Did you know that the Venture Tech Network (VTN), Ingram Micro's high-profile community of solution providers, has a collective buying power of $2.3 billion?

Judging from the attendance at the recent VTN Invitational conference in Las Vegas, the growing sales and influence of the VTN community certainly wasn't lost on today's leading manufacturers. Companies like Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Symantec channeled their support behind this annual fall event, announcing major initiatives, providing special training and introducing new incentives and perks, many of which are exclusive to VTN members.

The VTN community has become so important to manufacturers because it offers the influential mindshare of more than 420 of North America's best solution providers, most of whom target the fast-growing small and midsize business market. VTN members receive unparalleled access to manufacturers' executives, as well as the chance for peer-group networking, VAR-to-VAR partnerships, and targeted support from Ingram Micro that help members accelerate their business faster than they could do on their own.

These benefits came together at the VTN Invitational, where more than 900 solution providers, manufacturers and Ingram Micro associates gathered for a three-day business- building event that made headlines.

"The VTN Invitational brings together the IT channel's best and brightest minds to discuss strategies, exchange best practices and identify best-in-class tools focused on SMB and other high-growth markets," says Kirk Robinson, vice president of channel marketing, Ingram Micro North America. "Through these events, Ingram Micro connects manufacturers and vendors with solution providers who want to grow sales, increase awareness and generate demand."

Cisco Systems Trains VTN Members
Cisco Systems used the Invitational to provide exclusive training to VTN members on the Cisco Select Certification, aimed at partners in the SMB market. "The course is available online, but Cisco wanted to make it easier for VTN members to become certified, so it offered free, leader-led training," says Nancy Thomas, operations director at Cisco.

"We set up shop on Sunday and gave the training to 20 systems engineers," says Thomas. "It was highly successful --the partners never even wanted a break." After the session, 17 trainees took and passed the online test for Cisco Select Certification. When a solution-provider organization completes the certification, it is entitled to higher product discounts on the Cisco Small Business Communications System (SBCS); access to not-for-resale (NFR) products at 70 percent discount; market development funds; and assistance in customer demand generation.

Why does Cisco make special efforts for VTN members? Cisco hopes to leverage the VTN community's clout with SMB customers, but there's more: "The community is tightly knit, and it's nice to work with partners who are so loyal to each other," says Thomas. "And, the partnerships and expertise-sharing among VTN members help ensure that Cisco solutions are flawlessly delivered."

HP Paves the Way
HP used the VTN Invitational to announce a major partner enablement initiative focused on the SMB Expressway, a portal for SMB partners. The site includes general product information and valuable SMB solutions such as SMB Sales Engines, as well as focused reward and compensation offerings and training options. HP also announced enhanced training support, extended sales support for SMB partners, and more support overall for partners acting as agents. In addition, HP drew attention to new products for SMB customers, such as the Shorty Blade Server C3000.

"HP is extremely focused on the SMB market," says Gary Koopman, vice president of volume distribution sales at HP. "Our goal is to make it easier for partners to deliver our message and sell our products to their end users."

VTN also provides HP with many opportunities for direct interactions with partners -- many of which lead to new opportunities and stronger relationships. Koopman cites the example of a VTN member who sat down with him to learn about HP's Print 2.0 initiative, which changes printing from a hardware sale into a page-printing solution.

"If you look back through the years, trade shows like Comdex were so spread out," says Koopman, "whereas the more focused VTN environment really promotes business."

IBM Challenges VTN Chapters
As vice president of high-volume sales for IBM Americas, Angelica Horaitis' job is to drive sales of small and medium business solutions, with a special focus on the IBM Express Seller portfolio, which includes x86 servers, storage and service packs. That's why her support for VTN is so strong.

"VTN has been invaluable to me and to the IBM team," says Horaitis. "This is a top-notch group of partners dedicated to providing the best solutions to their customers. This is something IBM is committed to as well, and we rely on partnerships with VTN members to accomplish it."

In fact, at the Invitational, IBM announced a special contest: The VTN chapter that most exceeds its quarterover- quarter sales of IBM products through Ingram Micro between October and December 2007 will win $10,000 -- a nice perk for VTN chapter participants. Harris Warsaw, vice president of small and medium business for IBM Americas, gave a keynote speech during VTN's general session and the IBM team used the remainder of the VTN Invitational for breakout sessions, dinners and discussions with VTN members on how to improve its partnership and product offerings.

"We've gotten invaluable feedback from VTN members, both positive and critical, that has helped us enhance our programs and solution offerings," says Horaitis. "We still have work to do, but it was quite encouraging to see the "VTN members" energy and interest in becoming an IBM partner."

Symantec Moves Front and Center
"Symantec has always been a VTN partner," says Randy Cochran, vice president of channel sales in the Americas at Symantec, "but now we're taking our participation to the front row." Cochran is referring to Symantec's major sponsorship of the recent VTN Invitational, where, as a manufacturer speaker, he announced major partner initiatives, including an exclusive to VTN members.

"VTN members are legitimate leaders in their marketplaces," says Cochran. "They represent the access and influence we need in reaching midmarket organizations."

To this end, Symantec announced that more than 100 staff members are dedicated to helping partners close sales of midmarket products such as Symantec Backup Exec and Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) 11.0. Also new, was the SMB Specialization, awarded to partners who complete five of 12 online courses. As a VTN exclusive, Cochran announced that VTN members who attain the specialization by year's end will win a $100 gift certificate.

Symantec also announced its Aspire rebate program, where U.S. partners will receive a 10-percent rebate after surpassing sales targets and 15 percent if they are SMB specialists.

For More Information
For details about any of these initiatives, Ingram Micro's customers can contact venturetechnetwork@ingrammicro.com. To learn more about VTN membership, visit www.ingrammicro.com/venturetechnetwork. (You will need an Ingram Micro login and password.).