The ‘EMEA Channel Academy: 2013 Awards’ will take place in conjunction with DISTREE Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the region’s leading annual event for the volume ICT and consumer electronics (CE) channel. The fifth annual awards will honour the region’s leading retailers, distributors and vendors across 27 separate categories during a Gala Dinner taking place on February 21st in Monaco.
Farouk Hemraj, CEO and Co-Founder at DISTREE Events, said: “We are delighted to host the ‘EMEA Channel Academy: 2013 Awards’ as part of this year’s DISTREE EMEA. These awards stand out in the region for their independence and neutrality. With live electronic voting and transparent nomination processes, these awards truly recognise the companies that have excelled in the channel during the last 12 months.”
The ‘EMEA Channel Academy: 2013 Awards’ will feature ten regional distributor awards for the following territories: UK & Ireland, DACH, France & Benelux, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, South East Europe, Middle East & North Africa, Africa, Central & Eastern Europe and Russia & CIS.
In the run-up to the Gala Dinner, DISTREE Events will ask vendor channel managers with regional responsibility to nominate their preferred distributors by region. This data will be combined with data from channel tracking company CONTEXT’s EMEA-wide second-tier ChannelWatch survey (www.contextworld.com/web/survey/channelwatch-emea-questionnaire) to determine the overall winner in each region.
Hemraj added: “The inclusion of ChannelWatch data in the voting process for the 2013 distributor awards is a major step forward. It means that the awards are canvassing the opinion of both upstream and downstream partners of EMEA’s distributors, giving the results even greater credibility and legitimacy. I would recommend that all volume distributors invite their channel customer base to participate in the ChannelWatch survey.”
The ‘EMEA Channel Academy: 2013 Awards’ also include 12 vendor awards by product category, with the overall winner in each category determined by a live electronic vote during the Gala Dinner on February 21st. In the run-up to DISTREE EMEA, hundreds of pre-qualified retailers and distributors will be invited to nominate their preferred vendors by category. The top brands by number of nominations will then proceed to the live electronic vote.
The ‘EMEA Channel Academy: 2013 Awards’ vendor awards cover the following categories: storage, software, accessories, audio, home networking, components, gaming, imaging, printing, monitors, mobile devices (including tablets), PCs (notebooks, netbooks and desktops).
The ‘EMEA Channel Academy: 2013 Awards’ will also feature dedicated retailer awards for the first time, reflecting the growing importance of retail and e-tail delegates in the DISTREE EMEA attendee profile. A VIP Jury will select the Retailer of the Year in three separate regions: Europe, Russia & CIS plus Middle East & Africa. The final two awards – Retailer Initiative of the Year and Distributor Initiative of the Year – are based on submission packs from entering companies with entries judged by the VIP Jury.
“These awards mean something and we ask for nominations and votes based on overall channel engagement in the region,” stated Hemraj. “It is not about who is the biggest, or even who is sponsoring the event. These are open and transparent awards for the channel – and they are voted for by the channel. That is why DISTREE EMEA is proud to continue its association with the awards.”
Full details of all the 2013 awards can be found at www.channelacademyawards.com
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