Earn Your Free Pass To One Of Six ASCII Events
As 2010 gets underway, its time to start deciding which industry events are a good fit for you. If you are looking for local access to information and education, you may want to check out the shows sponsored by the ASCII Group, an technology industry organization that provides its solutions provider members with access to purchasing programs, education and training, peer groups, and discounts on business services such as liability insurance.
When I chatted with Jerry Koutavas, executive director of the group, just last week, he shared with me the organization's plans to "hand over" its events to its members. New this year, the shows will panel discussions with industry leaders — all moderated by ASCII members.
Jerry explained that while ASCII has been doing these events for years, the organization wanted to give more control to its members to ensure the events are as relevant as possible. "We wanted to build these events from the perspective of the providers, not the vendors," he says. In addition to letting members moderate the panel discussions, the audience will participate through live polling that will feed questions and information to the panel as the discussion unfolds. In addition, each day-long event features peer networking, keynote presentations from the likes of Gary Pica, and role playing exercises that tackle subjects such as selling managed services.
Held on Feb. 18 in Los Angeles, April 22 in Washington, D.C., May 6 in New Jersey/New York, June 3 in Chicago, Sept. 163 in Orlando, and Oct. 14 in Boston, these one-day events are free to all ASCII members. For non-members the price is $975, however, I'll be giving away a handful of free VIP passes for each event. Just email me at with your location of choice.