The Business Technology Association (BTA) will hold its first event of 2026, BTA IGNITE Orlando, March 19-21 at Disney's Yacht Club Resort in Orlando, Florida. Open to office technology dealers from across the country, the event will feature: a special pre-event best practices day for e-automate users; a keynote address by IT customer service author and speaker Don Crawley; a manufacturer CEO panel on marketplace changes, tariffs, tough choices and the industry's future; dealer panels on the practical uses of AI in dealerships and company culture; three breakout sessions focused on sales versus service, the practical use of Power BI to monitor key KPIs and how to be a better listener; and time to network with fellow dealers and exhibitors, including during receptions on March 20 for new BTA event attendees and all attendees.

On March 19, BTA will host e-automate Elevate: A BTA Dealers Helping Dealers Best Practices Event, which includes a free one-person registration to BTA IGNITE Orlando. Sponsored by CEO Juice and ECI, e-automate Elevate will allow for a conversation among a broad range of e-automate users, touching on a variety of topics such as product functionality, common concerns and troubleshooting best practices. Attendees can choose between breakout sessions in multiple tracks: Accounting & How to Create E-views; Contracts & Contract E-views; Service & Inventory; Power BI; and Real-World Challenges & Actionable Solutions. The event will wrap up with an Ask the Experts panel where attendees can have their questions answered. Registration is $299 per person, which includes the educational sessions, lunch and refreshment breaks, as well as a one-person registration to BTA IGNITE Orlando. Early-Bird Special: Register for e-automate Elevate by Jan. 31 and get a $50 discount on the registration fee. Click here to learn more and register.

BTA IGNITE Orlando will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 20, with opening comments and the manufacturer panel, "CEO Insights: Marketplace Changes, Tariffs, Tough Choices & the Future of the Office Technology Industry," moderated by BTA Ambassador Bob Goldberg. The panelists will include Laura Blackmer, president of dealer sales at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc., Karl Boissonneault, president of North America channels at Xerox Corp., Jim Coriddi, chief dealer officer at Ricoh USA Inc., Mike Marusic, president and CEO of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, and Larry White, president and CEO of Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc.

A break that will give attendees the opportunity to network with their peers and exhibiting sponsors will follow the manufacturer panel. After the break, the first dealer panel, "Practical Uses for AI in Your Dealership," will be held. Blackmer will moderate the panel, which will include panelists Chelsea Bode, CEO of Pearson-Kelly Technology, Springfield, Missouri; Lauren Hanna-Masuga, president of BTA member Blue Technologies, Cleveland, Ohio; and Jenna Stramaglio, channel development manager at ConnectWise. Lunch will follow the panel.

After lunch, attendees can choose take part in one of three breakout sessions, or visit with the exhibitors. The breakouts will include:

• "Sales vs. Service: The Heavyweight Showdown," presented by Sarah Henderson, industry subject-matter expert
• "The Practical Use of Power BI to Monitor Key KPIs," presented by Jack Duncan, Jack Duncan Consulting, and Mike Kirkpatrick and Gary Lavin, CEO Juice
• "How to Be a Better Listener," presented by Don Crawley, IT customer service author and speaker

After the breakouts, another break will be held, followed by the second dealer panel, "How is Your Culture?" moderated by Marusic. The panelists will include Anthony Cucco, COO of BTA member Impact Networking, Lake Forest, Illinois; Anthony DelGrosso, regional vice president and general manager at BTA member Milner Inc., Peachtree Corners, Georgia; and John Lowery, CEO of BTA member Applied Innovation, Grand Rapids, Michigan. After the panel, another round of the breakout sessions will be held, followed by additional exhibit time. The first day of IGNITE Orlando will wrap up with a first-time attendees reception from 5 to 5:45 p.m., followed by a reception for all attendees that will include dinner and drinks, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The second day will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 21, with breakfast, followed by opening comments, additional exhibit time and the keynote address, "How Leadership Affects Customer Service & How Customer Service Affects Your Bottom Line," presented by Crawley. The event will conclude with closing comments and exhibitor prize drawings from 11:45 a.m. to noon.

The exhibiting sponsors: ACDI, AgentDealer, Avaniko, Avision, Brother, Crexendo (lunch sponsor), Culligan Quench, ECI, eGoldFax (breakfast sponsor), FlexPoint, FP, GreatAmerica, Impression Solutions, Intermedia, Keypoint Intelligence, Konica Minolta, Noetics, SalesChain, Sharp (reception sponsor – dinner), Square 9, Static Control, TD SYNNEX, Toshiba, Xerox (reception sponsor – bar), YSoft and Zultys (breaks sponsor).

BTA member dealers receive 2-for-1 registration to BTA IGNITE Orlando. BTA member dealer registration is $199, which includes the Friday and Saturday educational sessions; Friday lunch and reception; and Saturday breakfast. An additional attendee from the same member dealership is $99. Non-member dealer registration is $249 per person. After registration, dealers can purchase Disney tickets at a discount. If dealers register by Feb. 20 and attend Saturday's educational sessions, they will receive a $50 Disney gift card that does not expire (one per IGNITE dealer registrant only).

To learn more about BTA IGNITE Orlando, including full session descriptions, or to register, visit https://www.bta.org/IGNITEOrlando.