History VADnet Europe
Mobile Partners International
Founded in 1994 as Mobile Partners International, the group was originally positioned as a qualified and effective distribution channel for innovative mobile and computing products and solutions. In those years, it was the upcoming of mobile networks in Europe. Bringing mobile connectivity to laptops and later to machines was new. Co-operation was needed to make this successful.
VADnet Europe
In 2003, the name was changed into VADnet Europe (Value Added Distribution Network Europe), the expertise areas and product portfolios were extended to provide wireless networking and data communications hardware, accessories, application & management software and other value added services. Michael Schoeneberg, already one of the founding fathers in 1994, was elected as First President and led the group until his retirement. Under his leadership, VADnet started organizing semi-annual meetings in which the members came together to discuss all kind of business related topics. The meetings were a combination of business and pleasure, always taking place in a nice European city from one of the members.
Largest IoT collaboration
In 2015, Michael was succeeded by Gerhard Galsterer, the founder of Germany-based Lucom. VADnet took significant steps toward further professionalization and was officially registered in Germany as a "Verein," represented by an elected board. This increased professionalism helped the group grow, potentially becoming the largest IoT collaboration among Value Added Distributors in Europe.
Co-op events
In October 2023, John van Nijnatten, former member and founder from MCS Europe Group, was elected as 3rd President. New members were added to the group. In the meantime, the 'VADnet co-op events', a co-operation between VADnet and its vendors, are becoming a not-to-be-missed-event for all stakeholders.