Channel partner events

Top 10 Channel Partner Conferences for June 2016

As May 2016 wraps up, it's time to gear up for June 2016 channel partner conferences and summits -- many of which are designed for VARs, managed services providers (MSPs) and cloud services providers (CSPs). Here are 10 conferences that are attracting our attention -- in date order.

1. Spark Summit West 2016 (June 6-8): Admittedly this is a deeply technical event. Spark is an emerging open source platform for big data and analytics applications. IBM is betting the business on Spark. And emerging companies like Databricks are attracting IT consultants to the table. For most VARs and MSPs, this is more of a "search and discovery" event, where you can learn about key big data trends that are shaping the market.


2. Lifeboat Distribution Executive Partner Summit (June 6-8): This is an invite only event. Lifeboat is a specialty distributor.


3. Cloud Computing Expo 2016 New York (June 7-9) Admittedly, just about every IT conference now has a cloud computing hook. But Cloud Computing Expo is one of the best-known gatherings in the market. If you plan to attend, check out DevOps Summit, which sub-conference at the event.



Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman

4. HP Enterprise Discover 2016 (June 7-9): CEO Meg Whitman and the Hewlett Packard Enterprise team offer updates on hyperconvergence, hybrid cloud and other HPE strategies. More than 10,000 customers and partners are expected to attend the gathering.


Gary Pica, CEO, TruMethods

5. TruMethods Schnizzfest 2016 (June 9-11): An annual gathering of MSPs and IT service providers that work closely with TruMethods. CEO Gary Pica and CTO Bob Penland host deep on-stage discussions that you typically can't find anywhere else.


Alex Rogers

6. CharTec Academy (June 15-17): MSP sales and business training, hosted by CharTec CEO Alex Rogers -- a well-known MSP owner in his own right.


7. DockerCon US 2016 (June 19-21): If you're late to the world of software containers, DockerCon can get you up to speed. Learn how customers and developers use Docker to move application workloads between servers and clouds. Plus, watch for a range of Docker monitoring tools to surface at the conference.



Brett Cheloff, ConnectWise

8. Automation Nation 2016 (June 20-22): ConnectWise's annual gathering of LabTech partners. While ConnectWise IT Nation typically attracts CXOs, this event pulls in LabTech's hands-on technical users. Keynotes include LabTech GM Brett Cheloff and former hacker Kevin Mitnick.


Austin McChord

9. DattoCon16 (June 20-22): Datto's annual gathering of MSPs focused on data protection services. Keynotes include CEO Austin McChord and some guy named Woz. PS: You know we've been tracking the countdown to Datto Network Appliance (DNA).


10. ASCII IT SMB Success Summit (June 22-23): A well-known gathering of VARs and MSPs seeking the latest in SMB technology and business guidance.


Bonus: Don't Miss ChannelE2E's Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs Webcast on June 16. Register now.


Visit the ChannelE2E Technology Events Calendar to track partner conferences and summits in 2016, 2017 and beyond.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.