Partners’ Point Of View

Channel events have always served as good reasons to get partners excited.

These events not only give the channel an excuse to break away from the routine

of carrying out day-to-day business but more importantly they offer a unique

platform for interaction. This interaction is not just between vendors and

partners but also among large number of partners as well.

As far as channel events/meets are concerned, they come in various shapes and

sizes. Nevertheless, they have evolved to become a regular fixture in the annual

agenda of vendors and top distributors alike.

The industry has witnessed a large number of such events being organized in

the past at exotic foreign locales as well as on homeground. Even though the

agenda may vary from one event to the other, what remains common is the

enthusiasm they are able to elicit among the channel community.

What’s so great about channel meets?



Channel meets serve as an occasion to bring vendors and partners together on an
informal platform. According to channel partners, the sheer prospect of getting

to meet a large number of vendors and other partners under the same roof is

tempting enough for them to attend.

In addition to this, various kind of activities including seminars, panel

discussions and exhibitions get organized at these meets. These activities serve

a great purpose by increasing awareness among the channel community about the

latest happenings in the technology and products front.

The community gets latest information on products, technologies as well as

insights on the prevailing business scenario. Also noticeable is the fact that

such a congregation of vendors and partners provides each of them an unique

opportunity to interact directly, bring up issues of concern, explore newer

avenues and discuss a variety of business propositions. These meets also enable

the partners to book orders at attractive prices and avail of good discounts.

Says Mrudul Desai, GM, Triune Marketing, "These meets have now become

one of the important ‘to-do’ things for vendors and top distributors. They

offer a wonderful opportunity for partners to network with each other as

well." Mrudul believes that it is a good trend and one should get to see

more of such events in the near future. Expressing similar sentiments, Keshav

Madhav, Director, Vidur and Company says, "Channel meets help partners not

just by way of popularizing the products but also help them achieve a better

mindshare."

"Meets organized either by a vendor or a distributor are something that

the channel community always looks forward to and even we enthusiastically

participate in some of them," points out Arif Allana, MD, Fiona Infosystems

Ltd. While vendors can afford to organize large-scale channel meets, it sure

comes as a pleasant surprise to see a distributor doing the same for last three

years. The distributor in question here is Ingram Micro India Ltd, one of the

major IT distributor, and the event, ‘Showcase’. Showcase 2002 is the fourth

edition of this annual event which was held for the first time in 1999.

A one of its kind event



Showcase has come to be touted as one of its kind event in the country and

its latest version–Showcase 2002– promises to live up to its reputation. So

what makes Showcase so different from other channel meets?

For starters, its the sheer size and the number of people attending it. In

showcase 2001, over 1,000 resellers from all across the country participated in

the two-day event held at the historic city of Agra.

No other event brings together such large number of vendors, distributors and

dealers in a way that Showcase does. Showcase has proved to be a very effective

platform when it comes to facilitating interaction between resellers from

different regions. This helps them understand business dynamics even in regions

where they don’t have a presence. This experience comes very handy in case a

reseller wants to spread his business in newer areas.

Showcase also prides itself as a unique event because of the spectrum of

activities that constitute it. It features interactive talk shows, exhibition of

latest technology and products, seminars and product launches.

In addition to this, a direct and easy access to the vendors comes as a boon

to many of the partners. Says Mrudul, "One very unique feature about

Showcase is the opportunity its offers to us partners to interact directly with

a number of principals in a short duration. This, however becomes very difficult

and time-consuming on an ordinary day."

Mrudul, like many other partners, is also of the belief that an event like

Showcase presents him with a good mix of tangible as well as intangible business

benefits.

Benefits @ Showcase



While Showcase no doubt offers popularity to products, awareness to partners

and a wonderful experience on the whole, it also translates into tangible

business benefits for a large number of resellers. Vendors and distributors

offer some real good deals and discounts for on-the-spot bookings. This enables

partners to book products at prices, which would not be offered otherwise.

Understandably, they can sell these same products earning some handsome margins.

Says Keshav, "From the Dealer’s point of view, it is good as he gets

some very attractive deals and extremely competitive prices from the

distributor. His promises are backed by vendors who are present on the

occasion." He goes on to inform that the last edition of Showcase also had

some positive impact on the business conducted by their regional office at Agra.

Even Himanshu of Sybex Marketing feels the same. He says, "An event like

this is extremely beneficial from the business point of view as it offers

partners some real good deals."

However, Mrudul presents a slightly different opinion. He says,

"Discounts offered at Showcase are not very attractive and they translate

into reasonable profits only if one makes purchase in very large volumes.

On-the-spot purchase of large volumes may not be feasible for many

resellers."

Looking for more



Many partners feel that an event like Showcase needs to be organized more

than just once a year. Also, there are some with an opinion that such events

should also get organized at regional level to increase participation. "The

event would be received with a larger enthusiasm if it is also held at a

regional level," comments Keshav.

On the other hand, Mrudul feels that it would be a wonderful thing if

Showcase can be organized twice a year. However, he also complains about the

lack of discussions related to business strategies. "Vendors should use

this event as a platform to come ahead and discuss their business strategies

given the current economic scenario. They should offer their viewpoints and

suggest as to how the resellers can bring about a difference in their business

by changing their selling approach and methodologies," suggests Mrudul.

Some partners also expressed that the event should be less about ‘wine and

dine’ and there should be a greater focus on products. Keshav even goes to the

extent of suggesting that resellers should be allowed to invite a few of their

customers to attend, even if attendance for them is allowed only for a few hours

in a day.

All said and done, what emerges is that partners do appreciate the benefits

accruing to them from channel meets and Showcase is no exception. Partners are

indeed looking forward to Showcase 2002 to keep themselves updated on the

technology and product roadmaps of leading vendors.

Team DQCI