I’ve never been to Channel Partners. If you’re in the same boat, the Channel Partners 2026 first-timer guide is a solid starting point. From everything I’m hearing, this year is going to be big. April 13 through 16 at the Venetian in Las Vegas. They added longer expo hours, a beer garden on the floor, podcast zones, and a golf competition.
But here’s what I actually care about: the MSP Summit running alongside it. The sessions on AI, automation, and what they’re calling “the next era of the technology channel” aren’t just buzzword panels. The conference season survival guide has practical tips for making these sessions count. The speakers are people who run businesses that are being reshaped by this stuff in real time.
My plan if you’re going: skip the keynotes you can watch on YouTube later. Hit the expo floor before it gets crowded, have ten real conversations, and go to at least two sessions that are outside your normal lane. The best things I’ve learned in this industry came from talks I didn’t plan on attending. And as Danny wrote, everything important happens after 9 PM.
For early-career folks, the early career playbook for Channel Partners week is worth reading before you book your flight. And if you’re still getting oriented, our overview of what the telecom channel is will give you the vocabulary you need on the expo floor.
If you see ChannelPulse there, come say hi. We’ll be covering it live.