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The kiosk craving: Attendees sought self-service solutions

Attendees from around the world landed in Orlando Feb. 13-14, 2006 to see the latest in kiosk and self-service solutions at The Self-Service & Kiosk Show, the official tradeshow of The Self-Service & Kiosk Association.

February 20, 2006

They heard the self-service buzz.

Attendees from around the world landed in Orlando Feb. 13-14, 2006 to see the latest in kiosk and self-service solutions at The Self-Service & Kiosk Show, the official tradeshow of The Self-Service & Kiosk Association.

Unixfor S.A.'s presales technical manager Eleftherios Katsaros of Athens, Greece came looking for advanced financial transaction kiosks his consultancy firm can deploy in client banks. Among the products he perused were bill-payment and ticketing solutions.

"We are trying to find out how we can expand our business by offering convenient self-service," Katsaros said. "I'm looking for software and hardware that combines retail and finance. We want to offer more services without increasing costs. We can sell our solutions based on cost savings."

Optimisa's gerente commercial (commercial manager) Rodolfo Muller Pinto, of Venezuela, came looking for informational kiosks. His PR firm wants to deploy them on Margurita Island, a tourist destination in his home country.

"We are going to stay with the pure basic," he said. "We want information and advertising."

Ramey/Pricecutter director of convenience stores and restaurants Gary Volmert wanted more information on c-stores and fuel centers. It was his first time at a self-service show and he described it as a new culture, different from the National Association of Convenience Stores. His chain's six c-stores already do pay-at-the-pump, but now he wants to draw customers back into the stores with financial kiosks.

"Main thing would be something that'll grab sales from the competition," Volmert said. "I want an edge on the competition, a return on investment, and user friendly."

Digital signage entrepreneur Milton Jones, owner of Apex Digital Signage in Tampa, Fla., came for the educational aspect of the show. His team is brainstorming self-service applications and he wanted to learn where his firm can fit into the industry.

"We use similar products," Jones said. "Our focus industry is healthcare and hospitality. But we haven't done anything interactive. The first day full of seminars (at the show) is full of things I thought would be useful: quick service restaurant and mobile phone applications. Businesses are providing more services and products by self-service means."