Members of the indirect channel converged on Boston’s scenic harbor at the Sea-port World Trade Center for the Fall 2008 Channel Partners Conference & Expo, Aug. 18–20. Exhibitors brought their best to Beantown, and PHONE+ would like to laud these winners and runners-up in each of seven categories, awarding them the honor of Best in Show.

Best Trade Show Booth:

Lightyear Network Solutions’ booth catapulted attendees straight to the South Seas with a limbo bar, lawn chairs, hanging tiki lights and a scenic beach background. Even the monkey carved out of a coconut helped Lightyear attract visitors and votes to be named Best Trade Show Booth.

PAETEC places as runner-up for Best Trade Show Booth. The pro-fessional-looking booth featured wood and polished silver accents that made a classy statement.

Best Channel Incentive:

The TNCI/Alliance Equity Plan wins the award for Best Channel Incen-tive. This opportunity allows agents to earn an equity share equal to as much as nine times their monthly billing base upon the sale of the company planned for after 2010, plus agents continue to receive residual commissions.

Lightyear Network Solutions’ President’s Club Hawaiian retreat is the runner-up for Best Channel Incentive. For every $25,000 in new monthly revenue sold between April 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2008, an agent or a guest receives airfare plus five nights at the Mauna Lani Resort.

Best After-Hours Event:

TNCI takes home the prize for Best After-Hours Event with its day at Fenway for top partners. The day began with a BBQ in TNCI’s headquarters parking lot near the famous ballpark and then continued in The Legends Suite for a Red Sox game. The suite not only offered the best seats for the game that money could buy, but guests were also invited to mingle with legendary former Red Sox players.

Intelisys and InterCall took their top partners out for a sunset cruise on the Boston Harbor, earning the companies the run-ner-up position in this category.

Best Promotion:

One Communications brings home the award for Best Promotion by having 1995 Red Sox Hall of Fame inductee, Jim Rice, on hand to sign autographs. The promotion fit like a glove with the company’s overall “Play to Win” motif.

Placing as runner-up in the category, Nuvio had massage chairs and professional masseurs standing by to lure attendees.

Best First-Time Exhibitor:

Bandwidth.com wins the award for Best First-Time Exhibitor for cranking up the volume on its channel commitment and its rock-themed promo of its BoxSet VoIP bundles.

Mitel Networks, which promoted the Inter-Tel 3000 system as a new revenue opportunity for traditional service-oriented agents, places as runner-up for Best First-Time Exhibitor.

Best Trade Show Theme:

Lightyear Network Solutions limbos its way into Best Trade Show Theme with its Polynesian paradise.

Bandwidth.com places as runner-up for Best Trade Show Theme with its homage to PlayStation’s Guitar Hero in promotion of its BoxSet VoIP bundles.

Best Trade Show Giveaway:

TelePacific Communications wins the award for Best Trade Show Giveaway with its logoed spinning light toy, which appealed to the kid in each at-tendee.

Shared Technologies places as runner-up in the category with its electric blue, wind-up dancing man toy.