Attendance Breaks Record at the 2011 Channel Partners Conference & Expo

Channel partners and suppliers gather yearly for the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, and this year’s Fall 2011 Expo garnered over 2,500 attendees. The event has been held for the last 15 years, and the large number of participants makes it the biggest in its history.

Along with a record number of attendees, the event also offered over 120 exhibitors and sponsors, 50 plus hours of programming, and nine networking hours. Held in Chicago this year, the Expo honors Channel Partners Magazine’s list of the Top 50 Channel Programs.

Group Publisher Larry Lannon explained that the Expo “was a success directly attributable to the quality of the program.” He added that each year the event’s perks and attendance exceeds the year before and this year was no different; the program was significantly enhanced and a number of new program features were introduced, including:

• Channel Partners Zone (CPZ)
• Enhanced session interactivity
• Selling Techniques Luncheon

Lannon went on to say that this year’s attendee numbers demonstrate that the popularity of the magazine and the program’s quality are steadily growing, and the channel incentive community is involved and engaged. He added, “The continued focus on the quality of the programming and on programmatic innovation, combined with the inherent strength of the channel itself, led to an increase in attendance of 10 percent,” compared to the prior year.

Top 50 Channel Programs’ 250 nominees included Level 3 Communications. Level 3 is a global leader providing “fiber-based communications services that delivers top notch scalability and premier value through its fiber network.”

The nominees consisted of hardware and software vendors, carriers, master agencies, and resellers. For the fourth consecutive year, Level 3 won the nomination. Along with the conference honor, this year’s winners are entitled to being published in Channel partners Magazine’s September 2011 issue. The issue is downloadable.

According to senior VP of Enterprise Sales and Indirect Channel Nigel Williams, with a long-held dedication to the indirect channel, Level 3’s strategy focuses on creating a channel culture that embraces the relationships of both strategic alliances and channel partner. Williams went on to say that his company is overjoyed to be recognized by the channel community one more time as a leader in the field. Level 3 strives to constantly enhance the customer experience, along with offering “high-quality sales support that offers a comprehensive portfolio of services solutions.”