From
the time Ingram Micro set up offices in the country three years ago, it has been
meticulously working on building up a close relationship with its partners. NY
Prasad, COO, has played a key role in this endeavor besides helping partners to
grow up the value chain. Prasad says that Showcase 2002 is meant to give the
channel an insight to the latest in technology and how to cope with the market
slowdown.
How did Ingram come up with the idea of Showcase and what distinguishes it
from the channel events held by other companies?
Showcase is a concept which is being conducted at certain Ingram Micro locations
worldwide. In India it is styled as a unique tech mart and B2B event wherein our
vendor partners, channel partners and associates come together on a single
platform to brainstorm over products and solutions. It is also an excellent
platform to transact volume business. No other distribution house in India hosts
an event on such a massive scale.
How will this year’s Showcase vary from the one organized last year?
This year’s theme is ‘Shaping the future of technology’. The entire
industry is currently coping with the demand slump. Moving forward we see
tremendous scope in terms of demand generation and improvement in the business
climate. In this scenario, it is essential for all of us to collectively work at
shaping the future strategy to add value to our respective business and grow
profitably. Showcase 2002 will focus on these core issues.
What is the message you want to give to the channel partners through
Showcase 2002?
Let’s partner and come up with robust strategies to grow profitably.
How did Showcase evolve?
In India, we kicked it off in 1999 with a three-city event at Mumbai, Delhi and
Chennai. In 2000 we added Calcutta to this list. The year 2001 saw a radical
change in Showcase’s format. We had the event at a single location, at Agra,
and flew in a 1,000 channel partners from over a 100 Indian cities.
What is the history of Ingrams channel events?
IMIPL is perhaps the only IT distribution house in India today which has a
dedicated marketing team. We conduct corporate, product and channel marketing
activities with the basic aim of adding value to our vendor and channel
relationships. In cases where vendors did not have a direct presence in India,
IMIPL handled end-to-end marketing activities including product launches, direct
mailers, roadshows, seminars, channel identification and channel development.
For in-country vendors, IMIPL has conducted roadshows in B and C class cities
and evangelized their products in these locations. By hosting annual mega-events
like Showcase and Rendezvous, IMIPL has played the role of an active conduit for
a healthy interaction between vendors and channel partners.
Team DQCI