VARTECH 2025 has come and gone, but the discussions, connections, and ideas it fostered will linger as the B2B reseller channel advances in an AI-powered world, where the future of work is filled with opportunity once you look past the uncertainty and focus on practical use cases.
Nearly 1600 of BlueStar’s customers, vendors & ISV partners, and staff filled the Atlantis Convention Center in the Bahamas on September 15th & 16th for two packed days of thought leadership, educational panels, insightful business tips, walking a tech-laden tradeshow floor, and networking at beautiful evening events around the resort.
After years of AI buzz and hopeful declarations at this event and every other in the channel, VARTECH tackled the topic head-on by acknowledging the questions and concerns that we all share over what happens next. In a way, the show’s cheeky opening film featuring a quest for the “Key to VARTECH” sought to address those concerns when BlueStar VP of Marketing Dean Reverman addressed the audience from the stage.
“VARTECH isn’t about a thing […] or a piece of technology. [It’s] about the partnerships forged on the show floor.
VARTECH is about…all of you,” he declared, as the lights went up on the attendees themselves
Keynote speaker Zack Kass, the former Head of Go-To Market for OpenAI, reinforced that message. He spoke about how the modern internet allows everyone to easily outsource purchasing preferences to automation, AI, and algorithms, but that doesn’t create loyalty or connection with brands or sellers. “Are you a thing that they just need to buy, or are you a very important purchase?" Kass further empowered attendees to keep people at the core of their efforts:
“You’re not good at your job because you know the most about the products you’re selling. You’re good at your job because your customers like buying from you.”
He also believes that adding automation to your internal business isn’t meant to replace what customers like about buying from people. “That doesn’t change because of AI…if anything, it amplifies further.”
Kass spoke passionately about the potential for AI and automation tools to refocus humanity on the things that truly matter — building community and spending time with one another. He envisions a future where we can work less and separate our personal identities from our professional roles.
Ultimately, Kass’s message encouraged us to remain flexible as AI and technology continue to evolve and be open to how they can influence our business practices and how we approach customers.
“Embrace adaptability as a strategy. Be willing to change how you accomplish what you are doing.”
Adaptability and the human element in the AI age were a recurring theme that continued through VARTECH’s education sessions and panel discussions, including the “Solutions Summit” sponsored by Intel, where Rob Risany and Lesek Demont spoke about building solutions around customer needs and emotional responses by getting involved long before the RFP comes in.
“We’ve all gotta get earlier in the conversation with our customers,” said Demont, “and become the trusted advisors to them so we’re writing the scope instead of just responding to the scope.”
It means being more aware of their business, their challenges, and desired outcomes so that you can make informed, proactive recommendations.
Making proactive recommendations is easier when you have quality partners with innovative technologies ready to help you build solutions tailored to unique needs and specifications. As always, the highlight of VARTECH was the tradeshow floor, where attendees had over six hours across both days to meet 128 hardware and software vendors eager to showcase their latest products and build new relationships.
On Tuesday morning, that included showcasing 17 software companies attending their first VARTECH during the annual TEConnect Live event. Each ISV was given 90 seconds to share their value proposition and make a pitch for the kind of companies they want to work with.
TEConnect Live also presented an opportunity to showcase some of BlueStar’s value-added services. This year, we heard from Jim Hilton, Director of Networking & Connectivity, who encouraged resellers to increase recurring revenue for their businesses by leveraging BlueStar Connectivity and selling reliable cellular plans in partnership with iONLINE, represented by CEO Dave Farquharson, who offered a free trial to all attendees.
Channel veteran Mike Monocello introduced a new initiative, BlueStar Academy, which offers technical training for new sales representatives on core technologies such as barcoding, RFID, POS, digital signage, and more. Additionally, it provides an introduction to the fundamentals of solutions selling and ongoing digital courses for continuing education. BlueStar Academy rolls out in-person and online classes for VARs, ISVs, and other partners in 2026. The goal: transforming rookies to revenue generators—faster!
Wrapping up TEConnect Live, BlueStar Director of Marketing James Korte discussed ways to enhance your LinkedIn practices, fostering more connections, increasing business awareness, and establishing yourself as an industry expert.
Of course, no VARTECH is complete without fun and dynamic evening events for attendees to relax, network, and experience the location. This year, there were drinks at the beach, a dine around at the fabulous Atlantis Marina restaurants, and closing parties poolside (complete with drone show) and late into the night at the Aura Nightclub.
VARTECH 2025’s quest is complete, but we’re already looking ahead to more events to meet, engage, and build the people-centered, tech-enabled world of tomorrow.
VARTECH 2025 Event Photos
Below is a sample of the images from Atlantis. View the full collection at Flickr
