The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, FL, hosted GROWCON on December 3-4, 2024, and delivered two days of inspiration, action, and energetic presentations. Powered by Marketopia and backed by powerhouse sponsors like Kaseya, Pax8, Chips, Hornet Security, and Shasta Cloud, this was THE event for MSPs and vendors alike.
From actionable insights to industry success stories and fantastic networking opportunities, GROWCON proved again why it’s the ultimate event for those serious about scaling their MSP businesses. The event also provided valuable insights and tools specifically aimed at improving bookkeeping and improving client onboarding. The two-day agenda allowed for time to visit the Vendor Expo, which surrounded the attendee seating floor, to network and establish relationships with vendors, creating opportunities for growth.
What is GROWCON?
GROWCON 2024 is a unique opportunity for MSPs and tech vendors to come together and share knowledge, experiences and insights. The conference features a range of highlights, including:
- Keynote speeches from industry experts
- Panel discussions on the latest trends and challenges
- Hands-on training sessions and workshops
- Networking opportunities with peers and industry leaders
- Access to the latest tools and technologies
Day One: Focus on Growing with Training Presentations
The first day was focused on growth and the first of the presenters was Arlin Sorensen, VP of Ecosystem and Evangelism IT Nation and Madhur Duggar, Senior Advisor of Exendio Advisors, with their presentation on Running your Business to Maximize Valuation. This engaging presentation gave MSPs key financial value drivers for an MSP valuing their business.
Rob Rae from Pax8 gave personal and professional insights with Secrets to Mining Your Vendors for MDF Funds & Support to Help YOU Grow.
The session Learn or Lag: Keeping You Ahead of Changing End User Buying Habits kept the audience engaged with insights on staying ahead in an ever changing market.
Vendors who were in attendance and highlighted at the expo took the stage, combining forces to offer ideas on how to help MSPs grow. Following the stage presentation, breakout sessions were held by the vendor sponsors.
The day ended with a bang as attendees swapped ideas during happy hour, dined on a fantastic dinner, and rocked out to an 80s arena rock band that turned the Coliseum into a concert hall.
Day Two: Marketing and Sales Strategies
Day two sessions were all about helping MSPs with marketing strategy and sales focus. The morning sessions were focused on digital marketing and sales strategies, and the featured presentations that kicked off the morning were focused and engaging.
- Tessa Ashford, Digital Marketing Manager at Marketopia, wowed the crowd with her engaging car racing-themed session, Digital Marketing Basics, down how digital marketing works and how to use it to win big and cross the finish line.
- Kirk Alquist, Director of Digital Marketing Strategy at Marketopia, shared game-changing tips on Paid Digital Search and Social Media Ads that are guaranteed to boost visibility and drive leads.
- Scott Sullivan’s presentation on Creating a Lead Gen Army to Hand Deliver Prospects to your Salesperson spoke about the call center group at Marketopia opening doors for MSPs and booking sales appointments.
- A panel discussion featuring industry luminaries gave attendees a firsthand look at how MSPs sold their businesses for six-figure payouts sharing how they achieved their success.
- Terry Hedden finished off the morning with how Marketopia’s full court press Marketing can help MSPs generate high measurable results to grow their businesses.
The afternoon sessions included presentations and discussions on closing sales deals.
- Greg Crabtree, Partner, Author and Co-Founder of CRI Simple Numbers, kicked off the afternoon with Achieving your Near-Term Profit & Long-Term Valuation Goals Using Simple Numbers, engaging the crowd with steps to profitability and then growing the business using strategies from his Simple Numbers Playbook.
- Jeffrey Newton, Co-Founder of Cyft, reveals sales strategies with Crack the Client Code and Close more Deals with Powerful Questions. He revealed a power question framework and funnel that works the same way an awareness funnel does for marketing, going from Deep and Power talk in the Strategic Zone to Price Talk and closing the sale.
- Teaming up for talks on Mastering the Cross-Sell for Cybersecurity and Compliance were Pax 8’s Matt Lee, Sr Director of Security and Compliance and Mike Semel of Semel Consulting.
- Terry Hedden, Marketopia CEO, presented Finding and Closing Big, Profitable Clients with Co-Managed Services addressing why Co-Managed is a game changer, overcoming sales goals and offering customized solutions.
The agenda in the afternoon included a panel discussion on Learning Secrets to winning from Lock Down Closers, and then winding down the afternoon, were the highly anticipated Marketopia Achievement Awards presented by Andra and Terry Hedden.
Winners for the Sage award went to The Computer Company, Inc. Luminary awards were presented to 3RT Networks, Wolke, Logical Business Solutions and Futurelink. Leader award winners are Jun Cyber and PowerNet. Achiever Awards went to TrueLink, E2 IT Consulting, TrueTech IT Solutions, Gainside, HOCS Consulting and Mid-Atlantic Computer Solutions.
Kaseya took Best in Show, Dell received Best Solution, Pax8 took the Best Partner award, and Best New Offering was presented to Carr, Riggs and Ingram.
The day ended on a high note with Terry Hedden’s forward-looking session on how Marketopia is positioned to help MSPs dominate 2025.
Day Three: Behind the Scenes at Marketopia
The energy carried into day three, as attendees were invited to Marketopia’s headquarters in Pinellas Park, FL. The facility tour gave current and prospective clients an inside look, along with the chance to meet the Marketopia dream team. This behind-the-scenes experience showed firsthand why Marketopia is the go-to partner for MSPs ready to accelerate their success.
Why GROWCON Matters
GROWCON 2024 was more than a conference—it was a learning experience for MSPs and companies ready to scale fast and grow. MSPs and vendors walked away inspired and armed with:
- Proven tools to grow their businesses.
- Insights into emerging trends poised to create massive opportunities.
- Strategies to maximize vendor partnerships for success.
- A roadmap for crushing marketing with Marketopia’s expert services.
This event was all about taking bold steps, connecting with like-minded leaders, peers, and vendors, and leaving with the confidence to dominate and grow results in 2025.
Don’t Miss Out—Join us at the next GROWCON!Â
Missed GROWCON 2024? Don’t worry—the journey to success is just beginning. Stay plugged into Marketopia’s events, webinars, and resources to keep your business in high gear. Find out more about future GROWCON events by visiting the GROWCON website.Â
