Scenes From Synnex's National Conference

Carolina Bound

Synnex recently held its 2010 Synnex National Conference in Greenville, S.C. at the Carolina First Center. The event drew more than 1,200 vendor and IT solution provider attendees. Here's a look at what went on at the show.

CEO's Message

During Synnex's Vendor Executive Summit at the National Conference, Kevin Murai, Synnex president and CEO, discussed the distributor's 2010's business and future expansion in 2011 to more than 400 vendor attendees.

Global View

Tim Curran, CEO of the Global Technology Distribution Council, discussed the benefits for vendors in partnering with distributors.

Power Of 3

During the Vendor Executive Summit, Synnex's Bob Stegner, senior vice president of marketing for North America, detailed this conference's theme of a strong alignment between vendors, Synnex and solution providers to form a "Power of 3."

Air Larocque

Even without wearing Air Jordans, Synnex's Peter Larocque was airborne and ready for a dunk. More than 25 of executives' images were spread throughout the conference center, showcasing the capabilities of Synnex's newest business unit, Synnex Wide Format Solutions.

ECExpress Mobile

Murai unveils Synnex's mobile applications, including ECExpress Mobile, which allows solution providers to view real-time inventory and order information from their smartphone, and also a mobile app for all National Conference materials, maps and contacts.

All Conference attendees were given HP Palm Pixi smartphones with a 30-day trial of Sprint data service.

Got Apps?

Dominic Vella from Sprint shows Allan Gary from The Print Machine how to operate the new Synnex apps on the HP Palm Pixi given to all reseller attendees during National Conference registration.

Game On

Opening night of National Conference was themed "Game Night" in honor of Synnex's recent acquisition of Jack of All Games, a video game distributor. Here, Joey Parker from Pharr Technologies (red shirt) and Chris Phillips, director of channel development from Synnex (grey jacket), tested out the new Xbox 360 Kinect before it hit stores. Kinect allows players to use body motions without the use of controllers.

Giving Back

During "Game Night," resellers and vendors were able to play against Synnex executives for a donation to charity. The next morning, Synnex's Stegner presented a check to First Tee Greenville from donations collected and Synnex-matched funds.

Strange Things Are Afoot

Synnex's Larocque and Stegner pull out their inner Bill and Ted for this conference poster based on the most "Excellent Adventure" movie.

School's In

The vendor pavilion at the show featured a classroom setting complete with specific technology solutions for that setting.

Oval Office

The public sector showcase also contained a replica of the U.S. President's office and other departmental offices, complete with IT solutions for the state, local and federal markets.

Medical Report

In the Healthcare Pavilion, presentations were conducted to showcase Allscripts, a Synnex exclusive distribution partner for ERM.

Networking Session

After a night of Dine Arounds, smaller dinners at local restaurants, attendees made their way to the LG "Life's Good" Party for more socialization and networking.

Channel Investments

Peter Larocque, Synnex's U.S. president of distribution, discusses investments made by Synnex during the last two years, a period when many companies were cutting costs. Those investments include green IT, logistics, services and in vertical markets such as health care, digital signage, retail food, managed print, AIDC, professional audio/video and wide format.

Eagle Has Landed

To cap off the conference, the Eagles' Don Felder entertained attendees with a private concert for attendees. The Don Felder Band rocked well into the night and Felder made more than nine guitar changes during the concert. At the end of the show, attendees made their way to the stage to dance to Eagles' classics.

Six-String Giveaway

At the end of the night, Felder donated one of his guitars to South Carolina Charities to raffle off as a fundraiser. The bidding quickly reached into the thousands and was eventually sold to NWN's Mont Phelps, at right, with all of the money going to South Carolina Charities, the benefactor of the BMW Celebrity Pro-Am Presented by Synnex Corporation. As a side note, Felder, an active golfer in California, plans to return to Greenville in May 2011 to play in the golf tournament.