With almost 5000 resellers already registered and over 90 exhibitors preparing to woo you with their services and products in Hall 19 of NEC on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 May the venue is set to be this year's event to be seen at.

Tim Wilkinson, UK Transactional Business Unit Director, Lenovo UK & Ireland said: “Channel Expo is becoming an increasing important vehicle for Lenovo. It enables us to raise our brand awareness among the partner community allowing us to connect with resellers who we don’t have existing relationships with, while building stronger ties with our existing partner community.

There is more than ever on offer this year. The two-day event offers new attractions, among which include a new credit clinic – opportune in these times of economic uncertainty – and a New Product World theatre.

Bhavesh Patel, commercial director at Ingram Micro, said: "We place a lot of importance on face-to-face events with our resellers. And this particular show gives us a fantastic opportunity to meet with our resellers, strengthen our relationships and update them on our new products and services.

"I think this show will continue to grow and improve each year. From our standpoint we will support that growth as it presents many opportunities for the channel."

The New Product World is a demonstration area - designed and brought to you by public demand - will feature eight, 15-minute product demos over the two-day event, focusing on a range of technologies.

Matthew Jones, marketing director of Widget, said: "I'm pleased to see this area there this year. It gives us a change to promote our latest and greatest. It's in one place so people don't have to go trawling all over to see a range of products. I have high hopes for it."

One of our exhibitors, Kaseya, a global provider of automation software for IT solution providers and corporate IT organisations, said it will be using Channel Expo to present what’s new in 2008. Over two days in the New Product World theatre, Kaseya will showcase the newly architectured software that supports Intel vPro processor technology, Mac OS and user state management (KUSM).

Ray Barber, Kaseya’s director of product management, said: “Applying the Intel vPro technology and the KUSM functionality available with Kaseya 2008 allows our partners to address power management and support any “green computing” initiatives at the client level rather than just in the data centre.”

Intel will be joining Kaseya at the show, to highlight the vPro integration and discuss how the partnership allows managed service providers to significantly reduce visits to customer sites, for both hardware and software problems, security updates and other management tasks allowing significant savings for customers.

Barber added: “By delivering more services from the remote management center, our channel partners can significantly improve their own efficiencies, as well as improve revenue margins for service delivery. There is also a reduced need to visit customer sites to manually repair, update and inventory machines. Less drive time contributes to an overall reduction in the carbon footprint.”

And for a little downtime why not join Kaseya on their Wii. “We invite visitors to Channel Expo to join us on the green to sink a few putts on our Wii game while learning about green computing,” said Barber.

Lenovo will demonstrate its 'No Compromises' Ultraportable Notebook PC, the ThinkPad X300. The thinnest and lightest full-function notebook in its class the, ultra-thin, ultraportable ThinkPad X300 notebook measures less than 1.85cm at its thinnest point and has a starting weight as low as 1.33kg.

The ThinkPad X300 combines a number of leading technologies such as solid-state drive storage, a LED backlit display, ultra long battery life and enhanced wireless connectivity. Rated 'Gold' by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for its superior environmental attributes, it also features a number of environmentally-conscious technologies, such as low-voltage processors.

Other attractions include the Channel Expo Trading Pods and Business Lounge area – purpose-built meeting rooms for those all-important meetings where sponsors can chat in private with customers away from the hustle-bustle of the main exhibition area. An online appointment system will be in operation via the Channel Expo website to prearrange vital meetings.

Channel Expo 2008 is the only event to bring the entire channel under one roof, showcasing the UK's most diverse range of products and services for the reseller community, encompassing hardware, applications, networking, storage and peripherals.

The education programme will feature a new an improved Masterclass Theatre this year, including a seminar programme – free to all visitors – that will be presented by industry experts and addressing topical issues facing the channel.

Dave Everitt, AMDLIVE!(tm) Evangelist, said: "AMD will be present at Channel Expo with a VIP lounge to showcase its AMD LIVE!(tm) home entertainment PCs. An AMD LIVE! PC is the ultimate digital entertainment upgrade, enabling customers to access their favourite photos, music, TV and films directly from their main PC.

"AMDLIVE(tm) PCs support hardware from multiple vendors which provide our channel partners with a stronger opportunity to sell up and increase their customers' shopping cart mix. It has never been easier to suggest a complementary digital device, software, or peripheral that can leverage the AMD LIVE! PC and further enhance customers' desire for an enhanced entertainment experience. Plus, a broad range of price points for AMD LIVE! systems will enable partners to offer the right configuration for their customer needs."

The second day of the Education clinic is highlighted by a talk from rogue trader Nick Leeson. Keynote speaker Leeson single-handedly brought down Barings Bank in the mid-1990s, serving more than four years in a Singapore jail for his actions. Leeson will be talking about operational risk, in particular looking at Barings Bank, and how sometimes systems and controls can fail in companies.

Another feature that will no doubt be well received in these shaky times of economic turmoil is the Credit Clinic hosted by Channel Money and Graydon. With between £30m and £40m lost to the channel last year Nitin Joshi founder of ChannelMoney wants to spread the news that going bust isn’t the only option to businesses with financing issues.

"One of the main problems for the channel is that there's no centralised, easy port-of-call for companies in distress. The credit clinic is a message to company directors to say 'don't despair'. There's always something that can be done to salvage the business," Joshi said.

"Often directors don't think there's any other way apart from liquidation but this can later lead to credibility problems in the future if they want to resurface under a different guise," Joshi added.

However the clinic isn't just for those times of negativity. It's also aiming to advise companies who are ambitious and seeking sources of funding for expansion, merger or acquisition opportunities.

Sponsors and exhibitors are definitely feeling upbeat about this year's event. Adrian Williams, head of OEM & IT Channels, T-Mobile, said: "Given T-Mobile's drive to engage with the IT channel, it is absolutely fitting that we should have a presence at this premier trade show. The launch of our IT Channel Partner Programme last year signalled our desire to engage with our partners on every level and we are keen to use this opportunity to both inform and listen to the channel. There will be a particular emphasis on communicating to those already skilled in selling notebooks, the value of offering mobile broadband and how a partnership with T-Mobile could significantly benefit their profit margins.

"Increasingly mobile resellers are encroaching on the traditional IT industry, by selling notebooks in addition to their primary role of servicing the mobile market. This development marks a convergence between and the Telco and PC markets. In order to remain profitable in an increasingly crowded and amorphous marketplace, IT resellers must recognise the threat to their traditional customer base and the opportunities available to those that are willing to exploit a burgeoning revenue source."