Channel Marketing Workshop, Break-out Sessions At B2B Marketing Exchange Identify New Strategies For Success In 2020s

A robust agenda of important channel management and marketing topics has been slated for the upcoming B2B Marketing Exchange (B2BMX) in Scottsdale, AZ, February 24-26, 2020. In presentations, panel discussions and workshops, the channel’s most influential thought-leaders and practitioners will explore the strategies and tactics that will boost partner program performance through the next decade.

The Channel Marketing track at the conference opens with a workshop by Theresa Caragol, founder and CEO of AchieveUnite, a channel-focused consulting firm. The workshop – To Maximize Partner Lifetime Value, Collaborate On Customer Experience – will examine what partners don’t understand about the buyer’s journey, why customer experience doesn’t stop when the deal is closed, and how vendors and their partners can ensure customer success.

Maria Chien, VP, practice leader, channel marketing strategies at Forrester, kicks off two-days of break-out sessions. Her provocatively titled presentation — “Is Your Partner Enablement Strategy Broken (Spoiler Alert…It Is!) – will examine how a sea-change in buyer and customer behavior is demanding transformation in partner programs and enablement strategy. During her presentation, Chien will introduce the concept of revenue engine enablement and the impact it will have on the future of partner enablement.

Engaging Referral Partners

Larry Walsh, CEO and chief analyst at The 2112 Group, will moderate a panel on maximizing lead generation with non-transactional partners including referrers and influences. As CMR reported in December, partner companies — such as MSPs, systems integrators, VARS, resellers and ISVs — are clearly embracing referral-marketing as an important revenue stream. Of the partner respondents to a survey by The 2112 Group, 73% said they are actively incorporating referrals as a part of their business.

A panel discussion on incentive automation will be moderated by Claudio Ayub, chief strategy officer at Perks WW. During the discussion, Ayub and the panelists will share how modern solutions are bringing science to incentive management, ensuring programs that improve revenue and profit from and for channel partners.

In her presentation, Heather Margolis, founder and CEO of, Channel Maven Consulting, will tackle this often-asked question — Why Is Through-Partner Demand Generation So Freakin’ Hard? During the session, Margolis will review proven strategies and tactics that will get partners on the right track to drive demand and increase their engagement with vendors team and their solutions.

Diane Krakora, a principal at the consulting firm, PartnerPath, will drive a discussion on managing increasingly complex partner ecosystems. Providing businesses with outcome-based solutions is requiring vendor-with-vendor, partner-with-partner and any collaboration in between. During this session, Krakora and panelists with discuss how channel leaders can effectively foster and manage these ecosystems.

ABM With Channel Partners

Latane Conant, CMO at 6Sense, will lead a discussion on how orchestrating account-based marketing with channel partners can boost win rates, increase upsell and deal size, shorten sales cycles, and increase pipeline. Panelists will share how to identify and engage ideal ABM partners and optimize customer selection with data analytics. Best-practices for orchestrating vendor-partner collaboration will also be discussed.

Practical advice on empowering partners will be shared during a panel moderated by Terry Hedden, CEO of Marketopia. During the session, Hedden and panelists will explore innovations around empowering partners with training, collateral and motivation to execute demand gen and sales campaigns that product results.

Attendees will be offered up-close views of one of the most highly regarded channel programs. Karine Elsen, Senior Director, Global Partner Marketing at Cisco, will provide insights into the evolution of its successful Marketing Velocity program.

“Since we launched the Channel Marketing track at our conference in 2018, many of the most influential channel experts have guided us in making sure our program addresses mission-critical partner program topics,” said Andrew Gaffney, President of G3 Communications, a division of Emerald Expositions and the produce of B2BMX. “We’re excited to have so many of these experts return to B2BMX and to add new voices to the conversation.”