The first two Technology & Business Summits were collaborations between three independent rep firms looking to provide Southern California systems integrators with more than “just your typical product line show.” This year, the event’s original partners have invited seven more rep firms to host more than 60 manufacturers and their training courses, technology trend classes, CEDIA accreditation on May 22 in Los Angeles and May 24 in Orange County, CA.
“This is unprecedented,” noted Mark Cichowski of Clarity Business Group, one of the event’s founders. “Virtually all of the rep firms in our territory, who in many ways are competitors, are coming together to collectively hold this event help our dealers, manufacturers, and us, all grow business. We leave our egos at the door and all feel that this is the beginning of what will become an ongoing event.”
The three original firms (Cal West Marketing, Clarity Business Group, and Western Sales & Marketing) are part of the Summit group, as well as AV Partners, JBA Marketing, MK Marketing, Morris Tait, Novidor & Firestone, Paul Collins Associates, and ProMark, along with the 60-plus manufacturers. The event’s partners say that the focus of the Summit will remain a combination of “education on an industry-wide level” and to highlight the newest products from the manufacturers that are involved in the Summit. They will encourage dealers to work on their business not just in their business and use the conference as a time to partner with each other.
Although the Summit is experiencing growth, the education component, and small, focused displays will still allow for a more intimate setting that promotes more “one on one” interactions, especially during hosted breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.
The classes, which are about 75 minutes each, consist of “Hi-Res Audio Sources and Media Streaming from the Cloud,” and “Designing Robust Streaming Media Networks,” both taught by Rich Green, “Winning Service Contracts and Recurring Revenue,” taught by ihiji’s Mike Maniscalco, and “Standardizing Business Practices,” taught by Paul Self.
In addition to these general education sessions, the Summit will incorporate 18 different manufacturer training sessions each day. A few manufacturer sessions, as well as three of the general sessions will earn CEDIA education credits.
In addition to the displays and seminars, the Summit will have a live projector demo area in a darkened room, along with several screens.
For more information on the training sessions, participating manufacturers, and registration, visit www.techsummitwest.com.
