Last month, I received an all-expense paid invite to the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas from Time Warner Cable Business Class (who I never realized offered web hosting and an array of other services for small businesses). Unfortunately, it was a bit too short notice to make the trip (although a few nights at Caesar’s Palace was quite enticing), so I thought I would check out what I missed out on.
Who Attends
The Channel Partners Conference is for indirect sales organizations – agents, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and consultants – focused on transforming their businesses to become next-generation solutions providers. For those who know me and my affinity for only attending BlogWorld each year, you might be wondering why I would be interested in this audience. The primary industries of attendees are certainly not blogging or online marketing..
But the job titles are a bit more promising…
Networking Opportunities
Since I’m a freelance writer, networking with people in different industries can lead to new client opportunities. This conference offered a peer-to-peer mixer, selling techniques luncheon, and a women in the channel networking event. All of these could have led to meeting new clients for my business in the main session or other meeting rooms.
Also, as a blogger, expanding my horizons and gaining new perspective is a way to increase traffic and diversify my readership. Perhaps there is something to be said about how meeting new people and learning new things often leads to a more actualized perspective on the topics about which you already blog. In my experience, bloggers are always saying they want to grow their audience and expand their reach. Networking with people in a new industry is a sure fire way of doing just that!
Sessions
There were four tracks to this conference: Cloud Services, Mobile Wireless, New Opportunities, and Business Development. Corporate bloggers may take an interest in how the corporate blog plays a roll across the online channels, mobile, and intranet, etc. Self-hosted blog owners should take a particular interest given TWCBC provides web hosting services for corporations and their blogs for multiple platforms.
In general, no matter who the target audience is for a presentation, I find that you can adapt most useful information to any business or industry if you try. Hence, I liked a lot of the ideas in sessions in the Business Development track for…
- Accelerating performance in leadership, sales, time management, and marketing.
- Creating a plan for growth and how to scale.
- Surviving contract cancellations.
- How small companies can appear larger to compete with big businesses.
Expo Floor
Probably one of my favorite parts of any conference is the expo floor. On Time Warner’s Facebook page, you can see some of the fun they had with adding some magic to their vendor booth.
Am I Sorry I Didn’t Go?
So the grand point to this post is, should I have gone to this conference? Maybe. It would have expanded my horizons on both the information and client front. Sometimes it’s easier to make these sorts of revelations after the fact. So the next time I get a chance to do one of these events, I just might take it. And maybe you should too!
About Kristi Hines
Kikolani covers blog marketing and blogging tips for personal, professional, and business bloggers to succeed in search and social media marketing. Kristi Hines is a 
Well, this conference seem to be very interesting and necessary for everyone eho has business or who would like to create an new one or refresh or to improve an existent one
Amanda@BuySellWordPress recently posted Photography WordPress Themes
I agree Amanda!
That really sounds like a great conference. It is to bad that you had to miss out, but hey that is how it goes sometimes everything isn’t according to the plan.
Steven Papas recently posted Webhosting Plans
Unfortunately, I just had too many plans to go this time.
I think this is a great conference. Next time Kristi, please endeavor to attend. Of course you understand the importance and the great benefits it can bring to your business. But I’m glad you had a pick on the floor, the conference room, the expo and it if you didn’t tell us, I would conclude you were there.
Thank you for sharing. My first time to comment here actually, but I’ve known you and this blog for over 6 months. I hope to check back again.
Michael Chibuzor recently posted Inbound Marketing Strategy: 3 Effective Ways To Attract Clients Easily
Glad you took the time to comment today Michael! I’ll be sure to get more photos when I actually go next time!
The sessions seem like they could be a big help for me at least, so I’ll have to keep an eye out for this event next year. For you though, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be this time around. But hey, there is still BlogWorld!
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Definitely Matt!
Sounds like everyone had fun! It’s a good opportunity for networking and building important relationships at these sort of conferences. Too bad you couldn’t go, but I’m sure there will be another one!
Yep, there will be another one next year for sure!
No doubt in that this is ever best opportunity to make “”Networking”" which can prove totally beneficial for you.
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Every conference is a great networking opportunity indeed!
That conference must be such a great event! I wish I ever had the chance to get there once…
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Maybe you can make it next year now that you know about it!
This session sounds like it would interesting and fun, and who says your work can’t be fun?
The fact that basically any business could benefit from this is awesome. It’s not just big business or industries who are all related in one way or another to the people who run the session. Anyone can benefit! And from the sounds of it, they would. Thanks for the info!
Elena Anne recently posted Vitamin D And Depression
Nice!!
this whole sessions seem very nice, this type of sessions very useful for business need, it may happen time to time, it build networking and leads business opportunities..
thanks for sharing…
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Too bad you didn’t go. It looked kind of cool and you could have learned something.
Oh well, next time.
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