The first wave of distributors to be announced comprises twenty of the most significant companies operating in the channel today: ALSO, Arrow ECS, Axiz, Compuwave, e92plus, Esprinet, Exertis, Giacom, Infinigate, Logicom, Networld, Nuvias, Prianto, QBS Software, SEC Datacom, Soft Solutions, Tech Data, VST ECS and Westcoast.

The in-person EMEA forum returns to Barcelona for a face-to-face event between 18 and 20 October, marking the 15th edition of the forum. The LATAM forum will be held virtually from 8 to 10 November, followed by an in-person edition of the APAC forum between 15 and 17 November, with the location to be announced soon.

Tech Data will continue to support the Forums as a global distributor, notably inviting partners under its new position as Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX Company, in EMEA. “I am looking forward to the discussion, debate and insight into the tech industry that are the hallmarks of the Canalys Channels Forums. We are delighted to support the event and look forward to connecting and networking with our partners and industry peers,“ said Patrick Zammit, president, Europe and Asia Pacific Japan, Tech Data.

Global distributor Arrow Electronics has been another long-term supporter of the forums. Eric Nowak, President of Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business, EMEA & ANZ, said: “The Canalys Forums EMEA is a great venue to meet, discuss new ideas and form new alliances. We are looking forward to bringing our channel partners to Barcelona once again.”

Shoichi Morita, President and CEO of Networld Japan, another long-time partner of the Canalys events, said: “It is great news that the Canalys Forums APAC 2022 is back to an in-person format. We are very excited to meet our partners and colleagues in November, face-to-face and enjoy some great conversations and networking!”

Distributors rose to the challenge throughout the pandemic, meeting surging demand for new styles of working while helping vendors and partners manage an unprecedented supply chain crisis. This led to positive results for the channel: the Canalys Channel Heartbeat, which tracks revenue growth performance of partners and distributors, captured double-digit growth throughout 2021 and into 2022, with the channel currently forecasting 12 percent growth for Q1 2022.

Distributors have always been at the heart of the Canalys Forums. Now, after two years of fully digital events, Canalys looks forward to reuniting with thousands of partners across EMEA, APAC and LATAM.

Participating distributors agree to invite their top channel partners to attend the face-to-face events. Sponsorship inquiries from vendors have been sky-high, with the first wave of sponsors set to be announced in the coming weeks.

In 2022, distributors will continue to drive and support the invitation of the region’s top partners. Partner registration for its EMEA, APAC and LATAM events will open in the Spring.

Simon England, CEO of Nuvias Group, said the in-person Canalys Forums promise to be “impactful and absorbing.”

“Networking is one of the great pleasures and gains of this second-to-none, independent industry event,” Simon added.

‘‘We are looking forward to coming back to Barcelona and attending one of the best IT events in the world,” said Oliver Roth, Sales Director and Member of the Board at Prianto. “The Canalys Forums is a great opportunity to meet hundreds of partners and key suppliers.”

Jimmy Go, President and CEO, VST ECS Philippines, said: “As one the biggest and most anticipated channel events in the industry, Canalys Channels Forum gathers unrivalled profile of industry leaders, vendors, distributors, and channel partners. Over the years, it has provided relevant content to all its attendees and has been a great platform for experience sharing and networking. There is no doubt, Canalys will continue to influence business decisions and reshape priorities.”

Vendors and channel partners wanting to participate should get in touch now.

Save the date 

EMEA, 18 – 20 October | LATAM, 8 – 10 November | APAC, 15 – 17 November

“The Canalys Forums EMEA is a great venue to meet, discuss new ideas and form new alliances. We are looking forward to bringing our channel partners to Barcelona once again.” – Eric Nowak, President of Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business, EMEA & ANZ

“We are really excited to hear this year’s forum will be back to the original in-person format. Our employees are back in the office full-time and we find the face-to-face work environment trumps work from home in so many ways. With Canalys being one of our premier partner events, it would be great to have our key partners join us in person again.” – Rory Twort, Managing Executive, Axiz

“It is great news that the Canalys Forums APAC 2022 is back to an in-person format. We are very excited to meet our partners and colleagues in November, face-to-face and enjoy some great conversations and networking!” – Shoichi Morita, President and CEO, Networld Japan

