Cisco To Host Partner Summit In Vancouver

On Sunday, Cisco will welcome a host of channel partners to Vancouver, British Columbia, to kick off Partner Summit 2005. As many as 5,000 of the company's partners will attend the four-day event, which is designed to educate and entertain partners, as well as to outline the company's strategies for the coming year.

The event is designed to be a rock-'n-roll-themed celebration as well as a forum for serious business. In addition to the lineup of Cisco executives, the keynote roster also features Sir George Martin, legendary producer of the Beatles, and Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. No doubt, certain Cisco staffers are hoping those two stick around for Wednesday's end-of-show party that features a rock concert put on by some of Cisco's own employees-turned-musicians.

Attending partners also will have numerous opportunities to attend breakout meetings and Q&A sessions with Cisco executives and with each other. The company is expected to unveil new financing options for partners as well as enhancements to its partner-profitability blueprints.

Partners also can expect to hear a lot about IP communications. Cisco is hyping 2005 as the year of VoIP. An internal news story posted last week on the Cisco Web site highlights the gains its channel partners have made with the technology, including testimonies from some who have seen triple-digit growth and are reshaping their organizations around the IP-communications market.

Other topics on the agenda include SMB-tailored discussions of the company's SMB Select program; numerous sessions dealing with the selling and implementing of security and wireless products; educational classes about vertical industries, such as retail, health care, education and financial; seminars on profitability strategies for government and Linksys customers; and a discussion of how to leverage Cisco's brand marketing campaign.