Evolving to meet the future head on was a clear theme of VOW’s Partner Event on 6 March 2014, held at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.

An entertaining, fast paced day saw more than 280 attendees including VOW+ partners, leading manufacturers, dealer groups, service providers and guest speakers join forces to address industry opportunities and challenges, learn about the latest products and services in VOW’s popular Interactive Zone and hear speeches from Nev Wilshire, founder of the Save Britain Money group and star of BBC3’s ‘The Call Centre’; Max McKeown, author of The Strategy Book and VOW managing director Adrian Butler among others.

VOW+ partners were thanked for their commitment and loyalty and congratulated on their collective sales growth in 2013 by Adrian Butler, who also highlighted VOW’s successes of 2013 including strong market share growth and a £5 million logistics investment. Adrian looked at challenges across the sector, including changing purchasing trends, price transparency and e-commerce, which all pose questions to resellers around cost to serve, people development and new business generation.

VOW’s Helen Beckett introduced two key VOW+ services for 2014, LaunchPad Phase 2, a highly targeted new business pipeline referral service and VOW’s Joe Walker launching Aspire the new people development programme, both built by or in collaboration with VOW+ partners..

An entertaining talk from Nev Wilshire of BBC3’s The Call Centre urged everyone to regard their people as their greatest asset and look after them, while Max McKeown outlined why and how everyone should shape their future and seek ‘paradise’.

For the second year running, VOW’s evening networking event was transformed into a black tie gala dinner and awards ceremony to celebrate VOW+ partners’ successes in 2013 with eleven awards handed out to VOW+ partners as well as the Supplier Stand of the Show award. The award winning resellers included:

VOW+ Partners of the Year: Quality Office Supplies Ltd, Office is, OfficeScape and Wessex Malthouse
Secure Shredding Partner of the Year: Bates Office
Printreview Partner of the Year: UOE
Watercoolers Partner of the Year: Whittakers
FS Reseller of the Year: Commercial Group
Furniture Reseller of the Year: Office is
EOS Reseller of the Year: Quality Office Supplies Ltd

The Supplier Stand of the year went to Newell Rubbermaid.

VOW’s National Sales Director Martin Weedall: “It was a pleasure to see so many VOW+ partners from right across the UK at the Partner Event. The feedback we’ve already had suggests this was our best conference to date, with the right level of information and entertainment to ensure everyone made the most of their time with us. The Interactive Zone was the base for a range of fun and informative stands featuring more than 35 of our suppliers and was a huge hit, as was the VOW+ Zone which gave partners the chance to review the exclusive tools and services available to them.

“We were delighted to share this quality time with our loyal and committed partners and discuss what we all can do now to create the best possible future for the sector as a whole and as individual businesses.”

Newell Rubbermaid’s Claire Reay: “Yet again VOW has pulled off the event of the year for their valued partner customers. This is an event that is essential for suppliers to attend. It guarantees connection with all of the UK’s biggest and most proactive resellers in a manner that would just not be possible for many suppliers.

Although I know most of the contacts, this year I took away a number of leads from new contacts as well as agreeing support and promotions with the more regular crowd. This is all only possible due to the impeccable attention to detail that the VOW event team put into every aspect of the day. Another excellent VOW+ Partner event landed….here’s to 2015.”

Duncan Jones from Office is, commented “It was a really well organised day and a good opportunity to mix with both manufacturers and VOW personnel, but the real value of many of the VOW events is the sense of community and genuine support that fellow dealers offer”