VISION ’22 Recap
Our Best One Yet!
VISION ’22 is in the books, and this year’s event was truly one for the ages. It set the bar high for VISION ’23, and we’re already feeling pressure to start planning next year’s event!
But before looking ahead, we want to look back at last week’s events. So without further ado, here’s your recap of VISION ’22. If you were in attendance, we hope this is a fun trip down memory lane. And if you missed out … there’s always next year!
Venue — The Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star
VISION conferences are all about teaching MSPs to ‘go big,’ and the venue for this year’s conference was definitely in keeping with that theme.
VISION ’22 took place at the beautiful Omni Frisco Hotel in the heart of The Star, a 91-acre entertainment district built around the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and the Ford Center. The vibrant area is packed with restaurants, shops, and Cowboys-themed awesomeness. It’s such a cool setting, we’re pretty sure even non-Cowboys fans dug it!
A huge shout-out to the hotel staff for their consummate professionalism, punctuality, and warmth — y’all crushed it!
Main Stage Sessions
MSPs come to VISION because they’re looking to grow, and they know — or have heard — that our annual conference is packed with content to help them do just that. This year, our main stage speakers delivered the goods and then some! Some highlights …
Panel Discussions
Attendees were treated to two panels at VISION ’22. The 20’s own Crystal McFerran (CMO), moderated “Ain’t No Rabbits” – How Marketing Magic Really Works, featuring top-tier marketers Jimmy Hatzell, Andra Hedden, Emalee Sugano, and Dana Liedholm. The conversation was fantastic and chock-full of insights and advice for growing MSPs. And props to Dana for stepping in at the last minute!
The second panel – Actionable Strategies to Grow Your MSP – featured a group of MSP owners who are doing big things and growing their companies like crazy. Chris Traxler moderated the discussion, and was joined on stage by Eric Emerson, Christian Wartchow, Seana Fippin and Gary Blawat. As members of The 20 MSP Group, these savvy entrepreneurs have risen to the top of the MSP game, and at VISION ’22, they generously shared their knowledge with the MSP community.
Hot Topics
VISION ’22 gave MSPs fresh insights into a variety of timely topics …
Joseph Brunsman’s presentation, brought to attendees by MSP360, broke down cyber insurance on a level that impressed us all. The amount of useful and actionable information that Joseph shared was next-level!
Like cyber insurance, M&A activity is currently a hot topic in the MSP space. VISION attendees got to hear from Scott Renkes and Ted Gwara from Pinecrest Capital Partners, a PE firm that served as The 20’s exclusive financial advisor on our ten recent MSP acquisitions. We’ve benefitted immensely from their guidance, and so too will MSPs that caught Scott and Ted’s illuminating presentation.
The 20’s own Ken Pecot (COO) spoke to the MSP community about analytics — how to use them, which ones to use, and why they’re crucial to the success of any growth-minded MSP. No one understands this topic better than Ken, whose expertise has helped The 20 in profound and measurable ways.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing are crucial to MSP growth, but MSPs tend to struggle with one if not both things. At VISION ’22, our very own Michael Bone delivered an energetic and engaging presentation that helped MSP owners in attendance see what successful sales is really about. And Nabila Moumen from HubSpot took a trip across the pond to give a wonderful presentation on inbound marketing and how to leverage it effectively using next-generation tools. After hearing from Nabila and Michael, we’re pretty sure VISION attendees are going to return to their own sales and marketing programs with newfound enthusiasm and confidence!
Two CEOs Raise the Roof … and Some Money Too!
What happens when a couple of straight shooters — and two of the most successful CEOs in the Channel — sit down to talk shop?
We found out at VISION ’22, where Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya, sat down with our own Tim Conkle to discuss the state of the channel. Fred and Tim rocked the house, shared exciting news about what their respective organizations have in store, and initiated an impromptu donation-matching exercise with the audience. The result was $140k raised for The Coventry Reserve, a community that helps adults with special needs live a full, active, and purposeful life.
The 20 MSP Members Only Half-Day
On Friday, it was ‘just us chickens’ (MSP members of The 20 MSP Group), and we wasted no time at all.
Our CEO Tim Conkle kicked off the Members Only Half-Day with an overview of what’s on the horizon for The 20 MSP and for our group of MSP members. Ken Pecot talked about service delivery and gave a preview of some exciting changes in store. Michael Bone and Andrew Churilla gave a powerful presentation on the “art of prospecting.” And Crystal McFerran moderated an excellent panel on MSP marketing, sharing with members both “hard and easy truths.”
It was gratifying to see our tight-knit community come together and get down to brass tacks. Collaborating, cooperating, and conquering this industry together is what The 20’s all about, it’s what VISION’s all about, and it’s why our MSP members are growing fast and having a blast. Good stuff, everyone!
Breakout Sessions
VISION ’22 featured six breakout sessions led by companies at the forefront of innovation in managed IT services: Marketopia, ConnectBooster, SpearTip, SaaS Alerts, Kaseya, Cytracom, and ThreatLocker. Participants got to delve into key topics in cybersecurity, sales, marketing, and more, and came away from the breakouts with actionable insights to grow their businesses.
We’d like to thank our sponsors for planning these awesome sessions, and for your overall participation at VISION this year. Your energy and presence were awesome! And a big thanks to everyone who attended the breakouts, as well. It’s great seeing peers tackle problems and questions collaboratively — hey, that’s what we do at The 20!
Three-note Speakers!
An Emmy Award winning reporter, a retired Navy SEAL lieutenant, and a bestselling author walk into an IT conference … No, this isn’t the start of a joke; it’s what happened this year at VISION ’22, where we were lucky enough to hear from not one, not two, but three outstanding keynote speakers:
- Chris Gardner — Businessman, Entrepreneur, and Author of the Bestselling memoir The Pursuit of Happyness
- Jeff Crilley — Emmy Award Winning Reporter and Publicity Mastermind
- Jason Redman — Retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant and Leadership Expert
But wait, none of these people work in IT — what are they doing speaking at an IT conference? Teaching MSP owners how to kick a** not only in business, but in life — that’s what they were doing!
Chris Gardner’s presentation taught us what it means to dream big and what it takes to turn those big dreams into big wins. Jeff Crilley taught us that “marketing without money” isn’t an oxymoron, but something every MSP can do to stand out from the crowd. And Jason Redman brought us to our feet with his amazing story of survival, redemption, and the extraordinary power of positive thinking.
A heartfelt thank you to all three of our keynote speakers. Your words moved us all.
Party Time!
If three keynote speakers are better than one, so are three parties! There was no shortage of opportunities to have fun this year at VISION …
- Rooftop Kickoff Party — Featuring the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad and live music from The Buffalo Ruckus
- Happy Hour on the Field — Food and drinks out on Tostitos Championship Plaza
- VISION PARTY! — This year’s VISION PARTY was so much fun, Zeke Elliott showed up!
Why so many parties? Because we believe having fun is an important part of running your own business and being an entrepreneur. Fun is what energizes and inspires you. It’s what keeps you going and allows you to face the next obstacle down the road. If you’re a business owner, having fun is seriously important.
Plus, we just like to party!
A Few Final Thoughts
Looking back at VISION ’22, it’s hard not to arrive at the following realization: when people get together in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration, something special happens. Magical even.
And let’s face it, running a business is hard work. It takes determination, perseverance, and guts. But the struggle, while often overwhelming to someone working alone, becomes something more when it’s shared with others. It becomes a journey, an adventure, a source of inspiration and fun.
So THANK YOU everyone for your presence and participation at VISION ’22. Y’all make VISION what it is — a celebration of community and the power of togetherness.
Now, let’s get out there and have ourselves a big year!