Fall 2008 Channel Partners Conference & Expo
August 18-20, 2008
Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center
Boston
Registration Hours Location:
Seaport World Trade Center Atrium Lobby Monday, Aug. 18 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 19 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 20 10 a.m. – Noon
Monday, August 18
9 - 11:30 a.m.
VoIP/SIP Boot Camp* Get in shape with five how-to presentations to help you better
understand and successfully sell VoIP and SIP products to businesses.
Each segment will be taught by a VoIP/SIP professional or practitioners
in a no-fluff format. A companion workshop guide will be provided.
Basic Training – VoIP Technology Fundamentals by Bojan Simic,
Research Analyst, Telecommunications, AberdeenGroup
Field Training – VoIP Application Selling Techniques presented by
Bill Taylor, President, Corporate Ladders
From the Trenches – VoIP Case Studies presented by Sameer Datoo,
President, Strategic Onsite Solutions Inc. and Jason Silvis,
President, Telepathy Networks LLC
Basic Training – SIP Technology Fundamentals by Bojan Simic,
Research Analyst, Telecommunications, AberdeenGroup
Field Training – SIP Application Selling Techniques by Mick
Ahearn, Director of Business Development, Savatar
*Additional registration required
Co-sponsored by:
9 a.m. – Noon
Vendor Presentation
Presented by
ACC Business' IP services seminar will be facilitated by Dan Morford, Sales Effectiveness Program Manager. The session will include a mix of market, technology, and sales skill information, which is designed to enable consultative sales partners to effectively identify and close IP-based customer network... (more)
Vendor Presentation Presented by
1 – 1:30 p.m.
Welcoming Remarks & Top Channel Manager Awards
Khali Henderson, Group Editor, PHONE+
1:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Roundtable: Cable Company Executives on
Channel Strategies
The cablecos have come late to the channel
party, but they are making a big entrance by providing an alternative
supply for big bandwidth (i.e., Ethernet pipes) and the promise of a
triple-play bundle for businesses. Hear from leading cable channel
executives about their products, plans and partner programs.
Moderator: John Macario, president, Savatar Speakers: Ken Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President, Business
Services, Time Warner Cable, Joe Magliulo, Director, Strategic Sales,
Cablevision, Tim McKinley, Vice President, Field Operations & Alternate
Channels, Cox Business, Jack Gordon, Manager of Channel Sales, Charter Business,
Ed Gallagher, Vice President of Business Services, NorthCentral
Division, Comcast
3 – 3:50 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Track One: Selling in a Slowdown The Lowdown on the Downturn The ‘R’ word has been the top water cooler topic for many. Whether
channel partner revenue will be impacted greatly by this downturn is yet
to be seen; but most assuring is the fact that several analysts deny
gloomy predictions. Come hear what an economist has to say about whether
the glass is half full or half empty, and what this means for the
telecommunications industry. Speaker: Zeus Kerravala, Manager, Infrastructure Research and
Consulting, Yankee Group
Track Two: New Opportunities
Capitalizing on Colo Mounting data storage requirements and disaster recovery and business
continuity goals are causing increasing numbers of companies to outsource
their data centers. This opens up a new opportunity for agents that can
manage these sometimes elaborate build out projects. Find out who’s buying
colo, how to sell it and how to get paid. Moderator: Khali Henderson, Group Editor, PHONE+ Speakers: Aaron Loehr, CEO and President, Bandwidth Advisors,
Michael Murphy, President, NEF Inc., Chris Palermo, Founder, Global
Communication Networks Inc.
Track Three: WAN Solutions Making the Most of MPLS Enterprise adoption of VoIP, multilayered security and software as a
service (SaaS) brings new levels of complexity to WAN management.
Understanding these challenges is critical for agents when recommending
and implementing next-generation WANs. Increasingly, MPLS-based IP VPNs
are the choice for enterprise WANs. Find out more about how you can profit
from helping your customers transition to a higher-performing MPLS-based
network. Moderator: Bojan Simic, Research Analyst, Telecommunications,
AberdeenGroup Panelists: Martin Capurro, Director, Product Management, Qwest,
Brett Theiss, Director, Product Management, New Edge Networks, Ted Wagner,
Director, VPN Product Marketing, Level 3 Communications
Track Four: Vendor Presentation The TNCI/Alliance Equity Plan for Agents The TNCI/Alliance Equity Plan redefines earning opportunities for ALL
participating Agents. The session will cover the details of participation
and equity potential. Speakers: Bill Power, CEO, Agent Alliance, Brian Twomey, President,
TNCI
Presented by
4 – 4:50 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Track One: Selling in a Slowdown Solutions That Sell in a Slowdown
With belt-tightening increasing, convincing customers to add expenses to
an already expanding telecom bill might seem like an uphill battle.
