Despite a strong September for many government contractors, there’s no denying the market outlook for IT companies appears uncertain. New realities for our community include slim chances of a full budget bill passing anytime soon; the likelihood of more continuing resolutions that limit spending on new programs; a distracted Congress; and budgets that continue to decline.

Uncle Sam is continuing to invest in technology products and services, but we’ve seen shifts in how our government customers buy. Budget pressures have increased competition for every order. Changing technology requirements and acquisition methods have shifted the government’s focus to “lowest-price technically acceptable” (LPTA) procurements. On top of it all, travel bans and ethical concerns have made it increasingly difficult for many contractors to even meet face-to-face with customers.

Throw in the pressure from corporate headquarters to exceed revenue goals with fewer resources, and you’ve got a laundry list of reasons for those in our industry to lose sleep. As immixGroup’s Senior Market Intelligence Analyst Tom O’Keefe put it, “the days of 7 percent overall IT budget growth are done.”

Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom. Even with cuts, federal IT spending is projected to reach $73.7 billion this year according to the OMB Exhibit 53. immixGroup expects that number to top $120 billion when embedded IT and intelligence community spending are factored in. And the state and local market is heating up, with IT spending climbing to $95 billion in FY2015.

While some agencies and programs face budget cuts, others are expected to invest more heavily in IT products and services. Pockets of technology, like cybersecurity, big data, mobility, and cloud remain strong with growing demand. There are reasons to be optimistic, but you have to know where to look … and what to look for.

That led us to an idea: why not host a major event for the IT sales and marketing community — one that would help technology companies grow their business in a flat federal market? Not another government conference targeting government audiences and discussing high-level policies and long-term trends, but one that focuses specifically on the business needs of IT companies selling into the public sector.

And the Government IT Sales Summit was born.

Taking place on November 20 at the McLean Hilton, the Summit offers a full day of market intelligence and networking for IT companies targeting federal, state, and local agencies. It will deliver the relationships, tools, and insights they need to win more business and better serve their government customers.

Highlights of this information-packed event include:

• More than 50 speakers from the public sector IT community, including industry experts as well as current and former government executives who can help you understand what’s going on behind the scenes (and how to capitalize on it to grow your business);
• 16 information-packed sessions focused on topics of interest to sales, marketing, channels, and business development personnel;
• Networking opportunities with more than 600 people representing over 200 software and hardware vendors, IT solution providers, systems integrators, VARs, and service providers;
• Market intelligence briefings highlighting agency technology priorities, funded programs, and specific sales opportunities within both DOD and Civilian agencies;
• More than 30 IT product vendors and service providers showcasing their capabilities;
• Insights on where the government will focus its efforts in cybersecurity, cloud computing, IT infrastructure, and big data and analytics; and
• Practical tips on sales, marketing, contract strategy, working with systems integrators, channel management, recurring revenue, and more.

It’s a great opportunity to uncover sales leads, re-connect with old friends, establish new business relationships, identify potential partners, learn about new technologies, and prepare yourself (and your team) for a productive year ahead. That’s not bad for a day’s work.

This will be YOUR event — one you won’t want to miss. To learn more, visit GovITSalesSummit.com.

Allan Rubin is Vice President of Marketing for immixGroup, Inc., which helps technology companies do business with the government.