As well as the chance to meet face-to-face with top Panasonic representatives, Forum membership will also give resellers access to exclusive services from Rocom including peripheral offers, subsidised reseller branded marketing collateral, a free Panasonic System Guide for every member of their sales team, free quarterly sales seminars, regular webinars and exclusive use of the Forum logo.
Membership of the Forum will be by invitation only and Panasonic will provide all members with a £500 voucher, which can be used on any Panasonic training course, free access to on-site pre-sales support from a Panasonic representative as well as direct access to the Panasonic helpdesk for technical queries.
Steven Gerrard, Marketing Manager at Panasonic UK has been heavily involved in putting the event together: "When Rocom approached us with the idea of a Channel Forum we were immediately excited as we are always looking for new ways in which we can engage with both our distributors and resellers. A regular, structured meeting with our top resellers will give us the chance to discuss hot topics openly and honestly, and work collaboratively to find solutions to the challenges which they face every day. It will also give us a great testing board for new products and services. In return, members of the Forum will get the chance to directly comment and advise on our channel strategy, as well as gaining access to a package of exclusive benefits. I'm already looking forward to the first event in May!"
Neil Hutchinson, Rocom’s Panasonic Channel Manager commented: “I’m really pleased with the package of benefits which we’ve put together with Panasonic for members of the Forum. It gives us a great vehicle to offer our top resellers access to subsidised services from our Total Distribution proposition, which will in turn allow them to develop new business more effectively. It will also help us to refine our Panasonic strategy so that we are perfectly aligned with the needs of our larger reseller community – delivering benefits not only to the members of the Forum but also to all our Panasonic resellers.”
The first event will take place on 28th May 2009 at Panasonic’s facility in Northampton. Membership is strictly by invitation only and aimed at Panasonic’s top resellers. Rocom will be contacting potential members in the near future with their invitations.