We’re Getting the Band Back Together—at the Summit!

Since our last ASAP in-person conference took place way back in 2019, it’s not an understatement to say that a lot of us who are part of ASAP—board, staff, advisory board, members—are getting very excited about gathering together once again in person. That’s right—in person!

The ASAP Global Alliance Summit takes place April 20–21 in Tampa, Fla., and while so many of us have been extremely grateful to have the ability to meet and see each other virtually over all these long pandemic months, there’s no question that ASAP members are looking forward to our first opportunity to be in a room together, see old friends and colleagues, and maybe meet our next potential partners as well.

Alliance management, after all, is a people business. It’s about relationships, connecting, knowing whom to call to get something done or to resolve a challenging issue. The human element remains paramount in our work, and while we’ve moved mountains virtually for quite some time now, it’s far more optimal—and fun—to do it in the presence of actual living, breathing humans.

Out of the Storm, into the Sunshine

So the best news about the upcoming Summit is that the in-person element you’ve been missing—and everything that goes with it—is back. As in the pre-pandemic past, this year’s Summit will feature multiple networking meals, breaks, receptions, and of course the all-important “hallway conversations” we’ve longed for.

In addition, the programming itself promises to be compelling, from the executive panels, master classes, roundtables, and other presentations to the plenaries, which for 2022 feature a mix of exciting and insightful speakers. Some of them will already be familiar to ASAP audiences—like Tiffani Bova of Salesforce and Jay McBain of Forrester Research—while others are brand-new, like Cherie Gartner, senior vice president of  go-to-market strategy and global head of strategic alliances at PTC, and Mark Denton, master executive team coach, world-class sailor, and founder of Navigate the Storm (which sounds kind of like what we’ve all been doing over the past two years, doesn’t it?).

In fact, according to ASAP president and CEO Michael Leonetti, CSAP, this in-person Summit will be a time not only for celebrating getting back together again, but also for regrouping and taking stock, given the challenges of the last two years.

“In all this time we’ve learned so much, gained so much capability, we have all-new tools and many new practices,” Leonetti said, “but the joy and the absolute efficiency of being together at the Summit is long awaited and highly desirable. For me as well it’s about having the opportunity to engage the advisory board and our members at large in a face-to-face discussion about the future of our profession. And I’m excited to hear the plenary speakers—I really think that Mark, Cherie, Tiffani, and Jay will inspire and motivate us not only as collaborative leaders, but as business professionals. I’m looking forward to recharging our batteries, getting together as a member community, and looking at the future of the alliance and partnering profession.”

Peer Group: Your Colleagues Will Be There!

Thinking about going to the Summit? You won’t be alone. Other ASAP members who have already made their reservations are now weighing in. Here’s just a sampling of what we heard from a few key alliance leaders who are heading to Tampa:

Laura McCluer, CSAP, vice president of global alliances at Xactly Corp.:

“I am attending the ASAP Summit and will be on a panel at the event. I’m looking forward to going to the Summit because I haven’t been to one in a while. It’s a great opportunity for me to step out of the fray of the day-to-day, hear new ideas, and gain a greater perspective by networking and learning from others. We are operating in a whole new world, and I am looking forward to hearing how others are navigating through it, how they are thinking creatively to accomplish their goals in this new business environment.”

Drew Quinlan, CA-AM, vice president of strategic alliances at RingCentral and ASAP board vice chairman, who will also be on a panel at the Summit: “I am bringing about 15 people from my organization to attend. For me, this is about [several] things:

• Learning best practices from industry leaders
• Offering enablement to my team to improve their skill set
• Employee retention because they feel like they are growing
• Using it as a team meeting, which hasn’t happened in two years due to COVID
• Networking for my alliance managers and myself on future partnerships
• Giving back to the community at large that I have derived so much value from.”

Dave Luvison, CSAP, PhD, executive in residence at Loyola University Maryland: “I’m actually going at the invitation of Mike Leonetti to present to the ASAP [advisory] board on the afternoon of the 19th [at the Leadership Forum]. My interest, which is specific to what I’m presenting, is to better understand how ASAP members actually understand the concept of collaboration, apart from cooperation and coordination. I’m speaking in the capacity of an academic and trying to untangle some of the conflation that has occurred in the academic literature on these topics as well as present some ideas from research as to why untangling these constructs could improve ASAP members’ ability to better manage their alliances.”

Jessica Wadd, partner at Vantage Partners, who is teaching a master class at the Summit on go-to-market best practices and also moderating a panel on making go-to-market partnerships work:

“I’m thrilled to discuss the role of partnerships in helping companies drive growth, and to do so in-person after all this time.”  

Lynnelle Pittet, CSAP, senior director of alliance management at Wave Life Sciences:

“After two years attending virtual conferences, I am very excited to be attending the ASAP Global Alliance Summit in April. While virtual conferences have allowed us to continue learning and networking throughout the pandemic, I have missed the in-person networking opportunities. I am looking forward to reconnecting with ASAP members and meeting new people in person—and I appreciate all that ASAP is doing to keep us safe while doing so.”

We couldn’t have said it any better! Be sure to join these alliance luminaries and all your colleagues, partners, and peers at the in-person 2022 ASAP Global Alliance Summit, April 20–21, in Tampa, Fla. For more information and to register, go to www.asapsummit.org.