to IT, channel and service provider professionals around the world. Our customer-driven analysis and consulting services empower businesses to make informed decisions and generate sales. We stake our reputation on the quality of our data, our innovative use of technology, and our high level of customer service.

About the events

Vendors should contact Canalys directly for more information about how to be part of the Channels Forums. Channel partners should contact their distributors, as event attendance is by invitation only. Members of the press can request places at both the APAC and EMEA events, and individuals will be notified once press passes have been allocated.

The Channels Forums will take place in October. The EMEA event will be held in Barcelona, from 1 to 3 October, and the APAC event in Bangkok, from 22 to 24 October. More information about the events can be found at www.canalyschannelsforum.com.

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