VISION ’24 Recap: A Golden Success!
The show’s over, folks. But the memories, the lessons, the energy – in short, that “VISION Magic” remains.
VISION ’24 was your MSP’s path to the gold standard, and we hope you’re excited about the road ahead – about your MSP’s growth and the challenges you’ve resolved to overcome. But it can’t hurt to take a moment to look back at an unforgettable couple of days.
So, we warmly invite you to join us as celebrate the highlights and relive some of the magical moments that defined VISION ’24…
Tuesday – It’s Time!
You could feel the electricity in the room as MSPs from all over the country rolled in and got registered. The Renaissance Hotel provided a beautiful backdrop for the MSP event of the year, and everywhere you looked, there was something or someone to inspire you.
At 5 pm, the Hotel Expo Area filled with attendees as the VISION ’24 Kickoff Party got under way. An electric violinist roamed, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders shone, and first-time VISION attendees got to see for themselves why the unofficial VISION slogan is: This sh*t is awesome!
Wednesday – Let the Games Begin!
Day 1 of VISION started with a bang as Tim Conkle, The 20’s founder and CEO, took the stage for a presentation that entertained, enlightened, and lit a fire under our collective butts. Want Gold? Start Digging. delivered hard-earned insights on what it takes to make it big in this industry.
Tim delved into three key differentiators – pipeline, pitch, and scaling at parity – and shared some hard truths that every MSP out there would benefit from hearing. Judging by the many nodding heads in the room, he got through to a lot of MSPs during those fifty minutes.
After Tim, it was one great session after another, starting with Full Speed Ahead, a special keynote address from author, speaker, and Olympian, Vince Poscente. We knew it was on when Vince started his presentation standing up on a chair and talking faster than an auctioneer after six espresso shots.
Thank you, Vince, for the amazing insights, the gripping stories, and the big laughs. Check out Vince’s book, The Ant and the Elephant, to learn more about his groundbreaking approach to doing the near-impossible.
Rounding out Day 1 were a host of awesome sessions, including…
The Pulse of the Channel – An unfiltered conversation between two industry legends: Tim Conkle of The 20 and Rob Rae of Pax8. One key takeaway: AI is here, and it’s about to start pervading everything. For MSPs, the goal is clear: make sure it’s us managing this new and exciting technology.
Shout-out to Rob for giving us two sessions in one day!
Private Equity POV: Increasing Your MSP’s Value – Barrett Kingsriter of Pinecrest Capital took us on a deep dive into why PE firms love investing in MSPs, what types of MSPs they love the most, and what’s on the horizon as far as industry consolidation and maturation. We learned that the age of MSP platforms is upon us, and that we can expect deals to only get bigger as the big players begin to purchase MSP platforms from each other.
Check out Rich Freeman’s detailed breakdown to catch up on all the M&A insights from VISION.
Inside the Exit: Tales from the Other Side – This panel rocked. Expertly moderated by The 20’s own Crystal Conkle (CMO), Inside the Exit gave attendees an intimate look at the selling experiences of five different MSPs. The stories shared were packed with detailed advice rooted in real-life experience.
A big shout-out to all five panelists – Caleb Brown, Mark Elliott, Bob Falco, Lance Keltner, and Wayne Klug. Y’all were so generous with your knowledge and wonderfully articulate in your responses.
On Day 1, attendees also learned the ins and outs of Kaseya’s game-changing platform, IT Complete, saw the power of AI in action, and heard from three stellar companies and VISION ’24 Gold Sponsors: N-able, Cytracom, and Phin Security.
After a full day of sessions, it was time for a Happy Hour event just down the road at Legacy Hall. Drinks were drunk, connections made, and a great time had by all. Night owls and party animals kept the ball rollin’ at a special Platinum After Party hosted by Chris Wiser of 7 Figure MSP™. No one parties like The 20!
Thursday – A Day to Remember
Day 2 of VISION was PACKED. We were honored to be joined by retired US Army Colonel and entrepreneur, Jeff Ragland, who delivered a terrific keynote address, Leadership and Comparison: Military Perspective. Jeff’s firsthand accounts of his multiple deployments were powerful, and his advice for entrepreneurs invaluable. Thank you, Jeff, for your service, and for helping us all become better leaders.
Tough Choices Unpacked
Day 2 saw multiple speakers tackle tough questions at the very heart of what we as MSPs do…
Tim Conkle kicked things off with Riches or Royalty? The Million Dollar Question, sharing how he learned to put ego aside for his business’s success. From believing he “had to be involved if it was going to be great” to embracing a “right people in the right seats” mentality, Tim’s journey serves as a powerful illustration of the importance of ‘letting go’ to level up.
