The first full day of the Ingram Micro ONE innovation summit began today, hosted at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. The annual event has evolved over the years into a major gathering for the channel community, offering unique opportunities to explore tech trends, products, and solutions.
Vendors and MSP owners were invited to share their thoughts on the Solution Showcase floor, and several provided insightful commentary.
“I’ve been attending events for years, and this one has been fantastic. I highly recommend it. It’s great to connect with MSPs and discuss ways to address customer issues. The foot traffic has been good, with many potential connections,” said Jeremy Snow, a sales engineer with the multi-cloud data management vendor Veritas Technologies.
Luis Coton, Senior Manager Americas Field & Channel Sales at Lantronix, a solution provider for IoT and Device Management, also shared his impressions of the event. “Ingram Micro does an excellent job with live events. They bring in key members of the community, including partners and MSPs. The focus is on education, and the breakout sessions have offered valuable content that benefits both vendors and VARs.”
Everett Ellis, CEO of the Arkanasas-based MSP Wired Technology Partners, commented on the state of live events post-pandemic. “It’s crucial to meet people face-to-face again. Building relationships with distributors and vendors is essential for effective work. Knowing your representative and building trust is vital. A few years ago, we encountered an issue where 1,500 computers were misdelivered by a vendor. Because I had a personal relationship with our account manager, I was able to communicate the problem quickly, and he resolved it.”
When asked about ways to improve events like ONE even further, Ellis emphasized the importance of live demonstrations. He highlighted the value of witnessing products and platforms in action rather than the common approach of distributing printed marketing materials.
The first half of the day also featured persona-based workshops, covering topics such as customer retention, developing and trusting data-driven insights, and the significance of forging strategic partnerships.
The afternoon schedule includes general sessions led by senior leaders at Ingram Micro, IDC, and Cisco. Anticipated announcements and demonstrations include the launch of Ingram Micro’s new Xvantage app, with iOS and Android versions of their popular web platform set to debut in October 2023.
Additional information about this and future Ingram Micro events can be found at www.ingrammicro.com/en-us/company/events.
