This January, our CEO, Vinu, and COO, Kristen, traveled to Chennai, India, to represent Nimbis Designs at the first ever Zoho Partner Summit. The event brought together Zoho’s global network of partners in a dynamic environment focused on innovation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing. Through insightful discussions with fellow partners from around the world and exposure to Zoho’s latest developments, Vinu and Kristen gained valuable insights that we’re excited to bring to our work. This experience strengthened our commitment as Zoho Premium Partners to delivering exceptional systems design and automation solutions to our clients.
Sunday, January 5th: Arrival and Networking
Vinu arrived in Chennai, India ahead of Kristen, who arrived on Monday evening after attending a wedding in Goa. Upon arrival in Chennai, he took a car down to the resort at which the Summit was held, about an hour south of the city in the coastal area of Mahabalipuram. He was quickly given several opportunities to connect meaningfully with other Zoho Partners. Beyond business, Vinu also explored the vibrant culture India had to offer alongside them. Notably, he visited the nearby and incredible Tiger Cave alongside a few other Zoho Partners.
Monday, January 6th: Zoho Global Partner Summit Day 1
The following day, it was back to business at the Zoho Global Partner Summit. Vinu spent the day listening to various keynote speakers to get insights on various Zoho topics, spanning apps, integrations, and use-cases. The speakers presenting included Sridhar Vembu, Chief Executive Officer of Zoho, and Vijay Sundaram, Chief Strategy Officer of Zoho. Zoho also provided delicious food and thoughtful gifts to the Partners. Kristen arrived in the evening, completing the team in India.
Tuesday, January 7th: Zoho Global Partner Summit Day 2
The third day began with performances from a local performance troupe, giving a vibrant look into India’s beautiful culture. The Zoho team also gave them Zoho Partner kurtas — a unique, branded take on a commonly worn garment in South Asia. They were also treated to a wonderful breakfast and lunch buffet by Zoho.
Following this, Vinu and Kristen got back to work. They heard from different Zoho leaders about Zoho’s current expansion into different areas of the world. They also listened to a partner panel — a particularly great opportunity to hear about the client relations, implementations, and Zoho uses taken from partners across the globe.
Throughout the day, they were given ample opportunities to spend time with other key voices in the Zoho ecosystem, including some familiar friends from Zenatta, Catalyst Connect, Z-Brains, Cornerstone Solutions, DEVTAC, and others, as well as our fantastic US-based Zoho Team. Gathering together so many impactful people, both on the partner side as well as the Zoho side, created so many learning opportunities that they’re excited to bring back to our work at Nimbis.
Their day was finally capped off with a local sightseeing tour with Zoho. They were taken to the Mahabalipuram Shore temple – which is around 1,300 years old – and saw Krishna’s Butter Ball — a giant rock that, despite attempts at human intervention, hasn’t moved in centuries. Vinu and Kristen really appreciated Zoho’s dedication to ensuring that partners were immersed in local culture and experiences — it truly added another dimension to their trip.
Wednesday, January 8th: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the World of Zoho
On Day 4, Vinu and Kristen relocated north to the Estancia IT Park campus. For visiting partners, Zoho hosted three days of product sessions, as well as overviews of new things coming to the Zoho suite. Beyond the partner activities, this was also a unique opportunity to see the Zoho campus operating at business as usual. With thousands of employees moving from place to place, it provided a new understanding of the behind-the-scenes of the Zoho we work with in our day-to-day businesses.
They met with the Zoho Creator team, including Vinu William and Sayeth. Here, Vinu did a testimonial, focused on Zoho Creator as a product. He dove into its AI features and functionality, as well as its use cases and how we leverage it in our work. It was a great opportunity to provide real, direct feedback with the Creator team. Beyond this, he also talked through Nimbis’ experiences with Zoho, including the journey toward Zoho Premium Partnership.
Following this, Zoho invited the Partners to an early Pongal Celebration. Pongal is an Indian holiday, originally centered around celebrating the harvest. Vinu and Kristen’s inclusion in the celebration enabled them to really feel a part of the Zoho community. The Zoho team converted a parking lot on their campus into an event venue in order to house the thousands of employees who joined for the celebration. Together, they listened to live music and watched incredible dances. Zoho even invited the partners to go on stage for a portion of the celebration.
Vinu his evening with dinner at Avartana with some of the other U.S. partners. Beyond being an incredible, unique meal at one of Asia’s top 50 restaurants, this dinner also served as an opportunity for additional conversations spanning Zoho and beyond.
Thursday, January 9th: A Quick Trip to Pondicherry
On this day, Vinu and Kristen took a day off and did some sightseeing in the form of a road trip to the nearby city of Pondicherry, hoping to see more of India while they had the chance. Pondicherry was a beautiful spot, with a unique French flavor due to its history.
On the return journey, they stopped by Auroville, a sustainable and independent living township with its own citizenship. This township has a large meditation dome, as well as beautiful sites of nature, museums and walks throughout the area.
Friday, January 10th: Sharing Our Story, Showcasing Expertise, and Expanding Connections
On their final day at the Zoho Campus, Vinu and Kristen dove right back into work. Along with attending more Zoho product sessions, they were given the opportunity to do an episode of the Creator Decode Podcast with the Zoho Creator Team. During the podcast, they discussed our journey as a company, as well as some of our favorite uses of Zoho creator for our clients. They talked through examples of our use cases in the Healthcare and accounting industries.
Their day was capped off with plenty more opportunity for networking, with various partners describing their expertise, as well as their ideas and challenges. After lunch, Kristen flew to New Delhi to continue her exploration of India, while Vinu stayed in Chennai to attend the rest of the partner sessions and continue to network with other Zoho Partners.
Post Summit Days
Vinu continued to network with other partners and Zoho team members until his departure on Sunday. The summit’s impact on the area was so pronounced, that even on the journey home, Vinu continued running into people who were there for the Summit – even in the airport!
The Zoho Partner Summit provided a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding of Zoho as a company and our role within its broader ecosystem. Each day was filled with insightful discussions, meaningful networking, and a rich cultural experience that further strengthened our connection to the global Zoho community. We extend our sincere appreciation to the Zoho Partner Network for organizing such a successful and impactful event. As we return to the U.S., we are excited to apply the insights gained to enhance our work and continue delivering exceptional solutions to our clients.