However, if positioned and marketed correctly, there are several products
that agents can cost-justify to customers, even in light of an economic
slump. Find out which solutions will sell in a slowdown. Moderator: Khali Henderson, Group Editor, PHONE+ Panelists: Angelina Beitia, Senior Vice President, Indirect Partner
Channel, Premiere Global Services, Peter Callowhill, Co-founder and CEO,
iTEMize, Sarah Graham Linares, Vice President,
Product Development and Revenue Assurance, TMC Communications
Track Two: New
Opportunities Successfully Selling Satellite It’s a big sky up there, and satellite could represent big opportunity
for agents and VARs looking to boldly go where few channel partners have
gone before. Indirect sales partners should take a second look at what is
becoming a rising market in three main sweet spots: disaster
recovery/business continuity, rural and underserved markets, and companies
with specific application needs, including digital signage or video
distribution. Find out more about how to sell and profit from these
applications. Moderator: Tara Seals, Senior Editor, PHONE+ Panelists: Sam Baumel, Assistant Vice President, SME Sales, Hughes
Network Systems Ltd., Brad Miehl, Founder & CEO, MicroCorp Inc.,
Michael Polmar, VP of Sales, Skyport Global Communications
Track Three: WAN Solutions
Getting an Edge With Ethernet There are many types of Ethernet services from Ethernet over copper,
Ethernet over SONET, Ethernet over MPLS or VPLS, etc. Some are Layer 2 and
some are Layer 3. Some are hub-and-spoke while others are mesh.
Understanding the different architectures is critical to successful sales
and deployment. Each has different installation intervals, upgrade
potential, security thresholds, quality levels and diversity requirements.
This impacts the scalability, maintenance and performance of the service
and, ultimately, your customer’s satisfaction. Moderator: Jeff Ponts, Executive Vice President, Datatel Solutions Panelists: MaryBeth Nance, Executive Director Business Development
& Regional Marketing, AboveNet, Chris Peck, Senior Manager, Sales
Engineer Support, Indirect Channel, XO Communications, Heather Selbert,
Vice President, Operations, American Telesis
Track Four: Vendor Presentation Creating the New Business Opportunities with Ethernet Services
Presented by:
5 – 5:50 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Track One: Selling in a Slowdown
Base Jumping: Upselling with New Technologies By leveraging their
best asset, the customer relationship, agents can profit from selling new
technologies to their existing customers despite the challenges of a
slowing economy. This panel will explore ways agents can mine their
installed base for upselling opportunities. Moderator: Ken Mercer, Senior Vice President, Telecom Brokerage
Inc. Panelists: Timothy Dunne, Vice President, Business Operations,
Nextlink Wireless, Inc., Andrew Goethals, Channel Sales Manager, InterCall, Bob
Miller, Senior Solutions Strategist, NetWolves, Charles Murray, Vice
President, Channel Partners, Global Crossing
Track Two: New Opportunities Simplifying SaaS Sales You might be interested in SaaS as a complement to core services, but
concerned about your lack of technical skills to sell it. Just as you
don’t need to know how radio frequencies work to understand the benefits
of mobility, you don’t need to know software or IT to understand the
benefits of on-demand applications. Learn from real- world experiences
just how simple the SaaS sales process can be. Speakers: Bob Bye, Executive Vice President & General Manager,
nGenx, Doug Turpin, President & CEO, Venture Group
Track Three: WAN Solutions Get Wise to Wireless WAN As a telecom agent, you recognize wireless presents a vast
opportunity, but it’s also strange territory. The good news is you don’t
necessarily have to move away from your comfort zone to begin selling
wireless. Wireless WAN makes delivering mobility solutions more like
traditional enterprise networking. Find out how the wireless WAN is a
unique opportunity for a wireline-focused channel partners to break into a
new world of mobility solutions while leveraging their existing knowledge
of networking. Moderator: Tara Seals, Senior Editor, PHONE+
Speakers: Sal LoSchiavo, Director of North American wireless broadband
channels, Motorola, John Muscarella, Director Enterprise Sales, XOHM—Wimax from
Sprint, Dan Watson, Channel Manager, Telarus
Track Four: Vendor Presentation Ethernet WAN Applications & Designs: The "What and How" to Meeting
Customer Needs
Join us as we explore various approaches to implementing Ethernet,
including Ethernet over copper, fiber, and wireless. We will explore case
histories with a focus on customer requirements, solution overview,
network design and technical considerations. Speakers: Chris Peck, sales support senior manager, XO
Communications, Inc.
