The 2019 ChannelPro SMB Forum tour landed in the Windy City on May 2 for the second of four live, full-day business-building events with a full house of attendees. With a 2019 theme of “Bigger. Better. Business.” the jam-packed day featured presentations from some of the brightest minds in the industry who shared their insights on the hottest tech solutions in the SMB marketplace today.
IT consultants, VARs, integrators, and managed service providers of all types who are looking to grow their business participated in interactive sessions, networked with peers, and got detailed information on the latest technology trends and solutions.
“Bigger is certainly better when it comes to profits, scalability, and market valuation,” says ChannelPro Publisher Michael Siggins. “Our tour this year is focused on helping our attendees successfully grow their business. As usual, we do it with the help of an amazing group of expert coaches and vital vendor and distributor support.”
Also featured this year at all four event locations is a free pre-day workshop on The Building Blocks of a Mature MSP. Hosted by The 20, Cytracom, Compliancy Group, and Deep Instinct, the workshop covers the top challenges MSPs face, go-to-market strategy, adding monthly recurring revenue, developing stickier client relationships, and more.
This year’s educational sessions include:
MSP Pain Point Clinic: Managed services consultants Karl and Manuel Palachuk help members of our audience tackle real-world business challenges like pricing, hiring, and getting paid on time.
Get Ready for Managed Everything: Our panel of experienced MSPs conduct a fast-paced panel discussion of real-world opportunities in hardware as a service, communications as a service, disaster recovery as a service, and other cloud and noncloud solutions.
Sales Tip Shootout!: Three leading sales consultants provide concrete advice on challenges that channel pros face every day, from landing appointments and overcoming objections to cross-selling services and beyond—and attendees get to vote on the best tipster!
Peer to Peer: Winning in Cybersecurity: Attendees listen in on one-on-one conversations with channel pro peers about proven best practices for launching a security practice, selling security services, and more.
IoT Playbook: Getting Started in the Internet of Things: ChannelPro‘s Mark Smith hosts a no-nonsense conversation with solution provider Luis Alvarez, of Alvarez Technology Group, offering step-by-step instruction on launching an IoT device management practice. It’s actionable advice based on real-world experience that can double your managed services income overnight.
Tech Trends 2019: Let’s Play the Feud!: This interactive, game show-style session tests your knowledge of the latest trends in SMB hardware as you compete with fellow audience members for prizes.
“This year’s lineup of sessions and pre-day activities is our strongest ever,” says ChannelPro Executive Editor Rich Freeman. “It will send everyone in our audience back to the office with a wealth of ideas, insights, and techniques they can start using immediately to make more and spend less.”
Top sponsors attending all four live events include Diamond sponsor SYNNEX, Platinum sponsor The 20, and Sapphire sponsor Datto.
Chicago Gold sponsors included: Avast Business, Axcient, Cytracom, Dell Expert Network, Eaton, Epson, HP, Ingram Micro, SherWeb, TruGrid, and Webroot.
Silver sponsors in Chicago included: The ASCII Group, Axis Communications, Buffalo Americas, bvoip, Compliancy Group, CompTIA, Compulocks Brands, ConnectBooster, Deep Instinct, Domotz, ELO Digital Office USA, ErickSimpson.com, Manuel Palachuk International, Marketopia, Nexogy, Nfina Technologies, NinjaRMM, RapidFire Tools, Scale Computing, Small Biz Thoughts, SMB Nation, SMB TechFest, SOCSoter, Tech Data, and Virtiant.
The event concluded with attendees honoring vendor sponsors with the following awards:
- Best in Show: Datto
- Best Cloud Solution: Webroot
- Best Hardware Solution: Epson and HP (tie)
- Best New Solution: Domotz
- Most Innovative Solution: TruGrid
- Best Partner Community: Datto
- Best Software Solution: NinjaRMM, RapidFire Tools (tie)
- Best Revenue Booster: Datto
- Best Add-On Product: SherWeb
- Best On-Stage Presentation: The 20
- Best Solution Presentation (Platinum or Gold): The 20
- Best Solution Presentation (Silver): NinjaRMM
- Best Distributor: SYNNEX
- Best Silver Selfie Video: ConnectBooster, Domotz (tie)
- Best IoT Solution: Domotz
Next up for the 2019 Bigger. Better. Business. tour is September 5 in San Jose, Calif.
Attendance and sponsorships are filling up fast. Interested attendees should register immediately HERE.
†
