The 3-day event, sponsored by Sharp Electronics and ConnectWise, focused on best practices, industry trends, and networking opportunities for office equipment resellers.
The picturesque island of St. Lucia played host to the annual American Co Op conference, held the last week of April. This event brought together around 20 members and a prospect of the office equipment reseller peer group, with sponsorship from industry giants Sharp Electronics and ConnectWise. The American Co Op hosts such gatherings to discuss best practices and to hear presentations from vendors who support their organization as well as guest speakers, as was the case during this week.
Many attendees were Sharp dealers, recently returning from the company’s dealer conference held the week prior in Las Vegas. Sharp VP, John Sheehan, took a different approach in engaging with the audience by sparing them a lengthy recap of the Las Vegas conference. Instead, he invited dealers to voice their concerns and provide feedback on how Sharp could improve its offerings.
Following Sheehan’s session, John Schweizer of ConnectWise was front and center to answer questions about Managed Services. The conference then delved into multiple presentations addressing the state of the industry, emerging trends, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) overviews.
A highlight of the day was the happy birthday wishes sent to Bob Goldberg, seen below. Yes, it was actually Bob’s birthday! For the record, while he wasn’t attending, the resort staff was quite familiar with Bob’s habit of always finding someone at a restaurant who was “celebrating” a birthday.
The afternoon session focused on sharing best practices and discussing common issues faced by the attendees, with company theft emerging as a hot topic. Dealers also had the opportunity to participate in a range of fun group activities, including a sunset cruise, dinners throughout the week, golf outings, and excellent networking events. Most of the attendees brought their significant others.
Shout out to Joe Blatchford of Image 2000 for leaving his better half in LA and being my date for the week!
The American Co Op represents an influential group of small and medium-sized dealers, who are currently seeking to expand their reach. Open territories in Florida, Tennessee, parts of Texas and elsewhere are being considered for new members.
This year’s American Co Op annual conference proved to be a valuable experience for office equipment resellers, providing them with a platform to exchange ideas, discuss challenges and forge new business connections. With a focus on collaborative problem-solving and fostering an atmosphere of camaraderie, the event was a testament to the importance of strong partnerships and continuous learning in the rapidly-evolving office equipment industry.
As always, I greatly appreciate being included, this is a truly exceptional group of business leaders.
SOURCE Industry Analysts Inc.