Mark Saffel, sales engineering director, XO Communications, Inc.
Andy Janoschka, regional sales director, Hatteras Networks
Presented by:
6 – 8 p.m.
Expo Hall Opening Reception
Sponsored by
Tuesday, August
19
9 – 10 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
9:30 – 10:20 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Track One: Sales & Marketing Full Funnels:
Strategies for Healthy Lead Generation
Sales leads are the lifeblood of any sales organization. Yet,
salespeople often don’t know where to prospect for the best leads, spend
enough time prospecting, work their best markets or plan their
territory. This session will address the Dos and Don’ts of lead
generation and sales prospecting. Find out how to prospect and pick the
most fruitful leads.
Speaker: Bill Taylor, President, Corporate Ladders
Track Two: New Opportunities
Conferencing 2.0
As workforces become more globally dispersed, and as enterprises make
moves toward “greener” operations, conferencing technologies become less
of a luxury and more of a necessity. This panel will discuss some of the
conferencing market’s cutting edge solutions, describing their implementation processes, target markets
and unique selling propositions. These aren’t your grandfather’s
conferencing solutions. Find out how these solutions might fit into your
portfolio, or you could be missing out on collaboration’s next killer app.
Moderator: Cara Sievers, Assistant Editor, PHONE+
Panelists: Kenny Govier, Vice President, US Sales, Ring2, Jonathan Khorsandi, CEO, Podference Technologies Inc., Greg Plum, Channel Manager, the Conference Group
Track Three: Business Development
The Accidental Entrepreneur
Are you running your business, or is your business running you? Did
you have sales skills and just wanted to become an agent to be free from
“the man,” or did you start your business to manage people, develop
process and systems, measure results and keep people accountable? Do you
have the leadership and communication skills necessary to take your
business to the next level? Most business owners are challenged in ways
that they didn’t expect when they started. This session will help you
understand issues that cause the fires rather than just pouring more water on them.
Speaker: Larry Kesslin, President, 4-Profit LLC
9:30 – 11:20 a.m.
Track Four: Vendor Presentation Business Continuity, Security & Managed Services Solutions
Today’s economic environment includes slashed budgets and shrinking
resources. To be competitive, you need to provide additional value to
the traditional network sale. Let us show you how to design customized
solutions, based on PAETEC’s suite of managed services, which will
enhance your customers’ business continuity and network security
abilities. Speakers: Doug Dalby, Senior Manager, Solutions Marketing, Rob
Anderson, Product Development Manager, Data Services
Presented by
10:30 – 11:20 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Track One: Sales & Marketing
Web & Web 2.0 Web-based marketing is no longer an option in your existing business
strategy. Coordinating marketing and sales teams with the Web must be
part of an action-oriented plan that leverages the individual benefits
of your sales team, print and interactive media. This session will
review key elements and important building blocks for successful
Web-based marketing. Learn how you should position and promote your
products and services on the Web. Speakers: Janet Schijns, President, The JS Group, Robert Weiss,
Vice President, Equipment Division, Director of Sales, StructuredWeb
Track Two: New Opportunities Come Together: The UC Opportunity Unified communications began as the convergence of voice and email,
but is quickly evolving to include new communication modes like video,
new end points like handsets, and new purposes like business processes
integration. Find out more about the technical aspects of UC solutions,
and more importantly, how to make the business case for this technology. Moderator: Steve Hilton, Vice President Enterprise and SMB
research, Yankee Group Panelist: Jeffrey Cayer, Group Manager, UC&C Marketing, Verizon Business,
Mahesh Paolini-Subramanya, CTO, Aptela
Track Three: Business Development
Analyzing Agent Agreements Agreements between telecom agents, resellers and carriers are
critical to the success of those business relationships. However, those
agreements are often poorly drafted, unbalanced in their approach and
fail to address key aspects of the parties’ business relationship. Find
out how carefully drafted agreements not only protect agents and
resellers from unscrupulous conduct by carriers, but also help to avoid
unnecessary conflicts that arise out of legitimate misunderstandings
over the terms of agreement. Speaker: Neil Ende, Attorney, Technology Law Group LLC
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Industry Address: Reading the Tea Leaves Predicting the future might seem like a lot of hocus pocus, but
understanding industry trends and extrapolating future outcomes is
critical to strategic business planning. Hear from a respected channel
analyst on demand-side and channel delivery trends that can help your
business establish a competitive edge.
Speaker: Tiffani Bova, Research Vice President, Indirect Channel
Programs & Sales Strategies, Gartner Inc.
Channel Partners and PHONE+ are pleased to bring you video programming from the recent Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Secaucus, N.J., Sept. 26-28.
