Salto North America’s inaugural partner summit, Inspire: Empowering Our Partners, was nothing short of extraordinary. From March 3-5, over 225 of our valued business partners from across the United States and Canada gathered at the breathtaking Arizona Grand Resort and Spa – a property secured with Salto electronic access.
Building Trust, Strengthening Relationships in a Sold-Out Event in the Desert
From the start, our mission was clear: to inspire, educate, and energize. As Bill Wood, President of Salto North America, shared, “It’s the relationships and the trust in people and each other that help everyone succeed. We came together for this partner summit to meaningfully connect – to inspire, educate, and energize – and now we move forward with new insight and a shared goal of continuous improvement and success.”
That theme resonated throughout every keynote, panel, and breakout session. The atmosphere was electric with a genuine desire to share and innovate. As Colin DePree, Director of Sales Strategy, noted, “The excitement, commitment, and willingness to do the work needed from everyone was so refreshing. I especially loved the open dialogues! Our partners and the Salto team were encouraged to be vulnerable and share openly. There was no complaining – just a genuine desire to improve and a strong willingness to learn.”
Vision 2025: Shaping the Future Together
Wood took to the stage the morning of day one to share Vision 2025: Shaping the Future Together, reinforcing Salto’s dedication to advancing security solutions and supporting our partners in long-term growth.
Keynote speaker Marc Gomez, Group CEO of SALTO WECOSYSTEM, had a powerful address, Shaping the Future: Salto’s Vision for Growth in the WECOSYSTEM, which inspired everyone to look toward the future of access control and delivering solutions that transform end user experiences. Gomez echoed the importance of connection, stating
“Events like these allow us to really synchronize and engage with each other – and that’s so important!”
Diving Deep: Industry Panels & Breakout Sessions
The partner summit’s thought-provoking panel discussions on Navigating Change and Embracing Opportunity and Redefining Access Control in a Mobile and Digital World featured insight from some of the industry’s brightest minds including Angela Leaney (Hogan Security Group), Mike Ryan (Pavion), and James Segil (Motorola Solutions), and Marc Handels (Salto Co-Founder), Hanna Hadad (1Valet), Tom Giftochristos (Kantech), and Chad Carpenter (President, AARFID).
Attendees could choose from 24 interactive breakout sessions led by Salto employees, partners, and event sponsors. These sessions focused on maximizing business potential, deepening product knowledge, and enhancing partnership effectiveness.
The Salto XSperience Lab: Hands-On Learning
One of the event’s biggest highlights was the Salto XSperience Lab, where attendees got hands-on experience with our latest access control innovations. Featuring live demonstrations and expert guidance from product managers and tech support, this traveling lab – essentially a portable Salto XSperience Center – allowed partners to explore solutions firsthand and discover new ways to enrich their product lineup.
Human to Human: Networking & Connecting
The Arizona Grand Resort and Spa provided the perfect setting for not only professional growth but also relationship-building. Attendees participated in engaging activities like a margarita and salsa-making contest, morning yoga, and assembling care packages for military members. These experiences strengthened the bonds between us, reminding us that collaboration extends way beyond business transactions.
“Too often, interactions become purely transactional, causing our partners to miss out on valuable downstream communications that could drive future growth and opportunities,” DePree pointed out. “By fostering an environment of trust and camaraderie, we deepened our ability to work together more effectively moving forward.”
Celebrating Success: The 2024 Salto Inspired Partner Awards
Our time together in Phoenix culminated with the 2024 Salto Inspired Partner Awards, recognizing the incredible contributions of our partners for the previous year. Congratulations to all the award winners! Your dedication, innovation, and commitment to excellence drive our collective success.
Looking Ahead: An Inspired Future
The Salto NA partner summit was just the beginning. The connections we built, the insights we gained, and the vision we shared will continue to shape our future.
Johathon Bullis, Account Manager, Integrated Protection Systems, said he saw enormous value in the summit.
“It allows us as integrators to get together and workshop ideas” said Bullis. “It allows me to have in-depth access to the Salto sales team and the Salto support team. That’s what the Salto Summit has done for me.”
David Latreille, Area Lead Northeast for Salto North America, summed up the event, highlighting what he hopes to gain from time together with partners.
“I’ve met people here that I’ve been working with for seven years and never met them in the flesh,” said Latreille. “It’s what we do next that is going to make this a huge success!”
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