NOORDWIJK, THE NETHERLANDS--(Marketwired - Jun 15, 2016) - In a move that signals a dynamic new dimension for the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) and its popular Summit events in EMEA and the United States, the organization now takes relationship-building and third-party insight to unparalleled perspectives. The deeper value stems from a broader range of executive participants with top-tier partners and distribution leaders as well as the most esteemed independent authorities on technology channels and the database experts who track them. GTDC members generate more than $130 billion in annual revenue, and channel executive participants at Summit EMEA, June 14-15, represented more than 40 IT companies. 

To close out the first day of Summit EMEA, the GTDC honored the region's fastest-growing IT vendors at its Rising Star Awards dinner last night. The winners span a full cross-section of today's most innovative technologies, from the cloud and mobile computing to data center, networking, security, Big Data and other advancing market segments. GTDC EMEA Rising Star award winners are chosen based on CONTEXT SalesWatch Distribution database sales growth tracking from April 2015 to March 2016:

To learn more about GTDC research and database partners, go to: www.gtdc.org/research-reports/.

GTDC Vice Chairman Michael Long kicked off the two-day Summit EMEA event. Long, who is also Arrow Electronics president and CEO, set the tone by underscoring the breadth and depth of the content, including a Q&A with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Managing Director Peter Ryan. A leading economist, Sam Wilkin, shared an insightful regional outlook, followed by nearly 20 breakouts. Acclaimed "trendwatcher," author and speaker Adjiedj Bakas ended the agenda with his riveting talk on The Digital Transformation of Capitalism.

Breakout sessions were conducted by GTDC database partners CONTEXT, GfK and The NPD Group as well as researchers and other analysts from firms such as A.T. Kearney, Canalys, GE Capital Finance and IDC. Topics included:

• The Financial Health of the IT Distribution Channel
• Disruptive Technology, Cloud and Shark-fin Market Cycles
• Vitality of Distribution: Emerging Revenue Opportunities Across the Value Chain
• Advancing Channel Value Propositions and Programs that Really Work in Distribution
• Revenue Opportunities Developed from New Panel Metrics in the CONTEXT Labs
• Distribution & SCM in 2020
• Responding to the Changing B2B Channel Landscape
• Cybersecurity and Datacenter Trends
• The Internet of Things: A New Path to European Prosperity

For more information about GTDC events, go to www.gtdc.org/gtdc-events/

About The Global Technology Distribution Council
The Global Technology Distribution Council is the industry consortium representing the world's leading tech distributors. GTDC members drive more than $130 billion in annual worldwide sales of products, services and solutions through diverse business channels. GTDC conferences support the development and expansion of strategic supply-chain partnerships that continually address the fast-changing marketplace needs of vendors, end customers and distributors. GTDC members include AB S.A (WSE: ABPL), ABC Data (WSE: ABC), Arrow Electronics (NYSE: ARW), Avnet (NYSE: AVT), Computer Gross Italia (SES: MI), D&H Distributing, Ingram Micro (NYSE: IM), Intcomex, Logicom (CSE: LOG), SiS Technologies (HKSE: 0529), ScanSource (NASDAQ: SCSC), SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX), Tarsus, Tech Data (NASDAQ: TECD) and Westcon-Comstor.