November 10-12, 2010

XCHANGE TECH INNOVATORS 2010

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Wednesday, November 10
11:30 am - 7:00 pm
Registration
Location: Grand Ballroom Foyer
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Demo Rooms
Location: First Floor of Palms Tower
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm
Solution Provider Orientation
Location: Marquis Ballroom 5
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Everything Channel Opening Remarks
Location: Marquis Ballroom 5
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm
Building A Business That Thrives In The New IT Market
If you run a business in the IT channel, no doubt you’re facing dramatic changes on all sides: new technologies and delivery models that transform your relationship with customers; economic uncertainty that threatens to choke off vital revenue streams; and emerging competitors from inside the traditional IT market and beyond. And while the industry has repeatedly proven its ability to drive innovation on the technology and products front, the focus now shifts to another front: business innovation. In this session, we’ll examine the critical success factors for tomorrow’s IT solution providers. Key topics to be covered in this session include: - Determining the best possible version of your solution provider business in its next phase, and a practical process for getting there - Responding to dramatic market pressures with a cool and even approach - Winning the enthusiastic commitment of your people as you undertake yet another challenging change process

Location: Marquis Ballroom 5


Ryan Morris
Principal Consultant
Morris Management Partners, Inc. 		   

3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Exhibitor Set-up
Location: Grand Ballroom A-C
4:15 pm - 4:45 pm
IBM Keynote: Innovate to grow your business profitably
Today, more than ever, it’s innovation that drives business success. IBM’s focus is on creating innovative products, services, and solutions to address the needs of clients while offering Business Partners the tools, resources, and incentives to help them gain a competitive edge in today's market. Join us to learn about our innovative approach to solutions such as virtualization, IT service management, cloud computing, analytics and storage optimization to help your clients continually gain control and mine their information and data, improve service, reduce cost and manage risk while helping you grow your business and maximize your profit potential.

Location: Marquis Ballroom 5


Richard D. Michos
Vice President, Channel Strategy
IBM
Sponsored by

 

5:00 pm - 6:15 pm
Interactive Boardroom Appointments

Interactive Boardroom Appointments are a staple of our events. We provide an opportunity for vendors to present new products and programs to intimate focused and qualified groups. Attendees are categorized by their core competencies and business models. This is an opportunity to interact with active, high-quality integrators and help structure your channel programs.

Location: See Individual Appointment Schedule
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Channel Speed Networking
Location: Grand Ballroom D-E
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Solutions Pavilion/Reception
Location: Grand Ballroom A-C
Thursday, November 11
7:30 am - 6:00 pm
Assistance Desk/Registration Open
Location: Grand Ballroom Foyer
8:30 am - 9:15 am
Solution Provider Breakfast
Location: Valencia Ballroom (2nd Floor)
9:30 am - 10:15 am
General Session: Leveraging Social Media as a Way To Grow Business
While social media is considered one of the most powerful business tools today, helping some companies to even grow during the economic down turn, many barely have a presence and don't know where to start. Let's explore how social media is forming today’s "educated purchase decisions" and what you can do to be part of the new process, growing your business and win back influence in the decision making process. Leading businesses leveraged social media to make a difference on the bottom line - without even having fancy fan page. Smart vendors leverage their channel as secret weapons in the social media world. Smart VARs and system integrators leverage social media to grow their vendor relationships. Get inspired how to unleash this power and make a difference for your own business.

Location: Marquis Ballroom 5


Axel Schultze
Founder and CEO
Xeesm 		   

10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Interactive Boardroom Appointments
Location: See Individual Appointment Schedule
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Solution Provider Lunch
Location: Valencia Ballroom (2nd Floor)
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm
General Session: The Evolving Partner & Channel Models: Prepare for the Future

Whether you call it an evolution, transformation or transition, today’s solution providers are facing one of the most critical junctures since they shifted from product-centric models to services-based models more than a decade ago. Traditional VARs are morphing into new entities, while entirely new solution provider models arrive on the scene daily. There is a sense of urgency in the air as solution providers adjust to a new world order focused on cloud applications, virtualization and customers looking to more business value from their technology investments. The industry is closely watching this transformation as solution providers become an integral part of an ecosystem made up of hardware vendors, managed services providers, network suppliers, platform developers and ISVs. Amid this change, the customer still needs a trusted advisor who can sort through all the choices and complexities of today’s technology solutions to deliver something that makes sense and works within the confines of tight IT budgets. Learn how the influencer model has changed, where the solution provider business model is heading and the strategy of those on the leading edge.


Moderated by Robert C. Demarzo, Senior Vice President, Strategic Content, Everything Channel

Location: Marquis Ballroom 5


Robert C. DeMarzo
Senior Vice President
Everything Channel 		   

2:30 pm - 4:15 pm
Interactive Boardroom Appointments
Location: See Individual Appointment Schedule
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
CRN Test Center Review
Ed Moltzen, managing editor of the CRN Test Center will host a session with vendors showcasing products and technologies. Each vendor will spend 3-5 minutes demonstrating the value of their channel-ready product. Vendors will be open to questions from the Test Center's editors as well as from solution providers in the audience.

This will provide vendors with an opportunity to discuss their products live, to more than 120 resellers.

Sponsors:
  • AVG
  • Digium
  • Eaton
  • Panasonic


    • Location: Marquis Ballroom 5


    Ed Moltzen
    Managing Editor
    CRN Test Center     		 

    5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
    Solutions Pavilion
    Location: Grand Ballroom A-C
    7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
    Demo Rooms
    Location: First Floor of Palms Tower
    7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    Exhibitor Teardown
    Location: Grand Ballroom A-C
    Friday, November 12
    8:00 am - 11:30 am
    Assistance Desk/Registration Open
    Location: Grand Ballroom Foyer
    8:15 am - 9:00 am
    Solution Provider Breakfast
    Location: Valencia Ballroom (2nd Floor)
    9:15 am - 10:00 am
    Developing Partner Programs of the Future
    Disruptive technologies are reshaping the channel landscape promising a sweeping transformation of how technology solutions are acquired and delivered. Existing business models are being torn down and rebuilt while new solution provider businesses are being launched around cloud, managed services, Saas, IaaS and PaaS. All of this is causing today’s leading vendors to rethink their go-to-market strategy along with their partner-engagement models. Such changes downstream in the VAR market have vendors examining their coverage models, partner-compensation formulas, demand-generation activities and other incentives. What’s happening is not just an evolution but a revolution. The results could redefine today’s market leaders. So, just how are the leading minds inside top vendor organization’s preparing for the next-generation partner program? Well, this panel discussion will answer that question as channel veterans and partner experts weigh in with their thoughts in this provocative session that will enlighten and motivate all comers.

    Location: Marquis Ballroom 5


    Robert C. Demarzo
    Senior Vice President
    Everything Channel     		   

    10:15 am - 11:15 am
    Partner Development Discussions
    All conference attendees are invited to join your peers for an hour of industry networking around topics such as virtualization, storage, cloud computing, managed services, networking and security.

    Location: Marquis Ballroom 1-3
    11:15 am - 11:45 am
    Hotel Check Out
    11:45 am - 1:30 pm
    CRN Tech Innovator & XChange XCellence Awards