SANTA ANA, Calif., April 8, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) today announced that top channel executives from Cisco, HP, IBM, Lenovo and McAfee will be featured guest presenters at the company's bi-annual North American VentureTech Network (VTN) Invitational meeting. Tipping the scale with more than 550 solution provider and manufacturer partners in attendance, this April's VTN event takes place in Atlanta, Ga., April 17 - 20, and features guest speakers Chuck Robbins, vice president U.S. channels, Cisco; John Thompson, vice president and general manager, Americas Solution Partners, HP; Frank Vitagliano, vice president worldwide global distribution channels, IBM; Steve Mungall, vice president U.S. business partner sales (designate), Lenovo; and Dave Roberts, senior vice president North America channel sales, McAfee.
These guest speakers -- the "who's who" in the channel -- will outline their organizations' SMB (small and mid-size businesses) channel strategies and provide insight into the trends and market dynamics that drive the channel now and in the future. Many of the manufacturer executives will also provide information on programs and services unique to VTN members.
In addition to the general session discussions, solution providers will also attend business and technology breakout sessions hosted by industry experts. Many of these sessions target new or emerging technologies, such as consumer electronics and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Others sessions will focus on business skills or present "how to" information on topics that include mergers and acquisitions, marketing strategies and professional services that help create recurring revenue streams around a variety of innovative technology solutions.
A number of presentations and topical roundtable sessions will be led by owners and presidents of several of Ingram Micro's VTN solution provider customers. Designed by VTN members for VTN members, these sessions are open venues to share best practices and discuss new technologies and services. In addition, members use these sessions to network and discuss what is working and what is not working within their businesses and the markets they serve.
"Ingram Micro's VentureTech Network is an exclusive partner network and business development community for solution providers who are serious about serving their customers and growing their businesses," said Justin Crotty, vice president, channel marketing, Ingram Micro North America. "Put simply, VTN members are the highest-caliber SMB solution providers in the channel today, which is why they continue to command the interest and investment of today's top technology manufacturers and leading business services experts. Our high-quality membership standards backed by the strong foundation of the Ingram Micro Service Network make VTN the industry's premiere partner network."
Originally formed as the Business Technologies Centers in the early '90s and re-introduced in January 1998 as Ingram Micro's VentureTech Network, the organization has become America's most renowned community of technology service and solutions providers. Members hold tens of thousands of technical certifications and are skilled business professionals that specialize in servicing the technology needs of today's SMB, SME (small and mid-size enterprises), vertical and tertiary markets.
About Ingram Micro Inc.
As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics services, technical support, financial services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company serves 100 countries and is the only global IT distributor with operations in Asia. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.
(C) 2005 Ingram Micro Inc. All rights reserved. Ingram Micro and the registered Ingram Micro logo are trademarks used under license by Ingram Micro Inc. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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Marie Meoli of WhiteFox Marketing and Communications, +1-714-382-2190, marie.meoli@ingrammicro.com, for Ingram Micro Inc.; or Chris Kelly of Ingram Micro Inc., +1-714-382-3355, chris.kelly@ingrammicro.com