|  The
Spirit of Secaucus
The Fall Channel Partners Conference
& Expo at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in
Secaucus, N.J., held Sept. 26 - 28, attracted more than
2,100 participants, who packed the educational sessions,
the show floor and the after-hours parties (a.k.a. “networking
events”).
The show was kicked off by a keynote
address from former NFL great Merril Hoge, now an ESPN
analyst. His address, co-sponsored by AireSpring and
Magellan Hill Technologies, encouraged attendees to
always find a way to achieve their goals no matter the
circumstances; and he supported his claims by discussing
one of the biggest struggles he’s ever won – his
battle with cancer.
A second keynote from Kevin O’Hara,
president and COO of Level 3 Communications Inc.,
discussed the ever-changing telecom landscape and what
that means for the channel.
Following the keynotes, several more
partners funneled into an already packed seminar room
for the next session, “Roundtable: What is a Partner
Worth?” This point/counterpoint discussion between
carriers and their indirect sales reps was led by
MarketRace founder Michael Fair, who facilitated an
interesting discussion between these two camps. “The
reality is there is the general consensus among the
agent community is that the RBOCs use us to reach a
financial goal,” said Ted Schuman, CEO of PlanetOne
Communications, early in the discussion. He explained
that one of the major strains in the carrier-agent
relationship was that the agents don’t feel the
support that they receive is reciprocal to the money
that provide.
Another theme in the discussion
revolved around whether indirect partners are allowed or
encouraged to sell to major accounts. “The good agent
has a real part to play” in landing and servicing
major accounts, said Chris Bantoft, executive vice
president for alternate channels at PAETEC. Schuman
responded by saying he had never seen restrictions
placed on a direct sales force because of an agent’s
stronghold on an account, but he had definitely seen it
go the other way. Therefore, Schuman said, one of the
major things partners look for in contracts is
reassurance that their revenue streams are protected.
“We don’t run an asset-based business,” he said.
“We own relationships.”
The session was definitely a main
attraction of the show … and the panel delivered.
Up next were the concurrent
educational sessions, which were broken into three
tracks: The Fast Track featured services that are easier
to sell; The Growth Track featured advanced solutions;
and The Business Development Track presented strategies
and tactics for sales and professional services. The
first day’s sessions covered everything from marketing
and conflict resolution to trends in converged
communications and hosted call center opportunities.
The Opening Reception, sponsored by
New Edge Networks, allowed attendees to get their first
look at nearly 160 exhibitors displaying new products
and channel programs – SIP trunking, hosted VoIP,
wireless and data services were on offer along with
incentive trips and special promos.
And, of course, let’s not forget
the after-hours party at New York City nightclub Lotus.
The party, hosted by McLeodUSA and Telecom Brokerage
Inc., welcomed 11 busloads of telecom industry
executives who chatted and danced the night away!
Early the next morning (too early for
some), the concurrent sessions started up again,
covering managed services, wireless policy and growth
strategies. The morning wound down with a general
session address from Bill Taylor, president of Corporate
Ladders, and then the attendees flocked to the expo hall
for an afternoon of networking.
With so many exciting giveaways on
the show floor, we are sure that almost nobody left the
show empty-handed. The Channel Partners Conference &
Expo, along with PHONE+ magazine, also gave away three
hefty prizes to qualified attendees. Mike Peterson,
president of master agent Telemetrics Communications,
was the lucky winner of a $1,000 Marriott Gift Card.
John Altom, managing partner of AG VoIP Solutions LLC
out of Whitehouse Station, N.J., took home a $1,500 Home
Depot Gift Card … and it also happened to be John’s
first show! Finally, Channel Partners Expo brought back
its popular passport promotion, where attendees got
their cards stamped by participating exhibitors to be
included in the drawing for the grand prize. The lucky
attendee was Joseph Boyd, channel sales agent for
MainBoard LLC. He took home a $2,500 American Express
Gift Card.
The Channel Partners Conference &
Expo came to an end on Friday, and attendees regretfully
left the East Coast and the city that never sleeps –
although, after such a busy and successful show, sleep
is exactly what we all needed. |
