Channel Partners Announces Dates for Rescheduled CP Expo Channel Event

Historically, spring is a busy time for the channel, where partners, consultants and suppliers gather at many industry events to learn, network and form valuable relationships that help us all drive toward success.

In terms of industry events for 2020, however, we are all facing unprecedented and uncertain circumstances due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Due to concern about the health of our community, Informa Tech made the difficult decision to postpone one of our most successful spring events, Channel Partners Conference & Expo. It was not an easy call, but as we drew closer to the event, each day brought new voices from our community requesting a postponement. In speaking with our Editorial and Business Advisory Boards, industry associations and partner attendees, it was clear we needed to reschedule.

To that end, we are excited to announce that we have finalized a plan we hope will satisfy our communities. We will be co-locating Channel Partners Conference & Expo with our fall show, Channel Partners Evolution, Sept. 8-11, at the Venetian & Sands Expo in Las Vegas. We believe bringing the power of these two industry-leading events together will result in a conference that will still offer the high-quality content we had planned for Channel Partners in Las Vegas, but also provide the forward-thinking technical content of Evolution.

We’ve long wondered about the possible benefits of bringing our telco and IT communities together at one event, and the shift to get there has been years in the making. For our team, one small silver lining to this situation is that it compels us to combine these two audiences in one giant “Expolution.” This will give us all an opportunity to discover new relationships and unexpected symbiosis by coming together. One thing is for sure: With the paradigm shift, there’s sure to be opportunities for profitable new business partnerships.

We recognize that the date, which falls the Tuesday after Labor Day, is not ideal; however, we assure you that our team pursued and analyzed every option, and this arrangement provides the most benefit to our sponsors, exhibitors and attendees. Expo Hall hours will be on Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 9-10.

For attendees, benefits include:

• Any attendee registration for the postponed Channel Partners Conference & Expo will automatically be transferred to the new dates in the fall at no additional charge. New confirmation emails will be sent out in short order.
• Access to new networking opportunities, including an Excellence in Digital Services Awards Brunch & Networking Event, as well as the MSP 501 Awards Dinner for select MSP attendees
• Diversified content that spans the breadth of the channel ecosystem.
• Hotel room rates have been significantly reduced to $199+, and additional rooms have been secured at The Venetian so all attendees can be closer to the Sands Convention Center. The website will be updated with additional hotel information at a later date and emailed to all registrants.
• Registered speakers will be contacted by our director of content for rescheduled programming opportunities.

In addition to the above, we are offering our sponsors and exhibitors the following:

• Exhibitor and sponsorship terms and deliverables will transfer over to the postponed dates. Lead retrieval orders will also transfer over to the new dates.
• For our exhibitors, Freeman has offered 100% refunds on standard rental exhibits (non-custom), furnishings, standard carpet/padding and standard event technical equipment. Custom rental exhibits will be refunded at 25%. More details about this arrangement can be found here. For questions about your booth or shipments, click here.
• For sponsorships, if custom orders/graphics can be reused for the new dates, they will be stored and transferred to new dates at no extra cost. Nominal graphic overlays will also be provided at no additional cost.
• All sponsored food and beverage, electrical and A/V orders will be transferred to the new dates with no cancellation fees.
• Hotel sub-block agreements at The Venetian have been refunded for the March dates, and new agreements will be sent for the fall dates. For questions about room blocks, email Ellen Kurtz.
• If you have already signed up to sponsor or exhibit at Channel Partners Evolution, we will apply your credit toward the rescheduled event, Channel Evolution Europe – Dec. 1-2, in London – or digital media offerings such as the Channel Educational Series or other digital opportunities we may host in 2020. Our sales representatives will reach out to you to discuss a transfer or credit within the next week.

We will also be hosting digital education offerings leading up to the rescheduled conference. We’ll make sure to notify you of these as they become available.

Together, we will weather this situation. We are deeply indebted to our communities and sincerely thank those who have reached out with support and encouragement. Stay healthy, and we hope to see you in September.