News

From kiosks.org: Heating things up for deployers, new advisors

June 8, 2005

It has been a busy few months for kiosks.org association, working on issues that benefit all of the members. If you're involved in the kiosk industry, the association can be the way for your voice to be heard. Many members have determined the association is worth their time and efforts and have made significant commitments both financially and with their time. The column this month is devoted to changes within the organization and the plans we discussed at our recent meeting. We welcome your comments and inquiries.

One of our focuses this year is to attract deployer members-the companies that actually own and use kiosks to support their business. What better way to improve your kiosk program than to have a ready audience of vendors and suppliers willing to listen and accommodate your needs. Visit kiosks.org for the latest on the deployer-member program.

Election results

Members recently voted on candidates for the advisory board and elected Tom Smith, MontegoNet; V. Miller Newton, Netkey; Ed McGunn, Corporate Safe Specialists; David Oles, Pixel Magic Imaging; Nick Daddabbo, Hand Held Products; Peter Kaszycki, Pro-Tech; and Craig Keefner of KIS.

These members joined existing board members Cort Johnson, IBM; Alan Fryrear, publisher, kiosks.org; Alex Richardson, Selling Machine Partners; Dick Good, NetWorld Alliance; Sylvia Berens, Apunix Computer Services; and me in Las Vegas for an advisory board meeting. Paul Baril, 3M/Microtouch, and Elaine Bresnick, Swecoin - also current board members - were not present.

Notes from the first advisory board meeting

At the meeting, one of the first orders of business was to identify committee chairpersons and to elect officers.

The elected officers are: Cort Johnson, president;  Sylvia Berens, first vice president; Alex Richardson, vice president; and Ed Mc Gunn, vice president.

For a complete list of committee chairpersons and their committees, visit kiosks.org.

Committees include Membership and Marketing, Standards and Technology, Statistics and Research, and Best Practices. If you are a member and would like to participate on one of the committees, please contact the committee chairperson or me. Committees are always looking for additional members, and working on one is a great networking opportunity.

See you in San Fran

Next, the board considered possible locations for the annual meeting. For the past several years the board met at KioskCom in Las Vegas, but we've been advised that we can no longer be accommodated at that venue. The board decided to hold the annual meeting concurrent with the Self Service & Kiosk Show, Oct. 17-18 in San Francisco. The meeting is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, with committee members gathering Oct. 17 to report to the members present. At the event, we also will present awards to members who have made significant contributions to the industry. (For more information about the show, click here.)

Thanks to NetWorld for agreeing to provide a great location for the annual meeting.

Resolutions for the year

Finally, the board agreed to focus on four major activities in the upcoming year, and to keep the membership informed of progress.

If you would like more information on the association or how you can contribute to the growth of this dynamic industry, please contact me for more information.