The Apple Specialist Marketing Co-op (ASMC) held a conference last week at the HP Campus in Vancouver, Wash. The event’s coordinators declared the conference a success after more than 100 Apple Specialists arrived to meet, speak and exchange information with each other and vendors including Adobe, HP, LaCie, Microsoft, Wacom, Xerox, and, of course, Apple. The goal of the conference was to help Apple Specialists — a special tier of independently owned, Apple-authorized Mac reseller — find ways to grow their businesses.
The three-day conference was divided into separate areas each day: Day one provided attendees with updates from Apple managers responsible for channel sales and AppleCare. Days two and three shared information on best practices and sales training to help develop new business, as well as a vendor fair with 32 participating vendors.
The conference comes at a time when independent Apple resellers are looking for ways to grow their own businesses while differentiating themselves from Apple’s encroaching presence in the retail space. Apple has opened dozens of its own retail stores in high-traffic malls located near affluent areas and large population centers around the country. Some resellers claim that Apple’s own retail efforts have siphoned off their customers and revenue.
The ASMC was introduced in late January; the organization’s goal is to help raise brand awareness of the Apple Specialist channel. The ASMC now has 75 paid members with more than 115 locations nationwide. Apple Specialists interested in participating can contact Kevin Langdon for details.