Tuesday, February 09, 2027
9:00-9:45am
Tuesday - 2/09/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
The Channel at a Crossroads: AI, New Revenue Models, and the Future of Technology Advisors
CH-01 Technology distribution is undergoing significant change as AI-powered sales tools, self-service marketplaces, vendor-direct models, and changing customer expectations challenge traditional channel relationships. At the same time, demand for specialized expertise, integrated technology solutions, and value-added services is creating new opportunities for partners. This session explores how the roles and business models of telecom agents, trusted technology advisors, VARs, and resellers are evolving, including opportunities to expand beyond traditional commissions through consulting, professional services, and emerging revenue models. Panelists will discuss which aspects of the channel business face the greatest disruption, where partners can deliver unique value, and how they can position themselves for long-term growth and profitability.
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10:00-10:45am
Tuesday - 2/09/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
Today's customers have access to more product information and purchasing options than ever, making it essential for channel partners to deliver value beyond basic product recommendations. Panelists will discuss consultative selling, uncovering customer business challenges, quantifying ROI, and positioning technology investments around measurable outcomes rather than features and pricing.
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11:00-11:45am
Tuesday - 2/09/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
Selling AI-Powered Communications and Agents: Turning Emerging Technologies into Revenue
CH-03 AI-powered voice agents, intelligent receptionists, conversation analytics, automated communications workflows, and increasingly autonomous AI agents are creating new opportunities for channel partners. Identifying which capabilities customers actually need — and which are ready for deployment — can be challenging. This session explores how trusted advisors can evaluate emerging AI solutions, identify practical applications across communications, customer service, and business operations, and position these technologies around measurable business outcomes. Panelists will discuss effective sales strategies, vendor evaluation, customer expectations, and how partners can turn growing AI interest into sustainable revenue opportunities.
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12:00-12:30pm
Tuesday - 2/09/27
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1:30-2:15pm
Tuesday - 2/09/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
Connectivity remains a channel staple, but enterprise customers increasingly expect partners to help solve broader networking challenges. This discussion explores opportunities around SD-WAN, managed networking, wireless connectivity, cloud access, and network performance, along with ways partners can differentiate beyond traditional circuit sourcing and price comparisons.
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2:30-3:15pm
Tuesday - 2/09/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
The Modern Channel Sales Playbook: Winning Customers in an AI-Driven Buying Environment
CH-06 Customer buying behavior is changing as AI-powered research, digital marketplaces, and self-service tools reshape how businesses evaluate and purchase technology. For channel partners, traditional prospecting and relationship-building strategies must evolve to remain effective. This session examines how successful partners are adapting their sales approaches, from engaging buyers earlier and demonstrating expertise to using digital tools, developing accounts, and delivering value beyond product recommendations. Panelists will discuss what works, what doesn't, and how channel organizations can stay relevant and competitive as customers become more informed and independent.
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3:30-4:00pm
Tuesday - 2/09/27
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Wednesday, February 10, 2027
9:00-9:45am
Wednesday - 2/10/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
Navigating the Channel Ecosystem: Vendors, TSDs, and the Partnerships That Drive Growth
CH-08 The growing number of technology vendors, service providers, and technology services distributors gives channel partners more options than ever, but it also makes building the right portfolio increasingly complex. This session explores how partners can evaluate vendor and distributor relationships, align their portfolios with customer needs, and leverage technical resources, sales enablement, and support services to expand into new technology categories. Panelists will discuss what makes a successful channel partnership and how partners can maximize the value of their ecosystem relationships.
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10:00-10:45am
Wednesday - 2/10/27
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1:30-2:15pm
Wednesday - 2/10/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
The UCaaS Sales Opportunity: What Customers Want and How Partners Can Differentiate
CH-10 UCaaS remains an important channel opportunity, but customer expectations are shifting beyond basic phone system replacements toward AI capabilities, platform integration, collaboration, and business productivity. This session explores what enterprise and SMB buyers are looking for in modern communications platforms, how channel partners can differentiate competing offerings, and how to position UCaaS around business value rather than features and pricing. Panelists will discuss effective discovery strategies, migration opportunities, and approaches to developing more valuable customer relationships.
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2:30-3:15pm
Wednesday - 2/10/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
AI tools are changing how channel organizations prospect, develop proposals, research accounts, manage pipelines, and engage customers. This discussion examines practical applications of AI across the sales lifecycle, where automation delivers the greatest value, and how partners can improve productivity without sacrificing the personal relationships that drive channel success.
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Thursday, February 11, 2027
9:00-9:45am
Thursday - 2/11/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
The AI Infrastructure Opportunity: Can Technology Advisors Capitalize on the Boom?
CH-12 AI adoption is driving demand for data center capacity, specialized cloud computing, high-performance connectivity, and new infrastructure services. How much of this growing market is actually accessible to traditional technology advisors and channel partners? This session explores where the most promising sales opportunities exist, which customer requirements create demand, and how partners can leverage vendors and distributors to participate without becoming AI infrastructure specialists. Panelists will distinguish realistic channel revenue opportunities from market hype and discuss what it takes to turn AI infrastructure demand into profitable customer engagements.
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10:00-10:45am
Thursday - 2/11/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
Business messaging is evolving beyond simple notifications and promotional texts into interactive, AI-powered conversations and automated workflows. Technologies such as RCS, conversational AI, and programmable communications are creating new opportunities for businesses to engage customers, automate routine interactions, and connect messaging with their business applications. This session explores how channel partners can capitalize on these developments, identify customer needs, and position intelligent messaging solutions that deliver measurable business value. Panelists will discuss emerging use cases, opportunities for recurring revenue, and how partners can bring these capabilities to market without becoming software developers.
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11:00-11:45am
Thursday - 2/11/27
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Channel (Room 253B)
Winning a technology deal is only the beginning of a successful customer relationship. As communications, cloud, and AI solutions become more sophisticated, customers often struggle to take full advantage of the capabilities they've purchased. This session explores how channel partners can support technology adoption, identify underutilized services, coordinate vendor resources, and create opportunities for account expansion. Panelists will discuss how ongoing technology guidance can strengthen customer relationships, improve retention, and generate additional revenue throughout the customer lifecycle.
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