With over two decades in the events arena, we’ve organized hundreds of channel events, pioneering numerous features and continuously innovating to meet the evolving needs of our channel community. We also share insights to help the community improve.
It’s noteworthy that most MSPs do not frequently attend channel events, preferring instead to seek out events that offer opportunities to connect with end-user prospects. Excluding the common “road warrior” MSPs who are regulars at channel events, the average MSP attends fewer than three channel events per year.
Our ongoing data analysis also reveals interesting patterns in their event engagement. Most MSPs attend only a few sessions and often continue to work during conferences. They typically connect with fewer than six vendors and frequently express frustration with repetitive slide deck presentations and sales pitches, a sentiment even shared by the road warriors. The bigger the event, the bigger the post event sales bombardments and spam abuse through the event apps. The investment in time and resources to attend events are significant for MSPs and they have many other digital ways and now AI to learn and find solutions.
One MSPs put it to me this way: “When I want to learn about vendors and products I go on your eChannelNEWS website and watch or listen to the hundreds of vendor interviews you do whenever I have time and I can pause, fast forward and share”. It’s no wonder that our surveys indicate that two-thirds of MSPs find new products from online news media.
Networking consistently ranks as the most popular activity at events. MSPs who participate in Mastermind peer-groups view this as the ultimate in-person interaction.
Today, our most popular event features include the MSP Town-Hall, Speed Introductions, Mastermind Peer-Group sessions, Lions’ Den, Talk Show Style discussions, and our news media coverage continues to reach new heights. Of course, we also prioritize extensive networking and one-on-one interactions. While our parties may have mellowed over the years from wild pub crawls with treasure hunts, they now offer a relaxed atmosphere for eating, drinking, talking, and even a little karaoke for the brave. We’re definitely not as wild as we used to be! But, don’t let that stop you!
Today, MSPs are focused on addressing key questions:
- How can I increase my business valuation for a successful exit?
- How can I optimize operations for greater productivity with fewer resources?
- How can I integrate AI into my business while guiding my customers’ journeys?
- How can I protect my clients from cybersecurity breaches, and more importantly, how can I recover them if a breach occurs?
- How can I attract more ideal customer leads?
- How can I retain and grow Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) and enhance profitability per client?
- How do I effectively lead my team and foster loyalty?
- How can I refine my tech stack to best achieve client outcomes?
- How can I differentiate my business from competitors?
- How can I gain more personal time to pursue my interests?
Evolving ChannelNEXT for Today’s Conference Attendee:
After tweaking the first two events of 2025, we’ve completed the rewiring of the upcoming ChannelNEXT West event to meet the evolving priorities of our attendees. Here’s how we’ve achieved this:
Unbiased and Deep-Dive Content:
- Independent Insights: 80% of our content and speakers are not vendor-sponsored, ensuring independent and unbiased insights. (Unfortunately, we do take a hit on revenue from sponsors who want stage time, but we had to choose and thank those sponsors who understand that this is for the benefit of the channel partners).
- Mastermind Sessions: Every session is now paired with an extended 90-minute Mastermind Peer-Group session for deeper dives into topics of interest.
- Diverse Perspectives: Less individual keynotes and more expert panel discussions provide a variety of viewpoints.
- Interactive Learning: We’ve shifted from slide decks to more interactive sessions with audience input. Most of the topics and questions we discuss come from the attendees’ suggestions during the registration process.
- MSPs helping MSPs: Who better to help MSPs than fellow MSPs? We always feature several leading MSPs who are willing to help their peers and community to improve. We cannot thank them enough! Actually, my co-host Randal Wark also runs an MSP as he leverages what he learns from being on the frontlines every day to help steer the conversations!
Double Down on AI and Business Growth:
- AI for Sales: More AI content on scaling, selling bigger, and closing faster. AI skills that they can resell to their customers.
- AI for Marketing: More AI on marketing, including Digital Waterfall and Public Relations. AI skills that they can resell to their customers.
- AI for Productivity: More AI Agent Building to increase productivity. AI skills that they can resell to their customers.
- Extended AI Learning: More AI learning with pre and post-days of extended courses to help channel partners up their overall AI game and to better lead their customers’ AI journey.
- Business Valuation and Exit Strategies: More content and post-event support for building business valuation and exiting. Ask about joining our Merger and Acquisitions or Cybersecurity-First Mastermind Peer-Groups post event!
Enhanced Networking and Flexibility for Vendor Sponsors:
- More Networking: Increased time for networking and one-on-one meetings with improved speed introductions.
- Vendor Flexibility: More opportunities for vendors to host pre and post-events within our event to invite their local partners and prospects.
- Vendor Mastermind: Vendors can attend a Mastermind peer-group with Julian Lee, Publisher of eChannelNEWS to explore channel partner development and how to better leverage news media coverage in the channel. Everyone who attends gets a FREE eChannelNEWS interview that they can reuse however they wish.
- Vendors Can Host Private Breakout Sessions: Vendors can now host private breakout group or one-on-one sessions at the same time as we host the Mastermind sessions.
Key Industry Topics and Support:
- Cybersecurity Expertise and Solutions: Comprehensive cybersecurity content and an outstanding selection of solutions to ensure effective posture management, compliance and finally, cost-effective cyber Insurance protection. You will NOT need more cybersecurity solutions than what we will be showcasing! We also stay with you 365 days a year with our Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem!
- More Market Opportunities: Such as 5G, Networking, Storage, Surveillance, AI Empowered Computers and Power Protection Management.
- Leadership and Team Building: More content on leadership skills and team building in an AI-driven workplace.
- Seamless Connections: An easier and less intrusive way for attendees to manage connections during and after the event through what you already use – LinkedIn!
Post event Support:
- Session Resources: AI-Generated summary of each session with all presentation materials for attendees to leverage and share.
- News media coverage: Get an interview at the event and leverage the content to promote your business.
- Post Event Newsletter: A summary and news interviews of each topic, vendors, speakers to review and share with your colleagues.
- On-going News: Subscribe to eChannelNEWS to get your daily dose of what’s happening in the IT industry that can impact your business
- Connection Hub: As always, reach out to us to connect with anyone from the conference and answer your questions.
- Join a Mastermind Peer-Group: To continually learn and collaborate with your peers. This is the ultimate post event activity you can do!
- Join the Cybersecurity Defense Ecosystem: A year-round resource for all of your cybersecurity needs. Attend the next meet-up on Nov 26 in Toronto to learn how this can help you.
All this is on top of everything else we usually deliver to the attendees and sponsors! We are always listening and adjusting to meet the needs of our event community! What are your suggestions?
Join us on Oct 23-24 to experience what we have built for YOU at ChannelNEXT!
