The first-ever virtual ONE event was a showcase of innovation and inspiration, offering attendees, a glimpse into the evolving future of tech.
Extraordinary times have compelled organizations to adapt key aspects of business, including in-person events. So, this year when Ingram Micro decided to combine four marquee regional conferences into a single mega virtual event, the team had to address some unique challenges.
- Creating an event with a truly inclusive agenda that catered to a diverse global audience.
- Virtually engaging and entertaining 20,000+ attendees across two days.
On the 4th & 5th of November, Ingram Micro held the first-ever Global ONE Experience, bringing together APAC ONE, EMEA ONE, LATAM ONE and North America ONE. Delegates from 60+ countries participated in an immersive online experience where they were treated to a distinctive blend of business, technology and entertainment that inspired them to ‘Imagine Next’.
Collective and collaborative
Day 1 began with an address by Ingram Micro’s CEO Alain Monié where he thanked vendors and partners for their collective efforts in keeping the global economy operating during the Covid-19 pandemic. Alain stressed upon the importance of relationships and working collaboratively to meet customer needs. Paul Bay, Ingram Micro’s Global President of Technical Solutions encouraged partners to imagine what’s coming next for industry and sought their feedback on where they saw future demand for solutions and services that were not currently being addressed.
Being future-ready
Following Paul’s session, Diego Utge, APAC President, delivered an inspiring keynote during which he delved into the rapidly changing future of technology. With the pandemic becoming a catalyst for change and accelerating digital transformation, he shared how Ingram Micro is helping partners gear up and be future-ready to address their customers’ needs. His key takeaway was to use technology effectively to deliver exceptional customer experiences. He also highlighted the immense opportunities available to channel partners in APAC as the region is the global leader in the growth of technology adoption. Watch his keynote on demand here. (viewers will need to register)
Emerging Stronger Together
Diego’s session was followed by the India keynote address where Navneet Singh Bindra, VP & Chief Country Executive and Harish Laddha, Head of Sales discussed several ways by which channel partners could add value to their customers. They offered practical suggestions on new business opportunities that partners could leverage based on their existing target segment. Mr. Bindra also urged partners to commit to the process of digitally transforming their businesses so that they could be a true partner in the digital transformation journey of their customers. The session covered key initiatives that the company has taken in the region to help channel partners succeed including:
- The Ingram Micro Ecommerce portal to help partners buy more efficiently
- A dedicated Professional Services division to help with technical consulting, deployments, support and maintenance.
- Long-term financing solutions under the Ingram Micro Financial Solutions umbrella to address customer demand without worrying about liquidity
Watch the session here. (viewers will need to register)
Ingram Micro’s Global Cloud Vision
On Day 2, Nimesh Dave EVP, Global Cloud talked about the investments Ingram Micro has made over the past few years to scale its cloud ecosystem. Earlier this year, the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace surpassed 10 million managed seats, representing a 100 percent increase over the previous year. Nimesh spoke about Digital 3.0 – a new forward-thinking worldview that has fundamentally transformed the way we work, learn, buy, play and socialize and highlighted the imperative of putting customer experience at the heart of everything we do.
Watch his session on demand here. (viewers will need to register)
Highlights of the event included fireside chats featuring Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and IBM President Jim Whitehurst, a joint keynote session by Uma Thana Balasingam, Vice President, Partner & Commercial Organization, APJ, VMWare and Santhosh Viswanathan, Managing Director, Sales & Marketing Group, APJ Territory, Intel as well as a number of technical and business Breakouts by Cisco, Intel, VMWare, IBM, HPE, HP, LogMeIn, Dell, Adobe, Red Hat and other technology vendors.
Other distinguished speakers from the region included Ng Tian Beng, Senior Vice President & General Manager – Channel, Asia Pacific Japan, Dell Technologies, Mathew Philip, Senior Director, Alliances & Business Development, LogMeIn & Tapan Chaturvedi, Channel & SMB Leader – India & South Asia, Adobe.
In addition to some fantastic technical and business content, delegates had the opportunity to hear from world-renowned motivational speakers such as Former NASA Space Science Education Lead Hakeem Oluseyi and best-selling author, Simon Sinek.
Attendees were also able to network with other delegates and interact with participating vendors through designated vendor cyberspaces. Live games and polls ensured that the audience stayed engaged. Ingram Micro gave away several surprise rewards including 8 Apple Watches Series 6. A musical extravaganza with performances by up-and-coming artists and bands from around the world as well as an exclusive private performance by a Grammy award-winning musician made this a truly unforgettable event.
The Global ONE Experience was a unique event that gave delegates a glimpse into Ingram Micro’s vast global ecosystem that underpins the company’s extensive local market reach and expertise.
Reflecting on the event, Diego thanked delegates for attending and reiterated that relevant business teams would reach out locally to channel partners to help them identify new business opportunities and deliver greater value to customers.
Existing delegates and new registrants can continue to access the sessions on-demand at their convenience through the event website: https://ingrammicrooneexperience.com/.
