Aimed at bringing worldwide partners together, Advantech recently arranged two World Partner Conferences. The first conference was held in Beijing, China from 18th to 21st May, and the second was held in Cincinnati, USA from 2nd to 4th June. The two events attracted over 300 system integrators, channel partners and key accounts from all over the world. Both events were given great feedback by the attendees, and are certainly going to be repeated in the future.

Greater China Partner Conference
For the Greater China Partner Conference, we had chosen a nice hot spring hotel and resort in the suburbs of Beijing because of the relaxing surroundings. This memorable event was based on the theme of creating a rewarding future together with our partners, and was themed; "Gong Hao - connect to eAutomation Innovation".

The Partner Conference brought together esteemed industry leaders focused on eAutomation technology, applications, trends, and products. The keynote speech was by expert speakers from MicroSoft® and was entitled ".NET Technology's impact on manufacturing and process control". Professor Yang from Chin Hua University's department of Automated Engineering made a speech entitled "Automating technology development and the opportunities in the China market."

Advantech's top executives covered the automation industry's state-of-the-art technologies and probable future directions, while solution booths and product showcases gave comprehensive and informative product demonstrations.

The event began with a cocktail reception where all Advantech personnel wore the new uniform consisting of a blue shirt with an orange tie for men, or a scarf for women. The General Manager of Greater China, Mr. Chaney Ho gave a speech focused on Advantech's operational strategy in China, and the view to become the leading global ePlatform service provider, based upon the Greater China region as a growth driver. Currently, there are branch offices or subsidiaries in 20 major cities in China, and over 100 distributors in 33 cities. The sales focus for 2005 is "the customer-oriented business model", and "service as the core competence". An example of this can be the current practice of offering customers certified application engineers for on-site service, and additionally providing a customization service to various industries. The two R&D centers in Beijing and Xian's customized product R&D division develop railway/power plant communication and data processing platforms, and develop special driver and operations system based on standard products.

President of IAG, Ming Chin Wu did a speech with the topic "Connect to eAutomation with Customer-Driven Innovation", and in this he talked about eAutomation trends, IAG innovation in terms of products, solutions, selling models and marketing tools. He conducted a presentation on the overall automation business and market trends, including Ethernet/wireless communications, embedded technology, PC-based automation and the trend towards a more open structure. The star products included: Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) - ADAM-5000, ADAM-6000, the fanless UNO series, PC-based SoftLogic Controllers, embedded platforms, building automation solutions, and mobile automation.

Sales VP of Asia, Howard Lin illustrated "Building a growing partnership" - The Customer's Success is Advantech's Success". He stressed Advantech's competitive advantage in customization capabilities, including platform I/O communication and integration, small quantities, a wide variety production model, strict quality control with a global logistics service, marketing services, sales services and maintenance services.
In the afternoon, the product division heads presented the product strategy in order to keep customers and partners updated with our product development status. Then we divided into two rooms to present and discuss specific solutions using ourstar products. We demonstrated the latest results and the future of Advantech's Industrial Automation Group, plus new applications for various vertical markets in the extensive exhibit area by Advantech partners from China and Taiwan.

In the morning of day 2, China sales director - Allan Tsay presented on the "Advantech Certified Solution Partner" (ACSP). The core value is the work with Advantech to create business opportunities. In addition, Advantech China will also provide customer care services to our ACSPs. Those who become an ACSP can enjoy the benefits of free technical training, advanced technology transfers, industry solution forums, top management forums and TIC 100 mentors.

In the afternoon of day 2, partners from different vertical markets shared their experiences using successful application examples from power plants, machine automation, automatic test equipment, building automation, intelligent transportation system and environmental monitoring systems. We believe the demonstrations will stimulate business opportunities and provide inspiration for innovation among customers, Advantech, and partners.

In addition to the intensive conference, we also had exciting dinner parties with cultural performances, and star product/booth awards. Lucky draws were made on day 1, with prizes including IPod audio players, digital cameras and digital video cameras. On the afternoon of day 2, the attendees visited the Beijing office, and had a very enjoyable BBQ dinner in the garden. We also invited 40 members of the media including magazines such as "Control Engineering in China" and "Application of Electronic Technique", and we received extensive event coverage.
This successful event demonstrated that we are driven to connect our partners and customers with our innovative portfolio of products and solutions.

Cincinnati World Partner Conference
What do you get when you mix Advantechers, partners, fireworks, and a racetrack? A week of fun at Advantech's World Partner Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

On day one of the sessions, Ming-Chin Wu, Advantech IAG's President, shared the vision of Advantech with the 160 partners invited to attend the conference. Partners also learned about Advantech's future products and strategies for success, and were treated to a speech about the future of embedded computing from Microsoft.

Day one wrapped up with a B&B Riverboats cruisedownthe Ohio River. B&B specializes in classic paddle-boat ship cruises with elegant meals and a fun atmosphere. Once the sun went down, everyone on board was told to rush to one side of the boat, where they were surprised with a display of fireworks. The cruise ended with a gigantic "Advantech" sign, lit up in fireworks.

Day two of the World Partner Conference focused on the operational and marketing aspects of Advantech's future, with special guest speakers from M2M Magazine and the University of Cincinnati. The afternoon consisted of partners sharing their successes with Advantech products and guests meeting to discuss future business in a special exhibit area.

The last day of the conference featured a workshop to highlight the potential strategies of success in each of the major markets that Advantech focuses on - Europe, Asia, and North America. After the workshop, partners were taken by bus to either River Downs horse racetrack or Newport on the Levee, a popular entertainment and shopping destination.

"Meeting people who you deal with everyday face-to-face was very rewarding," said Sean Schwarm, FSE at AAC. "I felt like I got to know partners in a way that would not have been possible without a Conference."

"Everyone I talked to said the whole event was nothing but first class," said Colin Hughes, sales specialist at AAC. "We need to do this sort of thing now and then to bolster relationships with the partners."

The Advantech IAG World Partner Conference has been regarded as a resounding success by everyone in attendance, and AAC hopes to hold another conference in coming years.