(pressebox) Paris/London/Dubai/Moscow, 08.02.2011 – More than 4,800 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings have already been arranged between delegates attending DISTREE XXL 2011, which opens today. The premier channel event in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) unites vendors, distributors, retailers, and e-tailers from 80-plus countries for three days of intensive go-to-market business development.
The total number of delegates attending DISTREE XXL is close to 1,000, including representatives from more than 120 vendors, 300 distributors plus 50 retailers and e-tailers. Now in its ninth year, the continued growth of DISTREE XXL is testament to the event’s ability to provide a genuine return on investment for all participants.
„There is no substitute for meeting existing and potential partners face-to-face and this is where DISTREE XXL excels,“ said Farouk Hemraj, CEO at DISTREE Events. „We continue to invest in the technology platform that underpins the event and have also introduced new elements to the overall programme to maximise the attendance benefits for all delegates.“
DISTREE XXL’s Matching Squad will also operate for the duration of the event to manage additional meeting requests from vendors and channel partners. The number of retailers and e-tailers attending the event has climbed significantly year-on-year.
The introduction of the Pan-European Distributor Programme has boosted the number of major channel players, and this trend has been mirrored with increased involvement of leading vendors across multiple product categories.
„We want to thank all the sponsors of DISTREE XXL and participating vendors that make the event possible,“ added Hemraj. „We believe in the business benefits of bringing vendors into contact with potential buyers from across the region Microsoft is Platinum Sponsor of DISTREE XXL 2011 with Gold Partners Port and Manhattan also supporting this year’s event. G Data and Lexmark are participating as Silver Sponsors with Lenovo and Lexmark also acting as Technical Sponsors.
In addition to one-on-one meetings, DISTREE XXL delegates also have access to a packed conference agenda including keynote speeches from GfK, Context, Forrester and Microsoft. Senior executives from Cisco, Fujitsu, G Data, Lenovo, Lexmark and Manhattan will also outline their 2011 EMEA channel strategies during the event.
DISTREE XXL will also showcase the very best in new technology through two separate awards programmes: ’60 Seconds to Convince‘ and ‚Fresh: A First Look at New Technology‘. Delegates will also attend a series of workshops during the ‚Channel Academy‘ session, giving them access to expert speakers from a number of organisations including bChannels, Channel Experts, Context, GfK, P&A, Regent, Simon Kucher & Partners and VIA.
The ‚EMEA Channel Academy (ECA): 2011 Awards‘ also take place during DISTREE XXL at the Salle des Etoiles. Now in their third year, EMEA’s only vendor-neutral and democratic awards continue to go from strength-to-strength thanks to a transparent nomination process and live electronic voting during a Gala Dinner held in conjunction with DISTREE XXL.
DISTREE XXL 2011 is also playing host to the 3rd annual VIP Strategy Forum in association with media partner www.channelemea.com. This exclusive executive session unites the EMEA channel directors from leading vendors with the most influential executives working in the region’s volume distribution channel.
www.distree.com/xxl Follow live updates on DISTREE XXL 2011 www.twitter.com/distreexxl About DISTREE XXL
DISTREE XXL gathers the top IT & CE distributors from more than 80 countries in EMEA. The region’s largest retailers and e-tailers will also attend DISTREE XXL 2011, reflecting the growing importance of online sales within the EMEA channel. DISTREE XXL is based on one simple but powerful concept: we bring high-level buyers into productive contact with vendors.