Tim also participated in a joint Thursday session with Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya. When you get Tim and Fred together, it’s ‘all bets are off,’ and The $15 Billion Perspective did not disappoint. The two CEOs broke down why MSP profit margins lag behind industries like law and offered actionable solutions. The bottom line is that MSPs deserve more, because, as Tim put it, “Without us, the world stops turning.”
Tim and Fred were also forced to make some really tough choices in real time, including Cat or Dog? and the perennial pineapples-on-pizza debate. Shout-out to Tim for joining Team Cat!
Will Slappey’s talk, Be Right or Get What You Want?, was chock-full of wisdom for MSP leaders. He reminded us that “there’s no award for ‘best stack,’ ” and he urged MSP executives to reward those who challenge them and to normalize mistakes. Great stuff, Will – and awesome hat!
After lunch it was time for an epic showdown: Titans of Industry: The Ultimate Sales Debate, Rd. 2 between Tim Conkle and Chris Wiser. The hype was real, and the session delivered! We’ll share two of many key takeaways here: (1) In the MSP world. it’s still the case that whoever owns marketing and lead gen owns the space. (2) Focus on what you’re bad at as an MSP instead of endlessly refining what you’re good at already.
Thanks for an excellent discussion, guys. And thank you, Chris, for being a good sport – you owned that Barbie Girl walk-out!
Tough choices might be tough, but you’ve got to make them if you want to get to the top of the MSP industry and join the likes of the panelists featured in 24k Moments in 2024. Moderated by The 20’s CXO, Ciera Cole, 24k Moments featured Eric Kehmeier, Seana Fippin, Scott Meeler, and Eric Emerson – four MSP professionals with a lot of wisdom to share. The discussion wasn’t just a celebration of wins, but a deep dive into the whys and hows. Really awesome, y’all!
Celebrate Good Times!
Capping off Day 2 were two celebratory events: The VISION ’24 Awards and the end-of-conference Golden Bash.
Here at The 20, we’re incredibly proud of everything our community has accomplished this past year, and it was so freakin’ special to publicly recognize specific individuals and MSPs for their outstanding work. Check out the full VISION Awards blog post (forthcoming) to find out who took home prizes. Congratulations to the winners – these awards were well-deserved to say the very least.
The Golden Bash. What can we say? If you were there, you already know – that sh*t was awesome!!! We had walking disco balls, a living statue, a physics-defying acrobat, a red carpet, a live band, and golden decorations up the wazoo. But do you know the best part?
The love! As one of our MSP members pointed out on Members-Only Day (Friday), it is SO cool to want to party till two in the morning with the folks you work with. Thanks for showing out, everyone – and for the pitch-perfect rendition of Happy Birthday for our own Misty Kaufman, without whom VISION would not be VISION.
Stay tuned for pics of the dazzling, gold-themed event…
Friday – “Just Us Chickens”
Friday was a special half-day for MSP members of The 20, or to use Tim Conkle’s preferred phrase, just us chickens. Our MSP community received crucial updates and actionable guidance from The 20’s core leadership team, and had an opportunity to ask their questions during a Q&A session.
We won’t get into the nuts and bolts of what was discussed – that’s just for us chickens – but we will share a very special moment. During the Q&A, one of our members, Brett Fippin of Red Box Business Solutions, caught the mic (yep, we had a throwable mic), and chose not to ask a question, but instead, to simply express his gratitude for The 20. Addressing The 20 leadership directly, he said, “Everybody up here has had an incredible impact on the lives of everyone here.”
Brett’s kind words not only moved us; they also shone a light on what The 20 is really all about. Sure, it’s about helping MSPs conquer their primary pain points to unlock new growth. But that’s not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is helping the people behind these MSPs – MSP owners and their teams. It’s about giving people their time back, their work/life balance back, a sense of control back. It’s about making entrepreneurs’ lives better. It’s this project that keeps us going, and it’s incredibly gratifying to hear directly from a member that we’re making a real difference.
A Texas-sized shout-out to every single member of The 20. Y’all are the lifeblood of this organization, and we couldn’t ask for a better community to take our plans and ideas and make them a reality.
Finally, THANK YOU to everyone who participated at VISION ’24: speakers, sponsors, hotel staff – y’all brought the magic and then some.
Until next time, stay golden, y’all!