I am happy to announce a great update @Avangate: we’ve just launched network cross-selling that allows Avangate software vendors to sell each other’s products, to increase revenues and gain access to extra niches and new or larger markets.

In just a few words, network cross-selling means that all software publishers part of the Avangate network can offer other vendors’ products as cross selling options in their very own shopping cart and get a commission for the sale.

Here’s how a shopping cart would look like:

Software Industry Conference - Avangate bears

As you probably know, Avangate attended, sponsored and presented at the 19th edition of  SIC for the fourth time this year. I was there with my colleagues Casey and Adriana, proudly representing Avangate by sharing knowledge on generating more e-sales,  mastercard-class mints and the classic Avangate bears and red caps :).

I know that many of you out there wanted to attend SIC this year and because of some reasons (not only generated by the economy situation I hope!), you couldn’t, I will share some pictures with you, as well as thoughts noted down after  SIC.

click on the image to see all photos from the event on Flickr

Two or three weeks ago spring returned to northern California and despite everything going on in the world, spirits are starting to soar.  Taking our lead from nature we hosted the second edition of “Casual Drinks“, Avangate’s networking event focused on software publishers and their partners.

We elected to host the spring edition of “Casual Drinks” at local Mountain View restaurant Don Giovanni, and from the start were quite pleased with the decision.  Don Giovanni has a tradition of hosting events for local software companies, as you can see by the logos on the wall, and with the success of “Casual Drinks” Avangate has taken its place next to these giants!  Inviting our friends and colleagues to see our new permanent position on the wall was quite a proud moment.

Picture taken during the "Casual Drinks with Avangate" Business Networking Event

I am sure that many of you participated to a wide range of events and noticed some good or bad practices.  I have recently been involved in organizing a business networking event for Avangate US office, so I put a lot of thought in it and also gained access to all stages of business event organizing, including feedback from participants.

In this post I will share some ideas from my experience as a business developer – ideas that work for a great networking event; in fact I think that these are the most important steps that must be completed to achieve the success and reputation you are targeting by organizing the event.

1. Have a self-explanatory name

Here in Silicon Valley there are tens of events daily. For the audience is quite difficult or time consuming to identify the right events if they are called like “Technology tools” or “International roundtable”; technology for what? Roundtable of whom? That’s why some events have audience and others have not.

Mountain View, California… this is the way press releases from Avangate US will begin from now on. But to reach this goal (i.e. the Silicon Valley office) there was (and will be from now on) a tremendous work to be done.

The first step was the Board decision on expanding US operations. Basically Avangate needed fresh blood in US land to feed a healthy business.

The business development itself it’s not a complicated process; you need someone that knows the industry, has good connections and is ready to dedicate a big part of his life to his job.

The business deployment is another story. You need someone inside the company who knows the business in all its details, knows the company culture and is also willing to involve himself in this operation. And that person was me :).