The Alliance Makers program is a new initiative for Channel Partners Evolution 2019, aimed at helping vendors launch or improve their channel programs. Here’s a first look at our Shark Stage.

Partners looking to take a bite out of the competition must offer customers fresh, innovative products and services. Meanwhile, startups bringing those new products and services to market need partners and support. That means getting noticed by the master agents and distributors that can vet startups’ offerings and channel programs and give their partners confidence that an ingenious security or SD-WAN tool really is ready for prime time. And, of course, that they can trust the provider to respect the customer relationship and rules of engagement.

Enter our Channel Futures Shark Stage, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, 10:30-11:30 a.m, as part of Channel Partners Evolution 2019.

On Thursday morning, we will welcome to the stage six vendors looking for a spot on distributor and master agent line cards. Decision-makers from Ingram Micro, TBI, Tech Data, Telarus, MicroCorp and other top masters and distributors will sit in as “Channel Sharks,” with Janet Schijns, our 2019 Channel Influencer of the Year, facilitating the judging and providing some coaching to our six presenters.

Who should apply?

In a recent Channel Journeys podcast, MicroCorp CEO Karin Fields says her company is looking for data center, security and SD-WAN now, as well as SaaS as we enter 2020. You should have a channel program in place, and your leadership must be fully invested — in talent, systems, comp plans, price parity and teaming rules.

“Nothing frustrates an indirect channel more than a supplier that doesn’t have specific rules around teaming and rules of engagement,” says Fields. “[Conflicts are] inevitable — it will happen.”

Her biggest criteria? Don’t be “me too.”

Feel like this describes your product? To qualify for one of six 10-minute spots on our Channel Futures Shark Stage, you must:

Those selected will each have five minutes to make their best pitch to our Channel Sharks, who will have five minutes to ask questions. Beware: The questions will be coming from proven channel champions, so you will need to be on your game. And, we’ll be recording the sessions to run on our websites. So take advantage of the preshow prep sessions we’re offering.

You can enter at this link, where you’ll also find more information.

We’ll hold some prejudging rounds with our sharks to winnow the field down to six suppliers with diverse offerings. While we can’t promise that our Sharks will add your product or service to their line cards, there’s no other venue where you can get in front of executives from some of the world’s top master agents and distributors in one place. So what are you waiting for?