I sat down with Miriam Libonati, Director of Marketing Strategy and Development at 2600Hz to discuss KAZOOcon. Held every year since 2014 and due to take place this year from June 18-20 in San Diego, KAZOOcon hosts UCaaS and CPaaS industry leaders who want to explore emerging technologies and best practices in Unified Communications, with a particular focus on KAZOO.
KAZOO is the brainchild of 2600Hz and is an open-core software platform. The platform provides carrier-grade VoIP and UCaaS functionalities that enable developers, system administrators, and telecoms engineers to create reliable services using KAZOO APIs.
Libonati said this year there will be more than 200 business leaders, partners, customers, industry analysts and major players from across the UC, UCaaS and CPaaS world. She also gave me a brief history of KAZOOcon, and some key takeaways attendees can expect to gain.
How did KAZOOcon start?
“KAZOOcon was introduced to the world in 2013. In the beginning, the event was cozy and hosted a few employees running 2600Hz the early stage company and several developers who loved KAZOO”
“Since the technology was focused on open source and veered more on the technical side, the event enabled engagement with the 2600Hz Co-founders and lead engineers to learn more about the functionality, architecture, and future vision of KAZOO.”
The following years, she said KAZOOcon began to diversify, bringing together a mixture of business-minded resellers, technical evangelists who appreciated KAZOO’s functionalities, along with SMBs looking for new ways to grow service offerings. Today, the conference has shifted into an opportunity to network and learn from forward-thinking business owners and leaders.
What do resellers and service providers stand to gain?
Not only is KAZOOcon a valuable networking event, but attendees will gain insight into best practices and success stories, real-time product updates, and launches. They will also hear, first hand, on effective go-to-market stories, and how to navigate upcoming trends such as UCaaS and CPaaS converge.
As Customer Experience is on the minds of resellers and service providers as well as those employing various technologies, collaboration tools and new services for their business. Attendees will learn how to improve the customer and user experience by new methodologies offered by speakers that have proven results in their organizations.
Favorite KAZOOcon speakers and sessions?
“Some of our favorite speakers include; Chris Burgy from Ooma. He always offers great energy and valuable insight into the amazing things Ooma is doing. 2600Hz CEO Darren Schreiber will also be there, leveraging his over 20 years of experience in telecoms, managing services, data center management, and UC networks. His insight is invaluable.”
This year, Libonati told UC Today, they are excited to host several major industry analysts and media leaders who will discuss trends, enhancements in the service provider world, and predictions for what the future holds for UC. There will even be several well-known cloud evangelists from the Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA), according to Libonati.
Anything else we should know?
At KAZOOcon, 2600Hz will announce a new partnership with a large mobile provider. The initiative will bring a “a new approach to mobile, data, and the convenience of connectivity,” according to Libonati.
“…a new approach to mobile, data, and the convenience of connectivity”
We’re intrigued to find out which provider, so stay tuned, or visit KAZOOcon to find out more about it!
