PRINTITRESELLER.UK 39 EVENTS The Network Group held its annual Gala and Awards at the Queens Hotel, Leeds on April 20 Recognising excellence explored and debated included artificial intelligence, the impact of issues such as the global energy crisis and climate change, as well as the fact that MSPs now face stricter new cyber regulations. Next up was a choice of breakout sessions. Agenda items included cybersecurity insurance, Trevor Cornbill from Clear Insurance Management spoke to members about the benefits of cybersecurity insurance, the claim process and how it works in practice. The second session focused on a reallife project where member company Amitech worked with Notorious Online to implement an SEO framework on their website which has driven an increase in organic traffic, website enquiries, and ultimately more business. Former England international Tim Stimpson, a brand ambassador for Zellar, a team of entrepreneurs, change makers and innovators helping businesses take climate action, chaired an informative breakout focused on the pressing need to take action to reduce environmental impact now. The fourth option was dedicated for the group’s retail members. Keynote and exhibition Dave Coplin, Chief Envisioning Officer at The Envisioners and author of ‘The rise of the humans’ delivered an The Network Group is a community of ambitious TSPs, MSPs, IT resellers and retailers, who come together four times a year at quarterly member events. The highlight of the calendar is the annual exhibition, gala dinner and awards. This year’s event, which attracted intelligent automation company pia, as headline sponsor, saw 45 key vendors showcase their offerings to the group’s 80+ member companies, and 17 partners and members receive an award recognising their achievements. The two-day event began at Oulton Hall in Leeds where members enjoyed a day of golf followed by an educational keynote led by Jamie Daum, CEO of Inforcer. In this session, Daum shared best practices in sales and marketing, as well as dos and don'ts that he acquired from his experience at Continuity Marketing. He also focused heavily on the opportunity for members to acquire more Microsoft business and upsell security layers on top of O365, to increase recurring revenue streams. Hot topics Day two opened with an informative ‘Inspire Partner Panel’. Moderated by Network Group Managing Director, David Tulip, the expert panel included representatives from Datto, Quickpass, Pax8, pia and Threatlocker. Hot topics inspiring keynote address about how artificial intelligence and other digital technologies will affect all aspects of our lives as consumers, customers and employees, and how IT professionals are best placed to help organisations navigate an emerging world where dispersed employees, empowered with transformational tools will drive change across all aspects of their business in both the short and long-term. The afternoon saw delegates capitalise on the opportunity to network with their peers and engage with 45 vendors including OpenText, Epson, Ingram Micro, Exertis, Gamma, Sophos and Sage in the exhibition hall. Charity support The Network Group invited members to nominate a charity close to their heart and this year it selected Target Ovarian Cancer, on the night, guests raised a record-breaking amount. At the time of going to press the final count had still to be completed, but donations are estimated to be in excess of £15,000 which will go a long way in helping the charity continue its great work. In addition, the group also donated £1,224 to a local charity, the Homeless Harrogate Project. www.nbg.co.uk Gala dinner and awards Around 110 guests attended a lavish gala dinner and awards hosted by comedian, author, actor and broadcaster, Dominic Holland. The 2023 award winners were revealed on the night: New Member of the Year Newburgh Networks Highly commended: Apex Computing Network Group Member Sustainability Award Morgan & Morgan Member Led Content of the Year Telco – Steven Lightfoot Member Team of the Year Rydal Group Member Champion of the Year Troy Midwood Member Initiative of the Year 1-Fix Retail Initiative of the Year Powerhouse Member Contribution to Group Chris Morrell, Pro Drive IT Highly commended: Neal Somaia, Mighty Micro Partner Product of the Year Terra Computer Highly commended: Gamma Partner Solution of the Year Inbay Highly commended: OpenText Partner Team of the Year Datto Security Vendor of the Year ThreatLocker Partner of the Year < £20million Terra Computer Partner of the Year > £20million Pax8 Highly commended: Datto Channel Champion of the Year Iain Jenkins, ThreatLocker Inspiring Content The Power of 7 – Martine Wright, MBE Special Recognition Steven Lightfoot Snr Steven Lightfoot Snr (founding member) collecting the Special Recognition Award (presented by Perry Ashby, Network Group Chairman). Panel session, hosted by David Tulip featuring Greg Jones, Vice President of Business Development EMEA, Datto; Mateo Barraza, CEO & Co-Founder, Quickpass; Rex Frank, VP of Academy, Pax8; Ben Jenkins, Evangelist, pia and Rob Allen, VP of Operations EMEA, Threatlocker.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDUxNDM=