I will be attending my very first VARNEX event this Sunday. So look for news coming out of Synnex early next week.
I have covered VentureTech and Tech Select multiple times and they are fantastic events and some of my favourites to attend. Besides introducing new Canadian partners to VARNEX and positioning statements from the Synnex brass I hope to see a sense of community spirit in Las Vegas where the event will be held.
Community spirit makes the other distributor groups successful in my opinion. Each member really wants to help the other out for mutual benefit. I always find it interesting when a VTN or TechSelect member tells me they did not get a lot out of the membership. I ask them what was their level of participation and I usually get a mixed reaction. I also encourage these people to really do a deep dive with the other members; to really participate. The next time I see these people, especially those who are first time attendees to either VTN or TechSelect Invitational events, they tell me, in great amazement, how great the other members of the group are. And, how strong the programs are. It was like a revelation to them.
VARNEX is new but Synnex executives such as Bob Stegner, Kevin Murai and Michael Gazdic know how valuable a group such as VTN can be from their time at Ingram Micro.
The question is can Synnex replicate VTN with VARNEX. I will let you all know next week.
Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
Speaking of Ingram, the distributor announced double-digit increases in sales and profits for the third quarter ended October 2, 2010. Worldwide sales for the third quarter were $8.45 billion, an increase of 14 per cent compared with $7.38 billion in the prior-year third quarter. Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:ARW) also reported third quarter numbers. Its 2010 net income of $118.5 million was based on sales of $4.66 billion, compared with net income of $12.6 million on sales of $3.67 billion in the third quarter of 2009.
More new people at Tech Data
Tech Data (Nasdaq: TECD) has appointed Michael E. Donner to vice president, Marketing Services. Donner will lead Tech Data’s full-service advertising and marketing agency (TDAgency).
Twitter time for Avnet
Avnet Electronics is kicking off a marketing campaign through Twitter. Every week in November @AvnetDesignWire Twitter followers will get the chance to win a 5th generation 16GB iPod nano, just for re-tweeting @AvnetDesignWire’s tweets.
Avnet CEO Roy Vallee will be ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate the distributor’s 50th anniversary as a public company. The ceremony will take place on December 15, 2010.
Follow me on Twitter @PaoloCDN.
