Trade Show Consolidation, will it happen now, next year or 2012?

Here is a topic I think is near and dear to all our hearts and I believe you will agree that we all know how demanding and expensive exhibiting and/or attending the plethora of industry related trade shows can be.  It was an especially difficult in 2009 with the economy to balance all the vertical market shows as well our niche industry shows like the two KioskCom / Digital Signage Show events and DSE.  Oh yeah, and trying to generate revenue to pay for these marketing activities at the same time! 

It is getting even more difficult with the evolving, overlapping and merging of the self-service kiosk, digital signage, DOOH and audio-visual markets.  If someone wanted to actively participate in all the shows that dealt with our markets (Just North America), we would have to start with NRF in January and then as a minimum do or have a presence at: DSE, GlobalShop, KioskCom / DSS Spring, Infocomm, and KioskCom / DSS Fall.  I know left out many like AAM, BAI, FS/TECH, HITECH, IAAPA, IHMRS, NAB, NACS, SHRM, all the various content and other DOOH related events and many others, sorry for any omissions, not on purpose just needed to catch my breath!  I think you will see my point and appreciate where I am coming from, at least all the vendors should. 

The last item that directly impacts this trade show consolidation topic is the direct involvement and support from our primary industry organizations like the SSKA, DSA and Infocomm.  Infocomm is easy, they directly support the Infocomm show and do a great job.  Now, the SSKA and DSA is bit more complex and requires considerable discussion from the members (vendor and deployer), board members, executive team and Networld Alliance.  

SO, is there some consolidation coming in the trade show space as it relates to the self-service kiosk, digital signage, DOOH and audio-visual markets?  Or at a minimum will there be some increased effort to drive cooperation between the multitude of shows and various organizations that support these shows so in-turn they can better support and serve the customers and vendors within these markets?  I sure hope so!

Is Self-Service still the Best Service?

As some of you may remember, the Self-Service & Kiosk Association (SSKA) ran a successful media campaign some years ago with the tag line of "The Best Service is Self-Service". I sometimes wonder if this tag line and belief still holds true? I certainly think so and this response comes from experience, recent experience.

After many recent trips and a long holiday shopping season, I find the continued growth in self-service industry and the continued accessibility of self-service terminals of all types (kiosks, digital signage, digital directories and the like), to be a blessing for seasoned travelers and inpatient and weary shoppers, like me. I have used airport kiosks (multiple airports, multiple cities), flight information kiosks (hotel based), mall directories (Indoor and Outdoor), price checkers (Retail), self-checkout (Grocery), multiple ATM's of course, and watched hundreds, if not thousands of digital signage monitors, with advertising, weather, news and various other content on variety of monitor sizes, in numerous locations over the past thirty days.

I for one would rather use a kiosk or other interactive or informational device then try to find a human being or real person in any store or public venue that could assist or actually answer a question (good luck with that). I just wish there were more self-service devices, running more applications and providing additional information and services and of course these devices were more widely deployed and accessible in all markets. Therefore, I firmly believe that the adage of "The Best Service is Self-Service" is true today and will remain true for many years to come.

When is "The Kiosk Industry" going to put a stop to alleged scams like the "D.C. church" incident?

OK, I am sure everyone has seen the bad press about the "Prince George's County company accused of scamming churches" (see link below). As an industry veteran and kiosk / digital signage business owner, I take particular offense to these types of alleged scams and the negative press our generally honest, hard working and traditionally niche industry seems to get every couple of years. I wish there was a way to stop this sort of thing before it happens, but when people set their minds to take advantage of other people or businesses I guess it is difficult to stop, no matter what industry they target. I know an educated prospect or customer is the best defense against this type of criminal activity but that is easier said than done. Am I the only one, or is anyone else in the kiosk and digital signage space just as outraged as I am? What can we do to protect the kiosk industry's reputation? I would think this is a good topic for the next SSKA and DSA board meetings and the industry lunch during KioskCom Fall. What do you think?

http://www.gazette.net/stories/06102009/silvnew180954_32537.shtml

When will digital directory's become standard?

The kiosk market has come a long way in the past ten years and the digital signage market will soon outpace the kiosk market on it's way as the fastest growing segment in our merging markets. Unfortunately, the sub-market that often seems to be ignored, even though the technology is quite similar to kiosk and digital signage, and can also immensely improve any visitors experience to the next office building, complex, campus or mall, is the digital directory market!

With the advances in computers, mini-players, LCD's, touch screens, mounts, software and the number of experienced systems integrators, a digital directory should be a standard item for any new facility. A quality digital directory should also be seriously considered as an important retrofit for any existing facility with more than one floor and 10 tenants, or any facility for that matter. Be forward thinking and remember a great visitor experience is very important, especially for the next person, guest or prospect that enters and tries to find YOUR company!

Self-Service & Everything Merges

We just finished a successful KioskCom Self-Service Expo & Digital Signage Show in Las Vegas. The world of self-service is evolving, and it appears, at least to me , that not only are the kiosk and digital signage markets merging into one hybrid market, but digital directory, traditional AV technologies and other products, technologies and markets are all intermixing and may all eventually become one large "Digital Technology" market. It does not matter whether you are a manufacturer, vendor, systems integrator / VAR, deployer or end user, you need to understand and utilize these new merging technologies and leverage these changing markets. We all need to embrace this new, dynamic "Digital Technology" market as an essential way of conducting business today, tomorrow and for many years to come.