The countdown begins to the Channels Forums 2013 – the world’s largest independent channels events

Canalys today announced the theme that will underpin all the sessions at the Channels Forums this year: ‘Leading through transitions’. Sessions at the event will cover such topics as workplace mobility, integrated security, converged infrastructure, wireless, reference architecture, hybrid IT consumption, the move from people to apps, and ways of financing transitions.

Canalys will attract in the region of 1,000 attendees to each forum. This year’s events will be held at two fantastic five star locations: Barcelona from 1 to 3 October and Bangkok from 22 to 24 October. The forums will gather senior channel leaders to examine the impact of an increasingly mobile world on the enterprise IT ecosystem.

HP will once again sponsor at keynote level in both APAC and EMEA, while Lenovo will make its debut at this level in EMEA. Confirmed returning vendors APC by Schneider Electric, Juniper and Acer are showing a strong commitment to the channel, and Toshiba joins the event for the first time in 2013. Leading distributors Avnet, Tech Data, Prianto, ECS, Westcon, Express Data, Also, Westcoast and Chiltern IT have already confirmed their participation, with others set to join in the coming weeks.

‘The IT industry is in a transition phase, driven by the consumerization of IT, enterprise mobility and data transformation. These technology-driven changes are cascading through to purchase decision processes and IT management competencies,’ said Steve Brazier, CEO of Canalys. ‘We are confident in the future of the channel, provided it remembers its core competence, which is to serve the IT needs of small and medium-sized businesses everywhere. The transitions in the IT industry are dramatic and customer needs are changing fast. Partners must update their portfolios and skills quickly to keep up. Where Canalys can help most is by identifying the genuine opportunities within the fog of hype that the technology industry loves to create.’ 

‘Mid-market businesses are embracing new IT consumption models and experimenting with analytics to understand their customers. Much of this is driven by the superior price/performance ratios possible with converging infrastructure, in-memory computing, integrated security and, increasingly, software-enabled services,’ said Matthew Ball, Principal Analyst at Canalys. ‘Transitions on these multiple fronts are challenging the IT industry status quo. Vendors and channel partners need to respond by developing new ecosystems to target evolving customer needs.’

Last year’s events were a great success and hugely popular with attendees. For example, Peter Masters, Director of Marketing & Vendors at Express Data said, ‘It was a valuable and informative conference. The analysis of market trends was credible and practical. Express Data was delighted to host our resellers at a forum which not only validated their business priorities but enabled them to set new directions.’ Canalys plans to build on last year’s events and offer all attendees a fantastic experience in 2013.

William Geens, Managing Director at Prianto said, ‘We were stunned how well last year’s event was organized, how good the attendees and discussions were and how excellent the opportunity was, to present ourselves as a company at the Canalys event. We have been able to get in contact with new partners and to acquire new business relations. It has been an easy decision for Prianto GmbH after this positive experience to take part in the Canalys Channels Forum EMEA 2013.’

The Channels Forums are the only independent events that unite senior managers from leading technology vendors, distributors and channel partners to discuss industry trends, forge new business relationships and create sales opportunities. In addition to vendor keynotes and theater presentations, each event will feature a variety of workshops, more than 3,000 senior one-to-one meetings and a prestigious gala dinner, among other networking activities.

Vendors should contact Canalys directly for more information on how to be part of the Channels Forums. Channel partners should contact their distributors, as event attendance is by invitation only.

About the events

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. Journalists should contact Jade Leung via press@canalys.com to obtain a press pass. Channel partners should contact one of the participating distributors to secure an invitation. More information about the event can be found at www.canalyschannelsforum.com.

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.

Receiving updates

To receive press releases directly, or for more information about our services or custom research and consulting capabilities, please complete the contact form on the Canalys web site.