Article

A new experience for KOA

For Kiosks.org Association, an exhibit at the world's largest retail show proved a worthwhile experiment. KOA leaders say the experience had its positives and negatives.

April 29, 2004

CHICAGO -- When Kiosks.org Association leaders decided that an exhibit at Globalshop would be a good way to promote the kiosk industry, they hoped to simply get the attention of retailers in a shopping mood.

GlobalShop, the giant retail trade show and conference that took place at the McCormick Center April 18-20, is known for bringing in the top buyers from every type of retail operation. The KOA certainly accomplished its goal of getting itself some attention at the show. What remains to be seen is whether any of the prospects can be turned into kiosk clients by KOA members.

The show generated 80 leads for KOA, 58 from potential vendor members and 22 from potential deployer members. NetWorld Alliance's Sue Casey, who worked the booth for KOA, estimated that 1,200 brochures were distributed on behalf of 25 KOA members who participated in the booth.

In addition to the KOA booth, 10 members purchased their own exhibit space, including two -- Arral Industries Inc. and Kiosk Magazine-- which also exhibited with KOA. Their reaction to the presence of the KOA booth was mixed, ranging from a total embrace of the concept to suggestions that significant refinements are needed.

Dick Good, KOA chairman and CEO of KioskMarketplace parent NetWorld Alliance, said the organization is addressing issues related to the show, but that there were enough positives to consider continuing the trade show program.

"It was an interesting pilot," Good said. "There are a lot of ideas to work on and refine if we pursue this again. I'm glad we were there. It's a good idea. I just think it needs to be tuned up a little."

Coin acceptor manufacturer MEI Inc. donated the 10-by-20 foot booth, with kiosk manufacturer Factura Corp. supplying brochure racks. In total, 25 KOA members signed up for the booth. Representatives of several large retailers visited the booth, including Sears Roebuck and Co., KIA Motors, Victoria's Secret, and LensCrafters Inc.

Apunix Computer Services vice president Sylvia Berens said she was disappointed that a complete list of members was not available at the booth, either as a handout or on a sign visible to guests.

"I believe Kiosks.org should promote all members equally," Berens said. "Its function should be as a repository of learning experiences for customers."

Craig Keefner, KOA executive director, said that was an oversight that would be rectified in the future.

Apunix and Arral spent about $4,000 to share a booth at the show about 50 feet away from the KOA booth.

Arral sales and marketing director Ben Wheeler said the booth was a welcome opportunity to showcase the growing strength of the kiosk industry. He escorted at least five potential members to the KOA booth during the the show.

"I am happy the organization is here," Wheeler said. "All the other things aside, the organization is at least out here trying to represent us and I've been sending people over there."

Berens suggested that in the future KOA should enhance its trade-show presence by raising its visibility outside the booth.

"Every member should have a sign they're proud to display in their booth when they go to a show," she said. "Make the organization have meaning. People will inquire at the booth about what Kiosks.org Association is and members can communicate this.

NetWorld Alliance's Sue Casey worked the Kiosks.org Association booth at GlobalShop.

"Kiosks.org should also be involved in giving seminars, general talks about what the industry has been about," she continued. "Mention some successes, talk about what to look for in a deployment."

Good said that KOA made booth signs available to members for KioskCom 2002 in March at Orlando, Fla., but that the signs were not worded specifically enough for use at trade shows with a broader reach such as GlobalShop.

"There's a program to do that for lobby signs for buildings and stickers for stationery. That's being done," he said. "We used (booth boards) in Florida at KioskCom, but a different style needs to be there for other shows."

Keefner said he has received positive and negative feedback from the show. His impression is that the booth concept works for KOA members, but needs some refining.

BMW's Virtual Sales Center (See story: Kiosks in the Fast Lane) was the big winner among electronic kiosks at GlobalShop, taking home a gold medal in the Point-of-Purchase Advertising International's (POPAI) Outstanding Merchandising Achievement awards.

The kiosk, built by Frank Mayer & Associates Inc. with software provided by Netkey Inc., won first place in the Interactive Kiosk division. The Starlight PC Pal, a portable computer that allows patients in children's hospitals to play computer games and surf the Internet, won the silver medal. DaimlerChrysler Corp.'s vehicle information center earned a bronze medal.

The other entrants in the competition were a baby registry kiosk created for Babies R Us retail store and an interactive car stereo retail display created for Wal-Mart.

Frank Mayer & Associates brought three BMW Sales Centers to GlobalShop, displaying the kiosk in each of its two booths (i3 and point-of-purchase sections) while a third was in the POPAI awards section.

"The way we look at it, it's nice to win awards, but our business and our clients come first," said Mike Mayer, Frank Mayer & Associates president. "But what it does is tell us that our company and out clients have done the job, which is to move business."

Alex Richardson, Netkey president, attended the show on April 19 and expressed similar thoughts on the company-customer dynamic.

"We focus on creating a winning culture at Netkey," Richardson said. "It's not about building pretty pictures or Web sites; it's about building rapid ROI and profits for our customers."

[Editor's note: Info Touch Technologies became Tio Networks in April 2006.]