DISTREE Events is expanding into the African market in 2014, driven by demand from technology vendors for an effective regional channel development platform. DISTREE Africa (www.distree-africa.com) will provide technology product, service and solution suppliers with easy access to leading channel partners from across this vast region in one place at one time. The inaugural DISTREE Africa will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from June 19th to 21st 2014.
DISTREE Africa 2014 will be staged at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. DISTREE Africa will allow exhibitors to build in-depth relationships with influential channel partners from more than 20 African countries including key markets such as Angola, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. Participating exhibitors can research the channel partners attending before the event and pre-schedule one-on-one meetings with the companies that are best suited to their business requirements.
More than 400 delegates, including senior executives from the top resellers, retailers and distributors operating in the region, are set to attend DISTREE Africa 2014. The African market offers significant growth potential for technology products and solutions. With growing demand and solid economic growth, the region remains ripe for inward investment and channel development.
“We’ve been listening closely to the needs of technology vendors, plus service and solution providers,” explained Farouk Hemraj, CEO at DISTREE Events. “They understand the power of our event format and have expressed a clear interest in seeing us expand into Africa. We have invested in developing our local resources in the region and carried out detailed channel research. The time is now right for this next step in DISTREE Events’ international expansion.”
DISTREE Africa will offer a compelling combination of one-on-one meetings, conference programme, exhibition, awards, technology showcases and workshop sessions to deliver a comprehensive business development platform for both exhibitors and channel partners.
Frederic Lestringant, Regional Manager at DISTREE Africa, said: “As with all fast-growing and dynamic markets, vendors need a solid understanding of the channel landscape to develop and expand their routes-to-market.”
“This is especially true in Africa,” he added. “We bring exhibitors face-to-face with the channel executives that can drive their business growth across the continent. It is a proven event format and an incredibly efficient platform for all vendors looking to launch, build or manage routes-to-market across Africa.”
The first vendor-neutral channel awards for the region will also take place at DISTREE Africa 2014. The ‘Africa Channel Academy: 2014 Awards’ will celebrate channel excellence. The awards will cover multiple product categories, with the winners decided by a live electronic vote during the event’s Gala Dinner.
Lestringant added: “DISTREE Africa is the perfect opportunity for vendors to make a real impact with the top buyers and senior channel executives from across the region. The pre-event research has given us a wealth of data on the size and structure of channels in Africa. We look forward to discussing the opportunities that exist with exhibitors in the coming months, and welcoming them to Nairobi in June 2014.”
DISTREE’s global events are far removed from traditional trade shows or exhibitions. Using a unique format developed by DISTREE Events and deployed in fast-growing emerging markets around the world, each three-day event allows attendees to pre-schedule a personal agenda of one-on-one meetings based on their precise business needs.
DISTREE’s events are recognised by hundreds of vendors worldwide – from A-brands through to start-ups – as the most efficient and cost-effective platform for managing, building or launching routes-to-market in specific geographic regions. DISTREE Events has more than a decade’s experience of running business-focused channel development events.
