No Debate — Channel Connect Fair Packed

**Editor's Note: Please click here for Channel Partners' extensive coverage of Intelisys Channel Connect.**

While the rest of the country was watching the 2012 presidential debates, suppliers and subagents of Intelisys packed the Supplier Fair at  Channel Connect 2012, the master agency's  partner meeting in San Francisco this week.

Intelisys said 45 suppliers and more than 200 sales partners attended the three-hour event, which capped the first day of Channel Connect, which runs through Friday.

The company recorded the debate between President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney, so attendees could watch them following the fair.

Cocktails, a dinner buffet and dessert were served alongside networking and deal making. Intelisys co-founder Rick Dellar took time out to sample the fare and chat with Channel Partners.

Dellar said that the Supplier Fair had grown compared to last year by more than a dozen vendors -- almost all cloud services providers. He said that the headline for the event is that Intelisys is leading the channel in the cloud. A case in point, he said, is that Intelisys is teaching some of its suppliers how to go-to-market with cloud.

Earlier Wednesday Intelisys held its Cloud Services University training, a first for Channel Connect. The Cloud Services University was introduced this summer as a series of workshops for agents on cloud-related topics.  In addition, Intelisys shared its roadmap for cloud services with its suppliers.

Earlier this year, Intelisys acquired the Cloud Services Coalition, creating a new business unit focusing on supporting sales partners through the cloud sales process, business and application discover, solutions design, project management and turnkey onsite installation and training.

Intelisys executives Jay Bradley and Carol Beering honored  the agency's  suppliers for their partnership and event sponsorship with crystal awards.

Diamond suppliers include EarthLink Business, Comcast Business Class, Time Warner Cable Business Class, Windstream and XO Communications.

Platinum suppliers include ACC Business, CenturyLink, Charter Business, Integra Telecom, Intercall/West IP, Masergy, PGi, Sprint, TelePacific, TNCI, tw telecom and Zayo Group. loud platinum suppliers include Evolve IP, inContact, Jive, Matrix, ServerCentral, ShoreTel Sky, SimpleSignal and Thinking Phone Networks.

Gold suppliers include Access Point, AT&T, Broadview, GLOBALINX, iNET, NBS, NetWolves, Telx and ZONE. Cloud gold includes RapidScale.

Basic suppliers include BCN Telecom, Broad Sky Networks, BullsEye Telecom, Cbeyond, Copper Services, McGraw, Nitel, OpenText, Telnes and TouchTone.