A Decade of ConnectWise Events
ConnectWise events are some of the most popular in the channel.
![A Decade of ConnectWise Events A Decade of ConnectWise Events](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/blt1e9af1752a3ab8d0/65245b418fd46f570a004d43/IT_Nation.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Back in the day, ConnectWise called its annual event Partner Summit. It may have been (much) smaller than it is today, but CEO Arnie Bellini still showcased a big stage presence.
ConnectWise’s tightknit and loyal partner community is the envy of the industry. Even back then, it boasted an ambitious name: IT Nation.
ConnectWise loves to mix celebrity and thought leadership. In 2010, Partner Summit became IT Nation and featured Keith McFarland, the author of Bounce: The Art of Turning Tough Times into Triumph.
The motivational and educational keynotes continued in 2011 when Daniel Burrus, described as a technology futurist, innovation expert, business adviser, author and public speaker (quite the list of titles!) joined Bellini onstage and gave a day 2 keynote.
In 2012, ConnectWise launched Automation Nation, a separate conference designed to train partners on ConnectWise products and network with peers and vendors. You might recognize that fellow on the left: Jason Magee, who recently stepped into the CEO role following a buyout from Thoma Bravo.
Remember Clippy, the now-extinct Microsoft help avatar? ConnectWise’s Owlie is somewhat similar, offering partners tips and tricks (and maintaining a Twitter presence).
Partners attend ConnectWise events for a lot of reasons, but first and foremost is to get the inside scoop on new products, features and services direct from ConnectWise employees.
In 2015, ConnectWise acquired LabTech, and LabTech CEO Matt Nachtrab moved on to become president and COO of ConnectWise. Here he’s joined by Brett Cheloff, who’s still with ConnectWise as VP of Product, Automate. (Nachtrab moved on to eFolder in 2017.)
By 2016, ConnectWise boasted a robust suite of products designed to help partners manage their MSP business from end-to-end.
Then chief product officer Craig Fulton started out as an engineer before turning his expertise to product strategy. Today, Fulton, a 12-year-ConnectWise veteran, is called the chief customer officer, a new position dedicated to improving the partner experience.
In 2018, IT Nation evolved into IT Nation Connect. It still focused on partner business advice and training and still featured Bellini on its keynote stage, but the rebranding reflected a shift to a more comprehensive partner development strategy.
Starting this year, Automation Nation will be known as IT Nation Explore. At the last event under the old name last year, Corie Leaman, mastermind behind ConnectWise’s event strategy, guided first-time attendees through making the most of the company’s annual training summit.
Starting this year, Automation Nation will be known as IT Nation Explore. At the last event under the old name last year, Corie Leaman, mastermind behind ConnectWise’s event strategy, guided first-time attendees through making the most of the company’s annual training summit.
Whether a blockbuster event aficionado or a fan of the more intimate conferences, MSPs flock to ConnectWise’s IT Nation events every year for education, networking and the chance to see Arnie Bellini outline the company’s strategy for the coming year.
The evolution of ConnectWise’s massively popular annual events mirrors that of the company itself. What was one small event back in 2005 has grown into two behemoth conferences per year today as its flagship professional services automation (PSA) product blossomed into a full suite of business management tools, including remote monitoring and management (RMM) capabilities, security products, IT documentation and more.
About three years ago, the ConnectWise team started down a path of reinvention both for their partner community and their events strategy. They embarked on a six months tour of partner conversations, and in the end landed on the current setup of one conference per year of user training and one for business leadership. Both caught on like wildfire, in large part to the company’s commitment to quality content.
IT Nation’s Corie Leaman
“We’re just looking at what will make our partners more successful,” says Corie Leaman, director of IT Nation events. “Content is hugely important to us. We really pride ourselves on that we don’t sell out to sponsors who just want fifteen minutes of stage time to promote their product … We just we want to bring value.”
Second priority? Have as much fun as possible.
How many ConnectWise get togethers have you been to, and do you recognize yourself in any of the pictures in the slideshow above?
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