CMP Channel Group's VARBusiness Moderates First Channel Focused Discussion in Second Life

3D Event Scheduled for May 15 at 9:00 AM Pacific; Editor, Lawrence M. Walsh, Moderates Cisco Systems Hosted Event

PRNewswire
MANHASSET, N.Y.
May 11, 2007

MANHASSET, N.Y., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CMP Channel Group's VARBusiness, the biweekly business magazine that provides strategic insight for technology integrators, today announced that editor Lawrence M. Walsh will moderate the first channel focused town hall discussion to take place in Second Life. The Channel 2.0: The Second Life Experience discussion, hosted by Cisco Systems, will take place on Tuesday, May 15 at 9:00 AM pacific time in the Bandwidth Amphitheater, on Cisco's Virtual Campus.

Walsh will lead an interactive discussion on how the IT reseller channel is evolving, how solution providers are adapting their businesses over the next five years and how solution providers see their businesses changing, in terms of models, strategies and technologies, between now and 2013.

"The IT reseller channel is evolving rapidly with new services, technologies and delivery models. In addition, vendors and solution providers are branching into new, alternative marketing paths to educate partners, network with peers and engage with customers," said Walsh. "Second Life is part of the Internet's next phase and is an ideal platform for the reseller community to come together to communicate and network with vendors. We are very excited to be partnering with Cisco to present information on the evolution of the IT channel."

"Cisco has already found Second Life to be an innovative platform for customer and channel partner interaction," said Andrew Sage, senior director of marketing for worldwide channels at Cisco. "The Cisco Virtual Campus is an appropriate medium to explore the topic of Channel 2.0, and we view this event as an opportunity to further human experiences and collaboration on the internet."

To participate partners need to register for a free Second Life account at: http://www.secondlife.com/ and download the software at: http://secondlife.com/community/downloads.php

Click on the following link to participate; it will take attendees directly to the Cisco amphitheater: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cisco%20Systems%203/36/255/22

VARBusiness plans to host additional Second Life discussions throughout the year.

About CMP Channel Group (http://www.cmpchannelgroup.com/)

CMP Channel Group is the one stop shop customers turn to in order to meet their global sales channel objectives from access to execution. Through use of its family of channel solutions which include CRN and VARBusiness, the ChannelWeb network, the Group's XChange worldwide face-to-face conferences and the Institute for Partner Education & Development (IPED), vendors are able to accelerate sales through the channel. CMP Channel Group provides a worldwide answer to advertising, branding and marketing services, lead generation, market intelligence, branded and custom events, education of solution providers and best practices for vendors.

About VARBusiness (http://www.channelweb.com/)

For the past 20 years, VARBusiness' strategic resources have been the gateway to the commercial and public sector (or government) Solution Provider community. The VARBusiness integrated platform of media opportunities provides strategic insight for technology integrators through industry-defining research, in-depth editorial, channel events and innovative Web services, enabling these IT professionals to make educated decisions for their businesses, partnerships and customers. VARBusiness offerings lead vendors and distributors to unprecedented access to the most powerful strategic Solution Providers in the market. VARBusiness has been the recipient of numerous industry awards for both editorial content and design.

About CMP Technology (http://www.cmp.com/)

CMP Technology is a marketing-solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

  Contact
  Laura Allen
  CMP Channel Group's VARBusiness
  Lallen@cmp.com
  516.562.7766

SOURCE: CMP Technology

CONTACT: Laura Allen, of CMP Channel Group's VARBusiness,
+1-516-562-7766, Lallen@cmp.com

Web site: http://www.cmp.com/
http://www.secondlife.com/
http://secondlife.com/community/downloads.php
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cisco%20Systems%203/36/255/22
http://www.cmpchannelgroup.com/
http://www.crn.com/

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