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EVENTS
24
Q&A
September 12-13 sees the first staging of Channel Live,
a free trade-only exhibition for the ICT community.
Technology Reseller
talks to Miles Bossom, CEO of
Swink Events, about the rationale for the new event
and how it differs from the Convergence Summits that
it is superseding.
in Surrey and Harrogate. The NEC has
excellent transport links to other parts of
the UK and is reachable by car in under 3
hours by 75% of the population, making
it an accessible and obvious choice for a
large event like Channel Live.
TR
:
Will there be more exhibition space
than at Convergence Summit events?
MB:
Sandown Park was the larger of the
two Convergence Summits. We have over
60% more floor space being sold at the
NEC for Channel Live this year. With just
under six months to go and 74% of floor
space already sold, we have another hall
on hold in case we need to expand further.
TR
:
Are you targeting a different
or broader audience with the new
exhibition? And if so how does it
differ from the Convergence Summit
audience?
MB:
The Convergence Summits were
always known for being more voice-led.
We are taking a huge step away from
this stigma and Channel Live will have
exhibitors and visitors from the IT, data,
security, mobile and comms sectors. The
audience will be broader, bigger and
represent the whole ICT Channel in equal
measure.
TR
:
How many exhibitors and how many
visitors are you expecting?
MB:
We are expecting approximately
3,000 attendees across the two days.
TR
:
Will Channel Live’s content be
different from Convergence Summit and,
if so, in what ways?
MB:
Whilst there will be some crossover
in content, there will also be lots of
new things for visitors to come and
see. Channel Live will appeal to a wide
audience from across the IT, comms,
data and mobile sectors and the content
of the show will reflect this. We will be
announcing our seminar schedule in due
course which will be a big draw for visitors.
TR
:
Will it be more expensive to exhibit?
MB:
Moving to a national venue such as
the NEC is always going to increase costs,
both to us and to exhibitors. We believe
that whilst Channel Live is more expensive
to exhibit at than the Convergence
Summits, it’s a whole different beast
and the size of the delegate audience
will warrant the increase in price. Around
50% of exhibitors used to exhibit at two
Convergence Summits each year, so for
them, costs will remain largely the same.
TR
:
Has industry reaction to the new
show been positive – what is some of the
feedback you have had?
MB:
Industry reaction so far has been
wholly positive. Although our last
Convergence Summit was the most
successful ever, it was time for a change
for us as a business; we recognised the
market is moving on and we needed to
evolve our offering. Our vendors who have
been exhibiting at our events for years,
and the resellers that have been attending
them, agree with us. We based our
decision on their feedback. It’s been made
quite clear that this is what the market
wants from a trade event.
TR
:
How does Channel Live differ to
other channel events in the UK?
MB:
Channel Live prides itself on being a
trade-only event for the entire ICT Channel.
Whilst there are other big events out there,
such as IPEXPO, they primarily serve an
end user audience, while Channel Live is
solely trade-focused. There are plenty of
small roadshows and conferences popping
up at the moment, aiming to draw reseller
crowds, but only Channel Live will cover all
the current industry trends, hold cutting
edge seminars and provide a platform for
many vendors across the spectrum of the
ICT Channel to launch transformational
products.
Technology Reseller (TR)
:
Why are you
replacing the Convergence Summit
events with Channel Live?
Miles Bossom (MB):
The Convergence
Summits ran for
a very successful
15-year period.
The market is very
different now from
when they started
in 2002. It’s clear
from the research we
have conducted that
the Channel wants
something new; a
wider reaching event
that goes beyond
convergence and
explores trends
such as digital
transformation.
TR
:
Why do you think it is important to
have an annual channel event?
MB:
Having an annual event enables
vendors and resellers to network with each
other face to face over a two-day period.
This is more efficient than spending weeks
on the road and in meetings. Vendors see
the event as the perfect time to launch new
products and services, meet new resellers
and network with existing ones. Resellers
use the event to discover upcoming
trends and evaluate their partnerships.
The seminars we provide are also a
great source of education and insight for
attendees and cover a variety of relevant
topics that are impacting the Channel.
TR
:
Why is the show being located in the
Midlands?
MB:
After surveying both vendors and
resellers, the overwhelming demand was
for one all-encompassing event in the
Midlands instead of two smaller events
Miles Bossom,
CEO,
Swink Events
