Find out what’s on the Horizon with Office Solutions

The annual ITEX Expo and Conference is gearing up for its 12^th event. Back in Las Vegas at the Mirage Hotel,  and still reigning as the largest  “all things office”  technology show of its kind, it will be held April 18 and 19, with preconference workshops on the 17^th (to deep dive into trending topics, including “How to Sell & Market Cloud Solutions” from CompTIA).

Our industry is evolving at a fast-pace and it can be a challenge to keep track of all the new technology and programs available, including IT, MPS, managed services, among other key areas, as well as the systems and people that drive them. So here’s an at-a-glance peek with emphasis on education.

35 Power Hour education sessions in five tracks will offer the latest info, tools, ideas and training on how to implement strategies based on the topic of each session. From essential sessions like “MPS start up” to comprehensive dealer panels on print profitability, the classes give viable direction on a variety of salient topics.  Want to learn how to reposition your company or service, or what market to best grow your business? Register for “Want to Grow Yet Unsure Where to Invest? Copier Market, MPS, MNS?”  If you want essential boot camp basics on the IT space, sign up for “Dive into IT Services without Getting Wet.”

Want another perspective on the cloud? How about “Managed Network Services (MNS): Entry to the Cloud.”  Need more on print opportunities? Learn from a panel of peers on: “Pricing Print for Profitability.”  If it’s service you’re after, how about getting informed on “Should Service Technicians Sell?”  Or the latest on why “Quality Consumables (print supplies) are the Linchpin to Any Successful Print Program.”  Learn about trends in mobility, hybrid document solutions, if “going green” is profitable (it is!) and why.  Multiple track sessions are available for the taking.

New this year is a Managed Services Pavilion, with key topics, vendors and analysts to draw from, along with the highly successful MPS Strategy Forum whose presentations are led by noteworthy leaders in this valuable initiative.

The Keynote Address, “The Converging, Competitive World of IT and Print – How To Survive and Profit,” is not to be missed.  The office technology industry, especially small- to medium-sized solution providers (SMBs), now are dealing with a growing groundswell between the converging worlds of print and IT, causing a shift in the way providers address business today. The keynote panel of industry experts and innovators will shed light on how the industry is moving to a managed services perspective – as the converging worlds of IT providers and copier dealers collide – and more importantly, how there are options that will work to your advantage, and that are profitable.

Instead of preparing for a battle between the IT community and the office equipment channel over the turf, learn tangible solutions and strategies – including mitigating the risk of losing clients and adopting a reciprocal partnership model – that will work effectively to meet your customers’ evolving IT needs. The industry, the workforce, the buyer, the managing of services and those that provide them are rapidly changing. Moderated by Jon Reardon of InfoTrends, the panel includes Randy Dazo of InfoTrends, Todd Thibodeaux of CompTIA, and Trevor Akervik of Marco.

More than 150 key exhibitors will be present to network and partner with on the show floor, while education sessions are scheduled at non-competitive hours to enable a full engagement of the show overall.  The small admission fee to attend is cost-effective for all, in a city that welcomes you, as do we!  I could go on and on about dealer awards, a ramped up welcome reception, user group meetings, live theater presentations and more, but you get the idea…a great event provides lots of opportunities to partake.

Be it in the trenches or on the horizon to unearth, elevate and present precision tools to transform your business, the annual ITEX Expo remains an impressive source for providing quality solutions and networking opportunities.  For more detailed information on what’s available to you, check out www.itexshow.com.  Hope to meet you in Vegas!

Sand Sinclair is the ITEX conference director and editor-in-chief of imageSource.