Our team is back from Channel Partners Evolution 2017 and we’ve got some highlights to share with you!
Channel Partners Evolution (CPEvolution) was held September 25 to September 28 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. The channel tech conference was attended by 3000 of the industry’s leading solution providers, vendors, distributors, IT professionals and media, with over 150 exhibitors. Here’s our recap:
Notes from the Conference Floor
CPEvolution’s 3000 attendees came from various tech backgrounds and were mainly midmarket enterprise level partners and clients with a more regional focus. As the audience at CPEvolution was slightly different than that at ChannelCon the previous month, we were able to reach a different market. This conference was a great opportunity to meet and greet at an expedited level as we continue to grow the ImagIT brand.
We had a great opportunity at CPEvolution to co-create a presentation with partners Steadfast and Ntegrated. Together with our partners we shared a unified message for attendees, explaining how to solve the cloud mystery and increase commissions. For clients that are looking to move to the cloud, working with our partner group is a simple way to streamline migration and ensure the best approach. Here’s how we work together with our partners to make migration to the cloud simple for a client:
If you are looking to migrate to the cloud, there are a few different aspects of technology that need to be evaluated and addressed. The first aspect is VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which is a catalyst for migration to the cloud. A lot of companies have on premises voice solutions today which is costing them considerably in terms of asset replacement. Ntegrated is able to assist companies on that front and to provide the data needed to support the VoIP environment. On the backend, Steadfast would provide the actual IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) for all the additional infrastructure and data needs for migration. Utilizing an infrastructure provider is key here as this is not an easy one step process. To tie this all together, ImagIT would come in to provide all the installation and deployment services needed, as well as any pre-assessment services in assisting the client with the migration to a cloud-based environment. Once that is in place, ImagIT can continue to support and provide ongoing break/fix to keep systems at peak performance.
We’re happy to say that the presentation was well received and we have already gotten some great follow up, thanks to all who joined us! If you are interested in working with us or our partners in this capacity, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
We were able to attend some interesting sessions, a couple of our favorites were MicroCorp introducing their new partner alliance and Avant as they rolled out their new partner programs. Both are master agents under our master agent channel and we are happy to see exciting news from them. A big congrats to Avant for winning the Channel Influencer Award from CPEvolution!
Networking Opportunities
ImagIT was fortunate to have several networking opportunities lined up. From the moment we got off the plane we had discussions with leadership and channel team members from StrataCore and Data Deposit Box (who had flown in from Canada to attend and meet with us), a great way to start the conference off!
Networking events were plentiful and nicely formatted, with little overlap. This was a nice change of pace and allowed us to attend several events.
ImagIT cohosted the only Monday night party and we are happy to report that it was a packed house! We created a unique event by renting the Graeber House – a historic private mansion in the heart of Austin and filming location of Real World Austin – and bringing the party there with a DJ, multiple bars, and over 200 attendees. This event was a great opportunity to casually network with attendees and show them that we are not just a valuable business partner, but also a fun company to socialize with. Thanks to all who attended and to our party co-sponsors: RagingWire, Mejeticks, Infomart Data Centers, NetFortris, CrossVergence, FORTRUST, and Nitel. Check out the great photo booth images HERE.
Among other networking events, Avant’s stands out as an enjoyable time. The Avant team hosted a great beer pong tournament at Shakespeare’s and it was a fun event with some good conversations had.
Next Up
Overall, we really enjoyed CPEvolution and are happy to have reconnected with old partners and found some notable new ecosystem partnerships. If you missed us but would like to start a conversation lets schedule a time to chat! Drop us a line and we will get something on the books. We will also be sponsoring a fundraiser in Chicago on October 28 and we encourage you to attend, it’s always a great party and it’s for a great cause!
ImagIT Solutions specializes in providing comprehensive IT services for channel partners, MSPs, and enterprise-level organizations. Our expansive engineering team is carefully vetted and trained to meet your every IT need. Whether its proactive support, an emergency call, long-term projects, or project management, ImagIT will deliver a solution that is customized to best fit your organization. Interested in learning more about working with ImagIT? Contact us today!
