This was initially posted on the ABB Website, you can see the original post here.

On the 7th and 8th of March, 2017, our Asia Sales team hosted an event in Ho Chi Minh City on UPS and power protection. This summit, “Partners in Power”, was the first of its kind in Vietnam and was attended by channel partners offering the UPS product portfolio including sales, support, service and engineering. The partner summit provided an excellent opportunity for channel partners to obtain an in-depth look at new technology and explore business development opportunities.

The event was a great success and saw the attendance of virtually all partners from the region. Special thanks must be extended to Derrick Koh, Regional Sales Manager, whose sterling work made it possible for so many to attend.

A casual drink reception and aperitif was held at Le Méridien Saigon Hotel on the evening before the event. This gave the guests an ideal opportunity to get to know each other, exchange information and build up a network of contacts.

Next morning, the event was opened by Amina Hamidi, Product Group Manager, who outlined the company’s strategy and what the overall plan for the business is in the coming years. More details on this topic were then given by Kevin Bickerstaffe, who described market differentiation strategies and ways that ABB can combine its unique sector knowledge, technology leadership and digital expertise to expand the business.

There followed product roadmaps updates from Elina Hermunen, the latest news and insights from the factory from Pierre Gubelmann and a perspective on our service business delivered by Zoltan Gal.

After lunch, a sales overview was given by ABB's regional sales manager, Derrick Koh. Derrick has much experience in this area and his presentation provided the delegates with much food for thought. Presentations by Douglas Whitmer, Bruce Bennett and a discussion on Asian reference cases were followed by an open-floor Q&A session that provoked much interesting debate.

After the close of the day’s proceedings, the guest prepared themselves for the evening’s gala dinner in the spectacular Elisa Floating restaurant located in the port area of Ho Chi Minh City. The dinner provided yet another opportunity for the guests to become colleagues and build up personal relationships – an aspect that makes future collaboration easier and more successful. The event team organized a wonderful evening of food and drink as well as song, dance and entertainment in which everyone participated.

On the second day of the event, the formal presentations gave way to breakout sessions in the morning in which a variety of topics were discussed and feedback and ideas collected.

Overall, the event was hailed by all as a great success. It provided an excellent opportunity to showcase ABB's development in the UPS and power protection markets as well as provide a forum for building up interpersonal contacts. And, of course, everyone had a good time!

The closing words can be left to Derrick Koh: “Excellent organization, great atmosphere, team spirit, great entertainment, good sessions - will be done again in two years time!”