LAS VEGAS--Neglect the ROI for your kiosk solution and you gamble with your future.

KioskCom 2004 meets at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on April 26-28 to address the all-important issue of ROI. "The conference 'Achieving ROI in the World of Self-Service Technology' is expected to draw about 2,500 vendors, exhibitors and participants," said managing director Lawrence Dvorchik.

(For more information on kiosk ROI strategies, read the KIOSKmarketplace guide "Kiosks and ROI: Ensuring Your Deployment Returns What You Need, When You Need It")

Conference headline speakers include Robert Goodwin of Gartner Group; JonCarlo Gulbranson, Northwest Airlines; Scott Templeton, formerly of ConocoPhillips; and Carl Thomas, Ticket.com

Dvorchik said organizers have assembled an impressive choice of 50 case studies that focus on ROI. "We'll be asking the questions, how's it going to make money and how long a timeframe will that take?" he said. "End-users want to know if it's a hard financial ROI or more of a soft ROI, a customer service benefit."

The case studies will focus, for example, on photo imaging and on airline electronic ticketing. Kiosk deployers, technology providers and end-users will be among the presenters.

Presenters include: Borders Group, Hilton Hotels, Choice Hotels, Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Fidelity Investments, Tickets.com, and BMW.

Workshop titles include:

• Making the Most of Your Investment: The Nuts & Bolts on How to Achieve ROI
• Driving ROI through Intelligent Device Management
• Technology Update: What You Need to Know before Implementing or Upgrading Your Kiosk Technology
• Dot Com or Dot Bomb: Choosing the Right Providers for Your Kiosk Projects
• ROI in Public Access: How to Succeed and Profit
• Outdoor Kiosks: Designing for the Elements

For those new to the industry, a KioskCom 101 "Bootcamp" is planned. Bootcamp topics include "Pre-Launch Strategic Planning and Forecasting" and "Global Trends in Automated Retail Systems."
 
Excellence Awards will be handed out in 11 industry categories

Dvorchik added that Excellence Awards would be handed out in 11 different categories, honoring winners and runners-ups.

Categories include retail, financial services, government, public access, enclosures, human resources and gaming. (Click here for a list of finalists.)

KioskCom: Moving toward the future

KioskCom has grown tremendously from its modest beginnings in 1997, when 100 participants and eight exhibitors took part in the event.

Dvorchik believes the annual event will get even bigger in years to come. "I think we're seeing the tip of the iceberg as far as kiosk applications go," he said. "It's just a matter of time before kiosks will be everywhere, and will be as commonplace as ATMs. We have such tremendous growth potential.

"We're starting to draw many companies who've developed the newer technologies," Dvorchik said. "We're seeing an uptick in touchscreen marketing, enclosures and designs, and peripherals."

More than 100 exhibitors will display their wares at KioskCom 2004. The exhibit hall will be open April 27-28.

Online registration is available at www.kioskcom.com, with participants being able to sign up for all three days or single day passes.

KioskCom will post conference highlights on its web site following the event.