CRN launches Channel Champion Awards 2008

Sydney’s Shangri La Hotel will once again play host to this year’s Australian CRN Channel Champion Awards on 7 November.

At last year’s event, 350 of the channel’s top players gathered to celebrate their achievements. This year's ceremony will be even bigger with at least 400 in attendance.

Raising an impressive $70,000 for the Cancer Council of Australia last year, the awards will remain dedicated to generating funds for the charity through ticket sales and proceeds from the auction on the night.

However, there will be changes to the awards format with the introduction of a third party voting system which will allow CRN readers to decide the winner of the vendor and distributor categories.

Another new feature will be the formation of three awards to recognise local resellers who have excelled in the past 12 months. Resellers will be asked to nominate themselves, with further details of the nomination process set to appear online in coming weeks.

Nominations will also be called to decide this year's Channel Champion and Reseller Channel Champion. Michael Costigan from distributor Avnet and Wayne Small from reseller Correct Solutions won the accolades in 2007.

Helen Frost, managing editor at CRN publisher, Haymarket Media, said she is already planning the gala night. "It was great to hear the feedback from last year's event and we hope the 2008 Channel Champion Awards will be even better. We are working hard to formulate the nomination process and will be calling on our readers to cast the deciding vote for the vendor and distributor communities."