LAS VEGAS — Prior to the start of the KioskCom Self Service Expo and The Digital Signage Show, the Self-Service & Kiosk Association Advisory Board gathered on Tuesday at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. With approximately 20 board members in attendance, the group elected eight officers and tackled many issues facing the association and the industry as a whole.
Joel Davis, president and CEO of KioskCom organizer JD Events, touched on the show's increasingly important relationship with SSKA and shared registration numbers with the group.
While, as expected, those figures are slightly down, Davis assured the board that show organizers "remain completely focused, and even obsessed, on delivering qualified buyers to exhibitors," and are making strategic moves to maximize the event's impact. Those efforts have included offering complimentary full-conference passes to attendees, getting involved in social media and a telemarketing drive in the wake of the recent swine flu scare.
Following the discussion of SSKA's presence at KioskCom, the group elected the following board members to office:
Also recognized were three new board members: Dave McCracken of Livewire Kiosk, Tom Pappalardo of Esprida Corp., and Tommy Woycik of NEXTEP SYSTEMS.
Executive director David Drain presented up-to-date membership numbers, which show a growing deployer constituency. Coupled with the election of three officer positions dedicated to that segment, SSKA chairman Dick Good emphasized the importance of the association's efforts to continue growing it as a membership base.
A highlight of the meeting was a presentation by guest attendee Chris Rezendes of VDC Research, who shared in-depth findings related to potential new deployment environments and what he predicts will be the astronomical growth of mobile commerce in the coming years. Rezendes challenged the SSKA to lead the way in channeling oft-repeated phrases such as "operational efficiency" and "customer service" into measurable and observable terms.
"If you as an association can achieve this, you will absolutely, positively become the center of gravity in this industry," he said.
Thus far this week, the SSKA presence at KioskCom has been noticeable. During the Self Service Excellence Awards Wednesday, Drain presented three Hall of Fame awards on behalf of the association. Recipients were Gregg Kaplan, president and COO of Coinstar; Rick Malone, founder and president of KIOSK Information Systems; and Bradley Walker, founder and CEO of Nanonation.
