Page 2 of 2
For World Wide Technology, a Maryland Heights, Mo.-based HP and VMware partner, the planned strategy is divide and conquer, said Bob Olwig, vice president of business strategy.
WWT plans to have between 20 to 25 people attend the VMware conference to get product training and certification classes, and about seven people at the HP conference where there are fewer technical training opportunities, Olwig said. "So it's not an issue for us," he said. "It cuts down on a little airplane time. But it's not an issue."
In addition, WWT's top executives will try to attend both conferences, Olwig said. "We've got good friends with both," he said. "We gotta tip a beer with them."
Denali Advanced Integration also plans to use the divide and conquer strategy, said John Convery, executive vice president of vendor relations and marketing for the Redmond, Wash.-based solution provider and partner of both HP and VMware.
"We'll make sure we get coverage," he said. "We decide who goes where. And because it's in the same town, we can rotate."
Word from HP and VMware is that there will be some joint events and parties, as well as joint meetings with senior executives, as both understand the importance of their partnership, Convery said.
Even so, it is hard to understand how this happened, he said. "You would think somebody would have a master calendar and coordinate with strategic partners," he said. "On my wall, I have a master calendar of events so we can do all our planning, Last year in September or October, we already saw the overlap. Las Vegas is the only place big enough for events like these, so companies have to plan a year ahead."
The only real potential problem for partners is that their schedules get too tight trying to attend both conferences, Convery said. "Sometimes you can't get your 'A' team in the middle of things, so you have to send the 'B' team, or your technical people. But you need the top executives to make the decisions."
<< Previous
|
1
|
2
