Parallels Summit 2013 is just around the corner. This year's event takes place from February 4th to the 6th in Las Vegas, Nevada at Caesar's Palace, bringing together under one roof, industry experts, partners and end users within the Parallels ecosystem.
To get ahead of the show, I wanted to find out more information around what people can expect out of this year's event. To find out, I spoke with John Zanni, Parallels' VP of Marketing and Alliances.
VMblog: For
folks who don't already know about the event, can you tell us what the general focus is
of a Parallels Summit show?
John Zanni: Cloud service
providers, hosters, ISVs, analysts, press and other industry influencers are all
in one place at one time quite unlike any other event. A main focus is for
attendees to build relationships while sharing and learning best practices that
can help drive their business forward. Parallels Summit is designed for business
leaders, technical and operational staff and developers at service providers,
hosters, telcos, resellers, ISVs and system integrators who want to develop
concrete action plans, discover the best services to offer and why, gain early
insight into the Parallels product roadmap, and network with more than 1,200
industry influencers.
VMblog: And who are the types of people that typically attend
this show? What's the general audience makeup
like?
Zanni: A
broad mix of service providers, hosters, telcos, resellers, ISVs, system
integrators, press, analysts, investors and consultants within the cloud service
provider industry. Most attendees are service providers or hosters but
substantial percentages are made up of each audience type. About 60 percent of
attendees are from the US and 20 percent from Europe.
VMblog: Budgets are still tight right now. What are some of the
reasons that people should attend this show in 2013 if they haven't yet
registered?
Zanni: In
addition to learning how to increase revenue and reduce costs - which are far in
excess of the cost of attending this event! - this is the single most efficient
way to do the networking and shared learning required for them to run their
businesses. No other conference brings together such a concentration of the key
members of this ecosystem into one place.
VMblog: What are some of the key topics and trends that Parallels
will be spotlighting at this year's
event?
Zanni: You'll
have to attend to see! However, our general theme is that innovation is driving
diversity - diversity of services, types of competitors and types of SMB end
customers.
VMblog: You guys are
obviously proud of the partner ecosystem that you've created. And the exhibit
hall is always packed with partners showing off their latest technologies. Are
there any new companies showing up as an exhibitor this year that people should
be sure to check out?
Zanni: A
new platinum sponsor this year is IBM. Parallels has been working with IBM on
technical integration of IBM cloud technologies using the Parallels open Application Packaging Standard (APS).
Specifically, the technologies supported are
IBM Cloud Aggregation Pack, IBM's Pure Systems and IBM Smart Cloud Enterprise.
IBM will be demonstrating the Smart Cloud Enterprise APS package in its
booth.
VMblog:
The Parallels Summit event is always a good time. It's in Las Vegas this year after all.
What types of social events should people be prepared for this year? And have
you setup a way for people attending the show to stay in touch with one
another?
Zanni: Our
conference attendee party is on February 5 at PURE Nightclub and sponsored by
Softlayer. With an unparalleled view of the Las Vegas Strip, PURE symbolizes a new
standard in Las Vegas nightlife. With four distinct experiences enveloped in two
stories of decadence, PURE is not just a nightclub; it is The Strip's first
nightlife destination. At 40,000 square feet, PURE Nightclub is four venues in
one, each featuring its own DJ, sound system and sexy style. The entire club is
reserved just for our party, so
this is sure to be an evening you won't want to miss!
VMblog: Did you receive any attendee feedback from last year's
event that you've incorporated into the show this
year?
Zanni: Yes. This
year we'll have a Partner Theater for demos, more networking areas and
opportunities, and additional Exhibit Hall open hours. We've also expanded the
session content to developers and technical operational staff.
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I've been fortunate to make it to the Parallels Summit a few times over the last few years. And once again, I'll be out there, and I can't wait. This is always a great show, and it sounds like it will be even better than last year's event.
Check it out: http://www.parallels.com/summit/2013/
Thanks again to John Zanni for speaking with VMblog ahead of the show.