'We would like partners who have not done business with us to also participate in showcase 2002'

Since

its inception, the Showcase event has been driven by PG Kamath, VP-Marketing,

Ingram Micro India Pvt Ltd, with a gusto. As the driving force behind the event,

he interacts with channel partners in a bid to make each event better than the

previous. This time around he hopes to improve the level of interaction between

channel partners and vendors in the interactive sessions at Showcase 2002.

How many channel partners had participated in Showcase 2001 and how many

will be participating this year?



Last year over 1,000 channel partners had participated in the event and this

year too we expect just the same number to participate in the event. We are not

increasing this number because we feel that more people will simply mean more

crowd. Last year we had the Showcase in two days and it was a rush affair and

channel partners did not have a great experience in terms of open discussions as

they did not get enough time. That is why this year we have kept it for three

days. This way, we will have smaller groups and more time for interaction.

How do you select parters to participate in Showcase from your existing

channel base?



We invite participants from a very wide database and we would like partners

who have not done business with us to come forward. We would also like to focus

on the smaller city resellers and enroll them in the Showcase. And of course our

premier partners will always be there.

How was the response to Showcase 2001?



The response was excellent. The Showcase is styled as a tech-mart in a B2B

platform. Don’t be misled by the word ‘Showcase’, because the event is not

just a display of products. It is much more than that.

We feel that we are the platform between the vendor and the channel. We help

them to know each other better, understand each other’s business requirements

and move forward and transact more business.

What are the added attractions this time?



This time as usual we have the exposition where vendors will have their

stalls for displaying their products, old and new. We have the ‘Experience

Zones’, wherein each vendor can put up solutions and explain these solutions.

These could be software, network or system solutions. Or it can be a combination

of these solutions. We call these ‘Experience Zones’ because this is the

first time that a channel partner will have a first-hand experience of the

product at the Showcase. He can learn from this, understand and grasp the

fundamentals and think of a customer in his location to whom he can sell these

solutions to.

There will be a ‘Future Technology’ pavilion. Here we are trying to bring

together products that channel partners will see themselves selling these three

months down the line. They can start strategizing how to move these products in

the market and add these products to their profile.

We are also going to have interactive talk shows, where we will have vendors

and channel partners discussing certain topics. This is to arrive at solutions

to burning issues in the market today. There will be a fair representation of

vendors and partners with a very interactive audience.

At the end of the sessions, we would like to come up with solutions for

resolving these issues. We will also take this opportunity to address certain

issues in the B and C class cities, as everyone is focusing on them today. We

would like to evolve a consensus on what is the real potential in these areas.

The theme for Showcase 2001 was "Empowering Channels For Global

Technology". What is the theme this year?



This time the theme is "Shaping the future of technology". Our

theme for Showcase 2000 was the "Power Behind Technology", because we

were the new kids on the block and we were introducing ourselves to the channels

as the power behind technology.

Then we had "Empowering channels for global technology" for 2001,

we said that we wanted the B and C class city dealers to come and work with us.

We wanted to empower the smaller dealers of our or even our premier partners in

larger cities. So it was complete empowering in terms of products, services,

whichever way you look at it.

And having introduced ourselves and empowering the channel, we need to look

at things in the right perspective, post-slowdown. Together we will shape our

future: the future of our business and of the products we carry. We will sit

together and strategize on how to rejuvenate ourselves as channel members.

Is Showcase a global event for Ingram Micro?



Showcase is not a global event and is a global event at the same time.

Showcase is organized in other countries too. But the concept and the format

varies depending on the locations. Abroad, we had a Showcase which was a caravan

moving from city to city. Unfortunately, we cannot do that in India as the road

infrastructure is bad nd the geography is vast.

So in India we have stuck to the style of having it in one location annually.

This a event where channels, vendors and Ingram come together and we strategize

for the year ahead. And it is also a time for bonding and understanding the

business nature of each other and how to move on.