Scenes From TechSelect, Disney Style

TechSelect, Disney Style

Tech Data celebrated the 10th anniversary of TechSelect with 280 VARs at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla. TechSelect was founded in 1999 with 50 members and its members now account for more than $1 billion in annual buying power, according to Tech Data.

Stepping Aside

Sam Ruggeri, president of Advanced Vision Technology Group, Hauppauge, N.Y., stepped down as president of TechSelect after a three-year term. Tech Data presented Ruggeri with a fine cigar box for his contributions.

Rory Sanchez, president and CEO of SL Powers, a West Palm Beach, Fla.-based solution provider, was named the new president of TechSelect. He's fist-bumping Ruggeri here. For many, the fist bump replaced the handshake during the conference because of H1N1 concerns.

Helping Hand

Tech Data donated $3,400 to the Kids House of Seminole Inc. as part of TechSelect's charity program in which the distributor and VARs help a local organization near the TechSelect conference site. Kids House has helped 6,000 victims of abuse in the last 10 years. Murray Wright, Tech Data's senior vice president of sales (left) and Ruggeri (right) presented the check to Dana Karen, director of operations at Kids House of Seminole.

Times Are A Changin'

Wright reminded VARs they must keep adjusting their business model as the economy and technology shifts customers' demands and expectations. To get VARs motivated, Wright cited a quote attributed to retired Gen. Eric Shinseki. "If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less," he said. "There's consolidation happening today across the country. While that's happening, the credit crunch is still in the marketplace. Nobody is saying, 'Wow, the coast is clear.' While you're here, make sure maximize your return on investment."

A Real Balancing Act

You think you find it hard to juggle everything in this economy? Comedian Ron Pearson demonstrated that balancing the needs of a business in this economy might not be so hard after all compared to balancing a ladder on your chin while juggling three bowling pins.

Excellence In Execution

Ken Lamneck, president of the Americas at Tech Data, told VARs that successful execution of a business plan is more important than having an excellent strategy. "This is not the time to be timid. Understand where you are going and take forceful action. You're far better off having excellent execution than excellent strategy," Lamneck said. "We'll look back on this [recession] and see great companies were made during this time because they took advantage of what was at hand."

Cloud Computing Is A Game-Changer

Gartner's Tiffani Bova has become a fixture at TechSelect events. At the Disney conference, she said that she doesn't expect 2007 IT spending levels to return until 2012 or 2013. "This is not going to be rosy. In 2010, you can't just flip the switch," she said.

She added that customers are beginning to embrace cloud-based solutions, which require a different mind-set for both solution providers and end users. "When you sold a notebook three or four years ago, $1,000 was associated for that piece of gear. Now what the Web and the cloud have done is allow you to go into a customer and say, 'I'll provide you e-mail, backup, disaster recovery, patch management, security, communications, IM for $300 a month,' " Bova said. "It switches the equation from a $1,000 piece of equipment to $300 for value of service. The cost price and the outcomes are very different."

Vendor Showcase

Almost two dozen vendors showcased their products at the technology showcase, always one of the more popular sessions during TechSelect.

Disney Leadership

Lee Cockerell, retired executive vice president of operations at Walt Disney World,' talked about how the same leadership principles needed to lead a team of 40,000 "cast members" can be applied to small businesses too. It's all about making sure customers remember you with a smile.

M-I-C-K-E-Y

What's a Disney World event without an appearance from Mickey Mouse? Tech Data's Wright, as well as vendors and solution providers, got their pictures taken with Mickey and other Disney characters, perhaps to make their kids and grandkids jealous.

Hard Work, Hard Rock

After two and a half days of intense business content, Tech Data shuttled VARs to the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios, where solution providers were treated to a performance of Blue Man Group.