The UK PartnerWeek Summit concluded yesterday at Convene, London, with more than 130 managed IT and communication service providers, technology leaders and channel professionals coming together for a day rich in insight, strategy, and collaboration.
The event opened with a high-energy keynote from Jason Bevan, former creative lead at Warner Bros Studios, who encouraged attendees to think beyond conventional boundaries. Drawing from his experience in film and entertainment, Bevan explored how the techniques behind some of the world’s most successful movie campaigns can inspire creativity, resilience, and innovation within MSP businesses. Following the keynote, a panel debate titled “Enable ambition – maximise potential” brought together senior voices from within the MSP community. The discussion addressed the importance of strategic clarity and execution in an increasingly complex and competitive MSP environment, with practical advice on aligning vision, talent and operational delivery.
The core of the day unfolded across three dedicated workstreams—Sales, Marketing, and Technology—each offering sector-specific discussions that reflected the challenges and opportunities faced by MSPs on the ground. In the sales track, speakers focused on shifting sales teams away from transactional engagements and towards strategic consultancy, while marketing leaders shared insights on how to build compelling propositions in crowded markets. Meanwhile, the technology stream tackled the evolving role of technical experts, highlighting how CIO-facing conversations and tech-driven differentiation can drive revenue growth.
During the lunch break, Partner Week Ambassador Katie Sloan, Marketing Director, CloudClevr, enthused: "The UK Partner Week Summit was a valuable opportunity to reflect on where the channel is headed, and how we continue to adapt, particularly in marketing, sales and customer value creation. "The sessions sparked the kind of candid, cross-functional conversations we need more of, not just between vendors and partners, but between leadership, marketing, sales and technology teams.
"Furthermore, the panel discussions around talent development, harnessing ambition, and proposition building with differentiation in a crowded market were especially timely given the pace of change in the industry - and the risk that comes with playing it safe."
Novem IT CEO Alex Heslip (UK Partner Week Summit delegate), emphasised the collaborative nature of the event and its focus on partnerships and knowledge sharing: "I had a productive time attending the Partner Week event. It was a great opportunity to connect with multiple suppliers all in one place, making the interactions highly efficient. And the shared insights were truly beneficial."
Sessions later in the day turned to the operational realities of growth. Talks explored how to accelerate time-to-market for new offerings, and how to train sales teams to embrace innovation. There was also a frank discussion on the challenge of differentiation—how MSPs can make their technical capabilities truly stand out in a highly commoditised space.
Leadership and talent development took centre stage in the final sessions. A panel on nurturing future leaders sparked debate on how to create career pathways that retain high-potential talent in an era of shifting workforce expectations. This was followed by a second panel focused on building high-performing teams—drawing together lessons in culture, communication and alignment from across the channel.
The day closed with a keynote from Karen Blackett OBE, former UK President of WPP, who spoke candidly about leadership, inclusion, and the need for cohesive teams in lean times. Her session, titled “Building winning teams”, offered a powerful and personal reflection on what it takes to motivate people, unify organisations, and deliver sustainable success.
Reflecting on the event, Michael O’Brien, Managing Director of BPL Business Media, said: “The UK Partner Week Summit exceeded expectations—not just in attendance, but in the quality of discussion and the energy in the room. This isn’t just a conference. It’s a working summit designed to help UK MSPs build future-ready organisations.”
With a buzzing exhibitor zone, multiple networking sessions, and an atmosphere of shared ambition, the summit has firmly established itself as a flagship gathering for the UK channel. For many, it wasn’t just a day of content—it was a step forward in shaping the future of the managed services industry.
