Live from MSP Summit at Channel Partners Conference & Expo 2025 – Las Vegas

In a podcast recorded live at the MSP Summit, part of the Channel Partners 2025 event in Las Vegas, Doug Green of Technology Reseller News sat down with Charlene Ignacio, founder of Fornix Marketing, to unpack a bold message: “Stop doing events.”

But Ignacio isn’t anti-events — she’s calling out the three costly mistakes vendors make when they show up at trade shows unprepared and hope for leads without a plan.

“You’re spending $20K, $40K, sometimes more for a booth, travel, and team… and you haven’t even gotten a single lead yet,” said Ignacio.

Here are the three areas where vendors go wrong — and how to fix them:

Unclear Lead Strategy

Not everyone walking by your booth is a lead. Ignacio urges vendors to define what qualifies as a lead before the show and to research whether the event’s audience actually matches your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile).

Untrained Sales Teams

“Events are a different kind of sales,” said Ignacio. Booth staff need event-specific training — knowing how to engage quickly, qualify fast, and handle the booth with energy and clarity.

No Follow-Up Plan

Too often, leads collected on badge scanners or apps go nowhere. “You’re back at work the next day, and you forget all the names you collected,” said Ignacio. Build your post-event follow-up strategy before the show begins.

For MSPs, she also recommends starting small — hyper-targeted events like lunch-and-learns or local chambers of commerce may outperform big expos if the audience is right.

Want to level up your events? Connect with Charlene at fornixmarketing.com or find her on LinkedIn.

Listen to the full podcast at telecomreseller.com or on your favorite podcast platform.