Origami, or the art of folding paper, originated in China and was popularized in Japan from as early as the 6th century. For more than a thousand years, origami has served as a creative outlet, symbolizing the visualization of turning something simple into a masterpiece. It’s also proven to be an effective way to practice mindfulness though its meditative qualities, promoting positivity for both mind and body. Origami designs are crafted with a very specific attention to detail and the outcomes, from one sheet of paper, can be breathtaking.
That’s why our theme for the 2023 TD SYNNEX Inspire conference was “Where Great Ideas Unfold.” With stunning origami creative throughout the event, Inspire became TD SYNNEX’s largest-ever vendor and customer event. The concept of the IT distribution model, much like a piece of paper, can be simple; But, through the intricacies of high-growth technologies, modern infrastructure and an orchestration-led approach, the IT ecosystem can become a masterpiece.
Taking place over two days in Greenville, S.C., Inspire was held at the Greenville Convention Center, with fun pre- and post-event activities at various locations. On behalf of TD SYNNEX, we want to extend an enormous thank you to the City of Greenville for being such tremendous hosts and exhibiting such caring hospitality throughout the week. There’s no secret why we’ve made Greenville our home for Inspire for more than twenty years.
Main Stage and Breakout Hot Topics
Inspire 2023 packed the agenda with some of the most relevant topics in enterprise technology, including edge and endpoint solutions, data and analytics, automation, public sector all things high-growth. Americas President Michael Urban set the stage with an industry update, information on our company vision and brought out his leadership team (Steve Jow, Gary Palenbaum, Reyna Thompson and Stacy Nethercoat) as they each shared how partners are harnessing different innovations for growth.
“High-growth technologies like cloud, AI and IoT present exactly that: opportunities for high growth.” — Reyna Thompson
“Finding co-workers with technology skills and talent is essential and our partners are working with us to help fill those skill gaps.” — Stacy Nethercoat
“One of the priorities for us in services is getting partners to recognize their potential and learn to sell their own IP” — Gary Palenbaum
It was joked about throughout the event just how many times attendees would hear the phrase “AI,” but there was certainly nothing artificial about its relevance in the channel today. TD SYNNEX High-Growth leadership, represented by Jessica McDowell, Calhoun McKinney and Lisa McGarvey, shared our vision for enabling partners in AI through programs like Destination AI. We’re also helping partners understand the entire cloud market through programs like StreamOne, self-service enablement, CyberSolv and CloudSolv.
We also had an insightful panel by our sales leadership team, represented by Marc McClure, John Bolger, John Phillips, Eddie Franklin and Brenna Farahvashi.
“High-growth is like a hurricane; They don’t just sneak up on you. Programs like Destination AI and Practice builder teach you to fish; Solv programs teach you where to fish.” — Marc McClure
“Complexity means great opportunity for innovation. We’re aiming for omni-channel full scale automation.” — John Bolger
Vendor and TD SYNNEX breakout sessions throughout the event also helped shape agendas and allow attendees to walk away from the week with tangible solutions to challenges within their organization.
Exclusive Announcements Made at the Event
- 2023 Direction of Technology Report — During Inspire week, TD SYNNEX launched our second-annual (and newly-named) Direction of Technology Report. Attendees were given an exclusive look into the contents of the report as TD SYNNEX leaders gave their reactions to the 550-participant report. This year’s report has some groundbreaking industry takeaways, including the rise of AI/ML solutions, the emphasis on cybersecurity and a renewed optimism around growth.
- TD SYNNEX Becomes Meta’s Primary Distributor — Inspire played host to the first-ever demonstration of the Meta Quest 3 headset, as well as the new Meta for Work suite of products. TD SYNNEX was also named Meta’s exclusive North American distributor for these innovative solutions tailored to the commercial market.
- New TD SYNNEX Capital Amplify Program — Flexible financing is the essence of TD SYNNEX Capital and they have now expanded their offerings with Amplify, a short-term credit program with extended payment terms. This new program will largely benefit partners who want to dynamically choose their own net terms, ultimately providing more flexibility for growth.
- Launch of ISV Acceleration Program — To better support independent software vendors succeed in high-growth technologies, TD SYNNEX launched a new ISV Acceleration Program in North America. Representatives from the ISV experience team were on-site at Inspire, ready to answer questions about ISVs of all sizes can grow at every stage of their lifecycle.
Hitting All Five Senses at the Inspire Pavilion
With more than 175 sponsoring vendors along with our robust TD SYNNEX Marketplace of in-house solutions and service offerings, the Inspire Pavilion spanned the entire 100,000 square feet of trade room floor. There was no shortage of sights, sounds, hands-on activities and even tastes (looking at you, donut wall) as attendees navigated their way through diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze sponsors.
Over the course of two days, attendees were able to visit among hundreds of booths with real-time demonstrations, branded giveaways and the opportunity to grow their partner network.
Tugging on Heartstrings with 321 Coffee
One of the premiere highlights from Inspire was a joint TD SYNNEX + Lenovo session with Lindsay Wrege, co-founder and CEO of 321 Coffee based in Raleigh, NC. Lindsay’s vision expands far beyond coffee; her company is about supporting more inclusive workforces — 321 Coffee shops and roasteries are staffed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
During her presentation, Lindsay brought up Sophie Pacnya, a roaster and barista at a 321 Coffee location and couldn’t be more excited to be a part of such an amazing company.
To help support Lindsey, Sophie and 321 Coffee’s mission, TD SYNNEX donated $5,000, which was graciously matched by Lenovo.
Media Coverage from Inspire
We were fortunate to have several media representatives on site at Inspire, who shared helpful coverage during and after the event:
- CRN: TD SYNNEX’s Michael Urban: When IT Growth is Uneven, Find The Opportunities
- ChannelProNetwork: Where Partnership Means Power: News from TD SYNNEX’s Inspire 2023
Next-Level Entertainment Around Greenville
It wouldn’t be a TD SYNNEX event without mixing in some entertainment for attendees to enjoy. Some of the highlights included:
- Oktoberfest Welcome Reception — Inspire attendees, along with TD SYNNEX Vendor Summit attendees — which took place earlier in the week — were invited to Fluor Field, home of the High-A affiliate of the Red Sox, the Greenville Drive. Donning traditional German lederhosen and dirndl, the Oktoberfest theme was a hit and was capped off by a firework show to remember.
- Camperdown Block Party — One of Downtown Greenville’s most popular attractions is Camperdown Plaza, a community hub of restaurants, bars and dessert shops, and Inspire attendees got to enjoy a sampling of tastes to go along with live music. There was even a custom mural painted by a local artist just for Inspire
- Goo Goo Dolls Exclusive Show — With hits like “Iris,” “Slide,” and “Black Balloon,” we were honored to have the Goo Goo Dolls perform at our closing reception.
To all of the vendor and partner attendees who took time out of your schedules to spend the week networking, connecting and learning with us: Thank you. We could not do this without your support, and we look forward to implementing takeaways from Inspire for the year ahead.
