Ingram Micro Hosts Fourth Annual SMB Alliance Invitational
Solution Providers Gather to Share and Learn More about the Sales Opportunities, Trends and Technologies Impacting Small and Midsize Businesses
Ingram Micro Inc. recently welcomed more than 155 channel partners from the U.S. and Canada to its fourth annual SMB Alliance (SMBA) Partner Invitational, themed "Join the Movement!"
The three-day event takes place June 6-8 at the Aria Resort and Casino, Las Vegas and provides SMBA members with valuable market insight on what's driving demand among small and midsize businesses (SMBs) and how to capitalize on these trends by leveraging the community, Ingram Micro and sponsoring IT vendors. Activity from the SMB Alliance Invitational will be featured on the community's Facebook page and reported on Twitter by attendees using #SMBA2011.
The Ingram Micro SMB Alliance Invitational features valuable breakout sessions, workshops and networking opportunities proven to help channel partners make the most of new technologies and services, as well as maximize their sales and profitability potential within the small and midsized business (SMB) marketplace and key verticals including healthcare.
"The SMBA Invitational presents our community members with a great opportunity to learn more about the SMB marketplace, discuss and resolve mutual challenges, and identify best practices on how to grow their solutions and services portfolios while expanding their role as a trusted advisor," said Huy Nguyen, event host and director, channel programs for Ingram Micro North America. "Each year the SMBA community grows stronger and more united, and our members are sure to benefit from the exceptional agenda and resources that we have in play for 2011 – all of which are geared from top to bottom to accelerate our partners' success in the SMB market."
Throughout the event attendees will benefit from the market insights of keynote speaker Tiffani Bova, Gartner Research vice president for indirect channel programs and sales strategies worldwide, while drawing inspiration from Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, a popular motivational speaker whose fierce determination enabled him to join the Notre Dame University football team against all odds.
Attendees will also gain practical advice for advancing their business initiatives through a series of workshops held each day at the Invitational. The business workshop speakers will include Laura Posey, chief executive officer (CEO) of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group; Jennifer Baier Anaya, vice president of corporate marketing, NetEnrich; Ryan Morris, principal consultant, Morris Management Partners, Inc.; Ken Thoreson, president, Acumen Management Group, Ltd.; and Paul Dippell, founder and CEO, Service Leadership, Inc.
Vendor sponsors including Lenovo, Cisco, ASUS, Brother, IBM, Symantec, Microsoft, HP and McAfee will also be on hand to discuss their latest technology solutions, programs and partner enablement offerings. Additional highlights of the gathering include:
- Content-rich workshops to address trends and business drivers in the SMB market
- Go-to-market advice from leading industry consultants and business experts
- Customized sessions focused on building and sustaining a profitable managed services practice
- A solution-focused Technology Fair to meet with cutting-edge technology manufacturers and identify growth opportunities
- Breakout sessions and executive meetings with strategic manufacturer partners
- Networking activities with Ingram Micro associates and executives
- Formal roundtable sessions and informal peer networking opportunities with fellow solution providers to share best business practices and discuss key issues impacting today's market
For more information on Ingram Micro visit www.ingrammicro.com.
About Ingram Micro's SMB Alliance
Ingram Micro's SMB Alliance (SMBA) community helps SMB-focused resellers enter new markets, and provides tools and knowledge to enter them more profitably. The 3,000-plus members of SMBA enjoy added attention from manufacturers and access to business-building resources, tools and training to help them run their businesses more effectively and efficiently. As a community, members have the ability to form partnerships, network with peers with similar business models, share best practices and tap into growth opportunities not available through other distributors.
About Ingram Micro Inc.
As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics, technical and financial support, managed and cloud-based services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company is the only global broad-based IT distributor, serving more than 150 countries on six continents with the world's most comprehensive portfolio of IT products and services. For more information, visit www.ingrammicro.com.
SOURCE: Ingram Micro Inc.