The ASCII Edge MSP event series stopped in Newark last week, hosting managed service and IT solution providers at the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott on May 24-25. It was the fourth location on The ASCII Group’s 2023 two-day, multicity conference tour. ASCII Edge is an evolution of the company’s flagship conferences, formerly called ASCII Success Summits, and includes more than 20 strategy sessions covering operations, technical, leadership, marketing, and sales topics.
On day one, Jessie Devine, vice president of channel development for ASCII, welcomed attendees, who heard sessions on security, organizational maturity, retaining Level 1 techs, procurement, and more. The day also featured two peer presentations by Ken Wong, founder and CEO of DragonTek International, on “Hacker’s Perspective: Is Your MSP Ready for Me?"; and Brian Johnson, CEO of AVC Technology, presented “Building Blocks MSPs Need to Achieve Repeatable Growth YoY"
In addition, there was a panel discussion on "Quiet Quitting - How to Inspire, Motivate and Keep Staff," with executives from Inky, Nodeware, and Orbital Fire discussing real-world strategies.
The day ended with an evening networking reception.
Day two opened with an early bird session on the dark web, followed by a welcome from Jerry Koutavas, ASCII Group president. Keynote speaker Brittany Hodak discussed how to turn customers into lifelong partners. Hokak shared the proprietary five-step SUPER Fan System she developed running successful campaigns and products for globally known brands.
There were sessions throughout the day on automation, growing MRR with a managed cloud desktop, cybersecurity, overcoming profit and budget challenges, and more, plus a live hacking demo.
The peer session on solving talent and hiring challenges at 25% the salaries your competitors are paying was delivered by David Stinner, founder and CEO of US itek.
Wrapping up the day was keynoter Blake Lemoine, an ex-Google engineer who saw first-hand the cutting edge of artificial intelligence and where it will lead. Lemoine separated fact from fiction about AI, highlighting advances and how they will disrupt industries, and examining how MSPs can leverage these technologies to grow their businesses.
In addition, attendees voted to award the following:
- Best Keynote Day 1: HelpDesk.tech
- Best Market Opportunity Day 1: Galactic Advisors
- Best Education Day 1: CyberGuard360
- Best Presentation Day 1: HelpDesk.tech
- Best Newcomer: Phin Security
- Best Keynote Day 2: CyberQP
- Best Market Opportunity Day 2: US Signal
- Best Education Day 2: CyberQP
- Best Presentation Day 2: Kaseya (IT Complete)
- Best Partner Incentives: US Signal
- Best Partner Support: Pax8
- Best Revenue Generator: CyberGuard360
- Best Channel Program: Pax8
- Most Innovative Solution: CloudRadial
- Best Featured Educational Session: Ken Wong
- Best in Show: CyberGuard360
- Best Partner Incentives: Cloudli, Pax8, SecurityStudio
The ASCII Group is a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, MSSPs, and solution providers. Next up on the ASCII Edge tour is the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. area on June 21-22. For more info go here.