“We look forward to participating in the EMEA Canalys Forum again in 2022! The 2021 discussions were thought-provoking and it was great to hear views from around the industry, share and gain insights. With in-person attendance back as an option, this promises to be even more impactful and absorbing; networking is one of the great pleasures and gains of this second-to-none, independent industry event.” – Simon England, CEO, Nuvias Group

“We are looking forward to coming back to Barcelona and attending one of the best IT events in the world. The Canalys Forums is a great opportunity to meet hundreds of partners and key suppliers. While the Canalys virtual event was well organized and useful, it cannot compare to the atmosphere and flair of the in-person events.” – Oliver Roth, Sales Director and Member of the Board, Prianto

“Canalys is a must-attend event for the ‘who’s who’ of the channel – and all of us at QBS Software are immensely excited to return to an in-person format.” – Dave Stevinson, CEO, QBS Software

“There is nothing truly the same as being able to shake someone’s hand, share a coffee (or beer!) and have a laugh. Feeding off the energy of each other, in truth in-person networking can never effectively be virtualized. With a return to physical in 2022, our partners will be jumping at the chance to create new memories, learn new insights and befriend new peers with those across the region.” – Jason Gass, Sales Manager, Soft Solutions 

“I am looking forward to the discussion, debate and insight into the tech industry that are the hallmarks of the Canalys Channels Forums. We are delighted to support the event and look forward to connecting and networking with our partners and industry peers.“ – Patrick Zammit, President, Europe and Asia Pacific Japan, Tech Data.

“Canalys Channels Forum has always been an important source of information for us and our channel partners for industry trends, technology updates, and business insights. As one of the biggest and most anticipated channel events in the industry, Canalys Channels Forum gathers unrivalled profiles of industry leaders, vendors, distributors, and channel partners. Over the years, it has provided relevant content to all its attendees and has been a great platform for experience sharing and networking. There is no doubt, Canalys will continue to influence business decisions and reshape priorities. In the Philippines, our channel partners look forward to attending Canalys events because of the learnings and experiences they gain from their participation.” – Jimmy Go, President & CEO, VST ECS Philippines 

The forums will overcome ongoing travel restrictions and ensure the safety of delegates with a virtual model, delivered using proprietary software developed by Canalys spin-off Canapii, an award-winning global event management platform. Running the events virtually allows the Canalys Forums to host the largest audiences in their history. Register your interest for the Canalys Forums 2021 now.

As the world continues to struggle with pandemic-driven turbulence and restrictions, the Canalys events act as a focal point for vendors and channel partners to help cement strategies and investments for the years ahead. Canalys VP of Events Gemma Edwards said, “The Canalys Forums are distinctive due to the mix of insights from Canalys analysts and the support from the leading distributors, their partners and a variety of major channel-committed vendors. We are really pleased to announce that sponsorship slots at the headline level have already sold out, which shows the importance of the events around the world.”

Canalys continues to digitally innovate, together with the events experts at Canapii, to deliver another unique virtual experience in 2021. “We have lots of surprises planned for all our attendees – ideas that have been formulated over lockdowns and inspired by the best of virtual events around the world.”

One new such initiative is our Platinum Partnerships, where Canalys invites the top regional partners to share their specialist knowledge and opinions to educate the vendor community. Participating Platinum Partners include ATEA, Cancom, Computacenter, Insight, SCC and Softcat. More Platinum Partners for EMEA, APAC and LATAM will be announced in due course.

Edwards added, “We have listened to feedback and know that the one thing the partner community wants is to be heard! We’re finding ways to make the partner community’s voice louder. As the world’s largest independent event series, we do not have to transmit in only one direction – vendors to partners – which is how vendor-owned events often work. We have top partners already committed, alongside some of the world’s biggest distributors. Our commitment to the industry remains. We need to connect and advance together.”

The year’s theme is “Thrive”, which will allow us all to focus on learning more about how we can flourish as both organizations and individuals. Event topics and discussions will also seek to emphasize how we can do this in sustainable ways, in terms of helping the environment, but also looking at how we can sustain our people, jobs, customers and partnerships. To participate in the events as a sponsor, distributor or attendee please register your interest here.