IT Nation Insights: Taking Orlando by Storm

Even Hurricane Nicole couldn’t keep the IT Nation from meeting, eating, learning and being inspired by headliner speakers. Here’s what the BigOrange Marketing team took away from the largest gathering of MSP community members in 2022, held November 9-11 in Orlando: 

1. Labor is on everyone’s mind. Breakout sessions that addressed where to find new recruits and how to deal with “quiet quitting” were packed with attendees. 
2. The toolbox just keeps getting bigger. ConnectWise rolled out a wide range of new and updated tools to make MSPs’ lives easier in terms of selling, gathering customer feedback, tapping into helpful data and becoming more profitable. The software so many IT companies rely on hosted the conference and had plenty of staff on hand to explain all their new offerings. 
3. Cyber security services are hot. If you’re an MSP that offers cyber security services, Allan Walters, of W. O’Donnell Consulting, provided some unique insights into marketing. He believes organizations looking for security expertise may search for firms that don’t look like “the IT guys down the street.” He recommended MSPs consider launching sister websites that focus solely on security services. (Shameless plug: If you’re ready to launch a spin-off site, we’d be happy to help.)  
4. Marketing is top of mind, too. Our BigOrange session, where Margee Moore discussed marketing tactics to use in a recession, was standing-room-only, as were other sales and marketing breakouts. Oh, and we were thrilled to give away our hot-off-the-presses book at the talk, too.  
5. Tiny little habits can help you crush big goals. Keynote speaker James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, explained how small improvements, like visual cues, can help you change your vision of yourself.  Not a veggie lover today? We learned from James about how just having veggies out in the open in your kitchen can change all that. 
6. A true friend tells you when you have spinach in your teeth. Radical Candor author Kim Scott told the 4,700 IT Nation attendees how being completely honest and giving genuinely constructive criticism can be helpful – not an invitation to be a big jerk.  
7. Every day starts better with a big buffet breakfast, followed by snack breaks, a tasty lunch, happy hour, a hefty dinner… and a chocolate fountain. In the IT Nation, there’s always good food around to fortify attendees and drinks to help make the networking easier. We met people from around the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Europe: Everyone was happy to be inside as the wind and rains blew the palm trees around outside.
8. No animals were harmed in the making of the show. One exhibitor did, however, bring puppies to their booth, counting on baby canine cuteness to lure conference goers in. (It worked, of course.)

See You Next Year!

If you work in tech, but haven’t been to IT Nation, we’d recommend it.  And, if you’d like to hear more about the best marketing tactics for a recession, contact us for a link to our slide deck.