Image Gallery: MicroCorp One on One Featuring Momentum Telecom, Office Depot
MicroCorp’s 15th annual One on One event, held Sept. 12-13 in Atlanta, was a forum for channel partner collaboration and learning. Themed “Experience the Ultimate Partner Ecosystem,” the event coupled channel partners with experts through roundtables, panels and inspirational keynotes. The opening event took place at Atlanta’s gem, the renowned Georgia Aquarium, and a fitting example of nature’s ecosystem.
The more than 300 people on hand heard from Office Depot’s Janet Schijns (see more below), who emphasized that digital transformation begins with business-model transformation and that “customers need channel partners to help them leverage existing products, markets and infrastructure to enter their next phase of growth.”
The 15th Annual One on One marked another milestone for MicroCorp — its first 20-year employee. Vickie Zachry, MicroCorp lead commission analyst (pictured above on the right with CEO Karin Fields), started with the company in 1998, long before the current master-agency landscape had even formed. A keen eye for numbers and detail, Zachry has been instrumental in building MicroCorp’s commissions processes to the “powerhouse” it is today.
Click through the gallery below for highlights and a recap of the event.
Pictures courtesy MicroCorp
Janet Schijns, EVP – chief merchant and services officer at Office Depot, took the stage to share her insights on transformation, disruption and innovation. The force behind Office Depot’s channel disruptive IT as a service, Schijns took the audience through the evolution of some of today’s most successful brands and “the crucial role ecosystem plays in business-model transformation.”
A partner favorite was recognized as MicroCorp’s National Channel Manager of the Year. Helping many MicroCorp partners build their UC practices, John Hirshberger (second from right) of Momentum Telecom is a mainstay at MicroCorp’s President’s Club and key partner events. He's pictured with MicroCorp leadership.
MicroCorp’s annual “Partners at Their Peak” panel focused on partners with mega SD-WAN wins. Moderated by Chris O’Brien, VP of sales for MicroCorp, the panel featured, among others, Mark White of Virtual Telecomm, who recently won Cato Networks' largest channel sale.
The group discussed key considerations for the various SD-WAN use cases. Pictured left to right: John Berardi, TruPoint Communications; Rob Keelen, SinglePoint Solutions of Central Kentucky; White; Ryan Harrelson, Light Networks; and Chris Donlan, MicroCorp solutions architect and SD-WAN evangelist.
Channel partners experienced the ultimate display of nature's ecosystem at the world-renowned Georgia Aquarium for the event’s opening activity. Attendees enjoyed networking, interactive games and the cuisine of Wolfgang Puck while surrounded by the wonders of the ocean.
MicroCorp FastStart, a partner sales incentive that runs January through June, culminates at One on One. The achieving partners received a Porsche Drive Experience at Atlanta’s Porsche Experience Center, plus all travel and hotel event expenses for One on One, executive dinner and prizes. Attendees were awarded in front of an audience of their peers at the Georgia Aquarium.
A perennial contributor to the event, Angela Leavitt of Mojo Marketing brought real LinkedIn tactics of a marketer. Leavitt offered a social-media blueprint for channel partners to gain leads and exposure through LinkedIn’s free platform.
Sponsoring providers were the focus during the Demo Experience at One on One. Coupled with a happy hour – or two – the 54 sponsoring providers were required to demonstrate portals and applications for channel partners.
That's Therese McGovern of TierPoint having some fun.
MicroCorp One on One isn’t itself without the company's namesake session — the partner and provider One on One sessions. Lauded as the favorite for both partners and providers, it’s a hurricane of meetings. Many of MicroCorp’s top-performing partners started their key provider relationships through this session.
Momentum’s EVP of sales and marketing, Chuck Piazza, shared highlights of the Challenger Sales Model that has been the basis for many MicroCorp partners’ sales growth. Momentum Telecom further sponsored a free copy of the book for each attending partner.
Sean Tario, VP of MicroCorp’s Cloud Elements division, shared useful hacks to help channel partners grow their businesses. Whether it’s content to help market for cloud business or having a cloud expert on hand, Cloud Elements was a key focus at the event to help partners get a full grasp on the resources available to them.
Tario is also a key trainer at MicroCorp’s Ultimate Partner Training.
One on One is fully focused on MicroCorp’s partners, and the event ends with the rich tradition of awarding top sellers.
Partners were recognized for top overall sales, as well as sales in key product categories. Partner event name badges also had special ribbons for those who were Ultimate Partner Training graduates, advisory board members, President’s Club Achievers and FastStart Achievers.
