Convergence, what have you done for me lately?
A lot, evidently, but quantifying it is the hard part. And from what I hear on the AV streets, even with all this fancy new IP-based everything, those IT people are still a challenge to contend with on the client side.
So let’s get together and talk about it. Or “tawk” about it, in the local parlance, at the SYMCO Regional Technology Showcases in Boston, MA, and New York, NY, on October 14 and 16, respectively.
SYMCO, a manufacturer’s representative firm with more than 40 years of history serving the Mid-Atlantic and New England, is enjoying the metric success of the highest attendance ever recorded in the 10-year history of its Regional Technology Showcases. It launched a new format at its spring 2014 events in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, PA, and now the firm is taking its hit-making new agenda to the Northeast corridor this fall.
Apparently, and this may appear to be a humble brag, but with the revamp of its program this spring, SYMCO launched a huge, new hit session with an IT end-user discussion panel sponsored in part by SCN, and for which I enjoyed the privileged role of moderator. CIO and CTO panelists from corporate, government, military, education, and healthcare verticals were entertaining and forthcoming about their technology needs. It was a lot of fun, and I was so busy taking notes on everything the panelists said, I’m pretty sure that SCN will have feature article material for quite a long time.
Best of all, SYMCO and its network of vendors and dealers have experienced a noted uptick in the strength of their relationships with the clients who were represented on the panel, and the other end-users who attended the events.
To be fair, there were several other draws that led to the boost in attendance numbers, including the addition of the “Advanced Sales for Experienced Technology Salespeople” InfoComm CTS RU-accredited course led by Bill Sharer. And then there’s those things called technology, industry networking, and technology training that tend to attract people and keep them there for the entire program.
“We’re definitely building on the success of those great events, and we expect to set new records in Boston and New York,” said Frank M. Culotta, SYMCO president. “We found that the end-user presence really added more value, so we’re continuing to emphasize that component to our dealer and consultant customers.”
Based on the success of the SCN Technology User Panel Discussion, Culotta elaborated, SYMCO wishes to emphasize that the Regional Technology Showcase presents a great opportunity to bring clients for a closer look at technology. “Bring your best customers by,” he said by way of friendly invitation, “because it’s free, it’s there, and it’s beneficial.”
The exhibits area of the SYMCO Regional Technology Showcase will feature technologies from: Biamp, SVSi, LG Electronics, Pakedge Device & Software, APC, Liberty AV Solutions, FSR, Vivitek, Klipsch, IHSE, presentia, dnp, FreeAxez, SunBriteTV, Delta, Broadata, NCast, Global Cache, Audix Microphones, Clary.Icon, GPO US, ICS Technology, Marshall Electronics, Protalis, Total Channel, and beyerdynamic.
Even if you’re not looking to impress anyone but yourself and your own knowledge base, events like these are beneficial, Culotta emphasized. “There’s a need, now more than ever, for information on where the market is going where the technology is going,” he noted. “There’s a yearning to stay in better touch with the client’s business and technologies.”
