It’s that time of year when a literal who’s who of channel professionals gather to take on some of the industry’s biggest opportunities and concerns. CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting convenes April 1 in sunny San Diego with a full slate of interactive group discussions, thought-provoking presentations and numerous networking opportunities. Attendees will also get to partake in this year’s IT Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner, as Robert Faletra and Susan Kare are honored for their contributions to our industry.
Prepare to increase your professional acumen, challenge your current practices and forge new business relationships through all the interactive sessions and networking on tap at this year’s event. You’ll get to engage with some of the best minds in the industry and share your ideas to help advance the IT channel. CompTIA members are a savvy group of entrepreneurs and sales and marketing professionals who give their all to develop initiatives, programs and materials to help IT organizations succeed.
Those are just a couple of the reasons so many solution providers, vendors and distribution executives and other channel professionals come to AMM. They also enjoy the educational discussions and gain new perspectives on their own businesses. Many profit from the top-notch channel connections at the event and forge friendships that can last a lifetime. That professional camaraderie is a core value of CompTIA membership — giving everyone an opportunity to grow their minds, businesses and careers.
That philosophy is clearly demonstrated in the individual CompTIA community meetings at AMM. Each of the collaborative groups works closely with their respective industry specialists.
The Cloud Community will host a panel discussion led by the respected channel expert and research guru Ryan Morris. “Trends in Channel Business Adaptations for the Cloud” will cover some of the top issues facing those who offer these services, including proper channel alignment, business development and planning, and transformation and business agility.
The IT Services and Support Community is bringing its A-game to AMM with a full agenda of initiative discussions, workshops, research and other activities. Get there early, since Jean Mork Bredeson will lead off the session by addressing one of the most valuable and underutilized tools channel companies have at their disposal. Her presentation, “The New Customer Satisfaction: Using It To Make Money,” will offer insightful information and key recommendations for any business looking to improve its client relationships and revenue goals. Get your morning started right!
Join the Advancing Women in IT Community’s breakfast meeting and learn about its recent developments, including the rollout of its Dream IT program, including tools and educational resources that will inspire girls and women to pursue careers in the IT industry. With a goal of reaching 10,000 people with its message of encouragement, educational and training suggestions and mentorship opportunities, it can surely use your help. With a greater pool of qualified talent with more diverse ideas, the prospects will be even brighter for channel organizations in the future.
The Managed Services Community has a lot of insightful information to share in its AMM meeting, including some highlights from the group’s recently completed survey. Several of the top managed services challenges identified in this research will be discussed in this session, as well as what the group intends to do to address those areas of concern, including organizational management shortfalls.
Leaders in the Tech Convergence Community will focus a lot of attention on business innovation and what members can do to better achieve their long-term goals. Patrick Houston of CloudBase3 will offer sage advice and lead attendees through a variety of improvement exercises in his business agility workshop, “Planning for Business Change and Managing the Ripple Effect.” Tech Convergence Community members should expect to have some fun and gain a lot of valuable insight.
Insightful business practices and valued industry research will be key topics in the Managed Print Services Community meeting. Attendees will work on building strong offensive strategies and learn more ways to leverage MPS offerings to grow their businesses. They’ll also get the first look at the latest MPS research from CompTIA and discuss how to changes in the customer-decision-making-process could actually boost their revenue opportunities.
The Mobility Community is bringing together some of the industry’s best and brightest to tackle the toughest questions in the channel with its “Mobile Rumble in the Jungle.” This member debate will cover a number of the hottest practice-related issues in an insightful brainstorming format, intended to inspire some innovative ideas and create a lot of peer-to-peer networking opportunities. Everyone may not always agree and there may be some controversy, but everyone should leave better prepared to make money delivering the mobility solutions and services that their clients want and need.
Regardless of your IT services specialty or the role you play in your particular organization, AMM attendance can help boost to your business acumen, alliances and professional opportunities. If you haven’t already signed up, be sure to register today, scheduled your travel, and start packing for the most collaborative event of the spring.
