Pax8 will expand its Beyond partner conference to the Asia-Pacific region with an event in Sydney, where it expects more than 800 managed service providers, vendors and media to attend.
Branded Beyond APAC 2027, the three-day gathering will take place at the Hyatt Regency Sydney. The event will focus on community, education and innovation, with keynote sessions, technical training, partner education, vendor access and networking.
The move extends a conference format Pax8 already uses as an annual partner event in other markets. Bringing it to Australia is part of a broader push to deepen its presence among managed service providers across a region where it has been expanding its footprint.
Pax8 operates a marketplace for AI and cloud products for small and medium-sized businesses, selling through IT partners. More than 47,000 IT partners and 800,000 SMBs use its platform, according to the company.
In APAC, Pax8 has opened offices in Manila, Brisbane, Auckland and Sydney, with the Sydney site its latest addition. The conference announcement signals an effort to build a larger local partner network while connecting regional firms with vendors and peers from other markets.
Regional push
The event is aimed at partners looking to grow revenue, improve efficiency and reduce risk in their businesses. That places it squarely in the market for managed service provider enablement, where distributors, marketplaces and software vendors compete for loyalty through training, community-building and access to new products.
Managed service providers have become a key route to market for cloud software, security tools and AI services aimed at smaller businesses. For companies such as Pax8, partner conferences serve both as customer-retention exercises and as a way to shape how resellers package and support emerging technologies.
Lindsay Keating, Executive Vice President and General Manager, APAC, described the launch as a landmark for the region. "Bringing this event to APAC for the first time is a significant milestone and an important opportunity to showcase the strength of the region's Pax8 community. It will bring together MSPs from around the world to connect, learn and help shape the future of the channel," Keating said.
Keating added: "The IT channel is built on collaboration and community, with partners working together to drive innovation, streamline operational efficiency and elevate profitability."
Channel focus
The announcement also reflects a broader shift in the IT channel as managed service providers look for practical ways to turn interest in AI into services that customers will buy and use. Distributors and marketplaces increasingly frame their role around training, peer support and packaged offers rather than product fulfilment alone.
Rob Rae, Corporate Vice President of Community and Ecosystems, linked the APAC event to that change. "Beyond APAC 2027 reflects where the channel is headed and the opportunity in front of partners across this hugely important and unique region. As MSPs move beyond AI experimentation and focus on delivering real business outcomes, they need a stronger community, practical guidance and the right ecosystem to help them evolve. We're bringing all the passion, flare and connective tissue that is Pax8 Beyond to APAC, and we really feel that it will bring partners together to build new capabilities, share ideas and accelerate their journey toward becoming Managed Intelligence Providers," Rae said.
Pax8's partner model connects technology suppliers with managed service providers that sell and support tools for smaller business customers. Its growth in APAC comes as vendors seek more local routes into fragmented regional markets, where service providers often act as the main advisers to SMB buyers on software, cybersecurity and cloud adoption.
The Sydney event will give Pax8 a regional platform to bring those partners together in person as competition intensifies for influence over how MSPs choose suppliers and build recurring service revenue. More than 800 attendees are expected at the three-day conference.