This article originally published in Kiosk magazine, Nov/Dec 2005.

Change, while inevitable, isn't always good. In the case of our association there have been quite a number of changes in the last few months. Some of those will change the way you think about the association, others will make us more efficient and, hopefully, all of those changes will be considered "good" when we reflect back a year from now.

A new name

At our recent annual meeting, held at The Self-Service & Kiosk Show in San Francisco, Oct. 18, kiosks.org association announced it will change its name to the Self-Service & Kiosk Association, effective immediately. The association also announced that the URL for its Web site will change to www.selfservice.org.

In making those announcements, I told the assembled members that, beginning at the association's 2002 annual meeting held at Stone Mountain, Ga., and continuing at the advisory board and executive committee meetings held in Louisville, Ky., Chicago and Las Vegas, the name of the association has been a regular topic of discussion. At the April 2005 meeting in Las Vegas, the advisory board identified renaming the association as one of its key initiatives. The board determined that the association's annual meeting was the proper venue to reveal the new name and associated Web site changes.

In identifying the name change as a key initiative, the advisory board recognized the importance of the industry's evolution and the broader view of self-service taken by many of its members. The name change was motivated by the fact that the kiosk is primarily considered a hardware device and many of the members of the association, while actively deploying these devices, are usually involved with a much larger self-service initiative.

Alex Richardson: Hall of Fame

Each year the association nominates members for induction into the Hall of Fame. These nominees are then voted on by the executive committee. The candidates are nominated based on their leadership and contributions to the association and the industry overall. This year's winner has been very generous with his time by volunteering on a regular basis for committees and leadership roles in the association. Congratulations, Alex Richardson. We all appreciate your efforts.

And a farewell

Aft era wonderful and productive nearly 2 years as the association's executive director, I have decided to accept a position in the industry with Elo TouchSystems. Although I will greatly miss my coworkers in Louisville, Ky., my friends on the advisory board and all of the members that I've had a chance to work with, this new position is a tremendous opportunity.

It truly has been a privilege for me to have been at the helm of your association. We have done some great work including the renaming of the association, running our first elections, getting exposure on TV and other media, working on partnerships with other associations and examining the goals and direction and how we will provide value to the members in the future. Thank you for providing me with this great experience.