An email conversation with Parallels’ John Eng, vice president of cloud and services provider marketing, and Kerry McGowne, vice president of corporate marketing, in which they discuss the upcoming Parallels Summit 2010, scheduled to take place from February 22 to 24 in Miami.
In advance of Parallels Summit 2010, we’re contacting some of the speakers presenting at the event and asking them about the content of their sessions in an effort to give readers a sense of what to expect from the event, and help them decide which sessions they would most benefit from attending.
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — This year’s Parallels Summit 2009 was certainly a success, drawing an attendance of over 1,000 individuals at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In an effort to build on this success, Kerry McGowne, vice president of corporate marketing has joined John Eng, vice president of cloud and services provider marketing to help ready Parallels Summit 2010 (www.parallels.com/summit), which will be held at the glamorous Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort.
The three-day conference and trade show will show attendees how to use Parallels technology to optimize new services, better compete in the market through differentiated offerings and improve profitability through growth and operational efficiency.
In a collaborative email interview with the WHIR, Eng and McGowne discuss how the change of location and taking on a more interactive approach will help shape fifth annual Parallels Summit into the best Parallel Summit yet.
The WHIR: How will the new location of Miami contribute to the overall feel and content of Parallels Summit 2010?
Kerry McGowne: It will change the dynamics of the attendee mix as there are direct flights from Europe and easier access from Latin America. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort is a more intimate space that fosters networking and helps people relax, more so than the fast paced Las Vegas environment we had last year. When we are talking to people, we are encouraging them to take full advantage of the great location during February and to spend some time there before or after the event.
What sort of feedback did Parallels receive from this year’s event and how will you frame the event better this year in these areas?
John Eng: We listened to the industry and people really wanted more time to network. We created dedicated networking times, dedicated times to meet at the exhibition hall, more opportunities to network at two evening events and the ability to connect with other delegates prior to the event through an online networking site. This networking site will help delegates manage the sessions they are attending while also booking meetings with fellow delegates before and during the event.
What is the general direction and focus of the event?
JE: The Parallels Summit 2010 is really focusing on helping cloud service providers build success for the coming year. Our theme is ‘Profit from the Cloud’, with specific emphasis on enabling networking opportunities that help grow revenue, optimize operations and increase innovation for companies that attend. This truly is the premier conference for the cloud. We are attracting some of the highest profile speakers we have ever had. We have Warren Adelman from GoDaddy.com, Melanie Posey from IDC who is actually giving the opening keynote address, Lance Crosby from Softlayer, John Zanni from Microsoft and Jason Waxman from Intel.
The Summit is free for attendees but apart from that, what are the real reasons people should attend?
KM: Apart from having the opportunity to mingle with Parallels’ product managers and senior executives, we really see six key areas of interest for people. Attendees will get an update on the business of cloud computing; find out about our direction and roadmap; meet others in the industry and potential resellers, gain an understanding of what new services need to launch to make their existing services better, reduce customer churn and cut costs.
What topics and trends is Parallels looking to cover during the conference tracks?
JE: We will be having general sessions where industry experts will present the latest trends designed to enable delegates to ‘Profit from the Cloud’ and specific Track Sessions covering three areas.
The Business Track will focus on building competitive advantage, competing against large players in the industry, marketing solutions effectively to end users, and other strategic insights aimed at improving the bottom line. The Technology Track will allow for technical personnel to learn more about Parallels products, interact directly with Parallels engineers, and get ideas for improving their service offerings or IT infrastructure. The Industry track will feature presentations that will focus on specific solutions that are available in the market that can improve businesses.
Hands-on product labs will allow delegates to have an up-close experience with Parallels products including Parallels Plesk Panel, Parallels Small Business Panel, Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, and Parallels Automation. There is also an exhibition hall with over 60 sponsors and exhibitors delivering more than 15 open hours for attendees to network with partners.
There’s been talk of making the 2010 event more interactive for attendees. How does Parallels propose to do this?
KM: What we’re really excited about is the interactive networking opportunities at the Summit. Attendees will be able to manage their contacts and meetings for the event through an online networking forum, utilize dedicated meeting lounges and connect with people and businesses in an open and constructive way. And we have two amazing evening networking events for people to connect. We feel that because this is the premier event for the industry, not just for Parallels, we have a responsibility to help connect people. Parallels has built an ecosystem that includes hosters, ISVs, resellers, IT infrastructure players, telcos, VARs and SIs.
We are also utilizing social media to promote the event and generate buzz. Our keynote speakers such as Lance Crosby are seeking information from delegates and the industry before the event so they can deliver a truly relevant and interactive experience. If anyone has any questions they would like Lance to cover in his presentation, they can submit them in the comments section below.
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