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APW, Diebold among the big newsmakers at the 2005 KioskCom show

They say that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. That certainly wasn't the case last week, as professionals from throughout the kiosk industry converged for KioskCom.com 2005, held April 18-20 at the Mandalay Bay Resort.

May 3, 2005 by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

One of the biggest debuts of the show was APW, a global firm that up until now has been known for the manufacture and integration of electronic products. About eight months ago, APW's executive vice president Susan Hrobar and vice president of new business development Dave Stadelmaier began looking at the kiosk business. They hired Ben Wheeler, formerly of MetalFX, and entrusted him to develop and launch the company's new kiosk initiative.

The free-standing I-engage kiosk from APW

"We found Ben, and it was really love at first sight," Hrobar said in a news release. "We're all about experience with materials and creative solutions. We offer proven design capability. We had the resources, and Ben brings the industry expertise."

"When I made the lofty goal of taking APW from zero to KioskCom in eight months, many said, 'What if you can't make it?'" Wheeler said. "If we missed this show this year, we would have missed the kiosk window. Now we are a player."

And quite a player at that: With manufacturing facilities around the world and annual sales of more than half a billion dollars, APW is a juggernaut. The company debuted its new line of I-engage kiosks, which come in counter-top, sit-down, wall-mount and standalone configurations. The kiosks were displayed in custom solutions aimed at QSR, ticketing, salon and retail applications.

"Seventeen facilities in eight countries will make a big difference to the buyer and the industry," Wheeler said. "I think I have found a home at APW that will be a long-term place to do the things I had only dreamed of all these years in the industry."

Also at the show:

Diebold, best known for its strong presence in the ATM world, announced it would use its force of 4,000 technicians to begin providing service for major kiosk deployers.
Scotland's ePOINT unveiled its Cash Device Hub, which consolidates multiple peripherals such as door locks and tilt alarms to a single USB connection. The company also announced a distribution deal with Hemisphere West.
MEI unveiled the Series 2000 Combo Acceptor, which combines a bill acceptor with a magnetic-strip card reader.
WebRaiser debuted its S3E-Commerce software, which transforms Web sites into self-service applications. The company also announced emphasis on the VendiSoft and VendiStore brand, which had previously been marketed as TSS.

Awards ceremony

One of the highlights of the show was Tuesday's night's 4th Annual Interactive Kiosk Excellence Awards ceremony, attended by more than 250 industry professionals and hosted by former CNN Headline News anchor Bob Losure. Two individuals received outstanding achievement awards: Bradley Walker, president and chief executive officer of Nanonation, was named Industry Leader of the Year, and Janet Webster, manager of retail service network and access management for the United States Postal Service, was named Deployer of the Year (click here to read our interview with Webster about the Automated Postal Center).

Other awards were presented to the following:

The Postal Service's Automated Postal Center

Best Kiosk Deployment in a Retail Environment - Large Deployment (100+ Kiosks) Winner: United States Postal Service - Automated Postal Center First runner up: BMW X3 Kiosk/BMW of North America

Best Kiosk Deployment in a Retail Environment - Small Deployment (<100 Kiosks) Winner: Ticketpop Electronic Ticketing Kiosk First runner up: AVIS Car Rental Automated Return Kiosk

Best Kiosk Deployment for a Government Agency Winner: United States Postal Service - Automated Postal Center First runner up: The WWII Registry of Remembrance

Best Kiosk Deployment for Travel, Hospitality or Entertainment Winner: Ticketpop Electronic Ticketing Kiosk First runner up: Hilton Hotels Self Service Check-In Kiosk

Best Public Access Kiosk Application Winner: Vendistore Digital Storefront Kiosk First runner up: Latin America Enterprise S. A.

Best Content in a Kiosk Deployment - Large Deployment (100+ Kiosks) Winner: BMW X3 Kiosk/BMW of North America First runner up: Daimler Chrysler's Vehicle Information Center

Best Content in a Kiosk Deployment - Small Deployment (<100 Kiosks) Winner: WinesandRecipes.Com Kiosk First runner up: The AAA/CAA Customer Service Kiosk

Best Kiosk Software (Toolkit) Winner: TSS Enterprise by WebRaiser Technologies First runner up: Auto Prescription Service System by MediaSolution

Best Hardware/Enclosure Design for a Kiosk Deployment - Large Deployment (100+ Kiosks) Winner: SONY Picture Station First runner up: BMW X3 Kiosk/BMW of North America

Best Hardware/Enclosure Design for a Kiosk Deployment - Small Deployment (<100 Kiosks) Winner: Vision Public VoIP Kiosk by NIT First runner up: CeroView's DPS9010 Photo Kiosk

Most Creative/Best Use of an Input Device in a Kiosk Deployment Winner: Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union - Real-Time Data Management First runner up: WWII Registry of Remembrance

Most Creative/Best Use of New Technology in a Kiosk Deployment Winner: Auto Prescription Service System by MediaSolution First runner up: Sunoco NASCAR Outdoor Convenience Store Kiosks

Best New Kiosk Deployment - Large Deployment (100+ Kiosks) Winner: United States Postal Service - Automated Postal Center First runner up: Hilton Hotels Self Service Check-In Kiosk

Best New Kiosk Deployment - Small Deployment (<100 Kiosks) Winner: Ticketpop Electronic Ticketing Kiosk First runner up: SAS Network Kiosk

Best Updated Kiosk Deployment Winner: Daimler Chrysler's Vehicle Information Center First runner up: ExxonMobil E-Wiz

Best Other Kiosk Deployment - Large Deployment (100+ Kiosks) Winner: SONY Picture Station First runner up: FedEx Self-Service Shipping Kiosks

Best Other Kiosk Deployment - Small Deployment (<100 Kiosks) Winner: Consolidated Technology & Solutions Group - Self-Storage Facility Automated Management Kiosk First runner up: Burn-A-Song Touchscreen Digital Download Stations