The nomination deadline for the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) OneShow Innovation (iSpot) Awards, which has been revamped to include operator categories this year, is March 23, 2012. The show will be held at the Venetian/Sands in Las Vegas Wednesday to Friday, April 25 to 27, 2012.
Innovation awards will be presented in the following categories:
Suppliers:
Equipment: Vending machines, kiosks, coffee and water equipment, foodservice equipment.
Peripherals: Payment systems and devices, operating systems, accounting/control systems
Operators:
“Store” Design: New service sets and/or store layouts
Packaging: New branding at locations, products and packaging.
Merchandising/Promotion: New ways to drive sales and increased participation.
The winners will be presented with an i-Spot award and will be determined by a panel of judges with extensive knowledge but independent from any exhibiting companies. The panel includes the following:
Paul Schlossberg is a 30-year veteran of the food industry, specializing in foodservice. He has held various management and executive-level positions for companies such as General Foods, Dr Pepper, Borden and TGI Friday’s to name a few. He is currently serving as President of D/FW Consulting, which specializes in branded product and market development projects for clients such as McDonald’s and Tyson Food Service.
Jerry McVety has served as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force and was director of Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum, and developed most of the food service facilities and visitor amenities that are still in place today and serve over 1 million annually. In 1985 he founded McVety & Associates, an international food service and hospitality consulting firm serving clients such as Chrysler and Abbott laboratories, to name a few.
Mike Tompkins, NAMA’s 2002 OCS Allied Member of the Year, coaches executives and employees to execute coffee marketing strategies by owning coffee expertise from bean to cup. For more than 10 years in his development of the QCCP, Mike has helped focus the attention of coffee service and retail operators on the art and science of brewing coffee.
Judging for the new operator category will be a two-stage process. Volunteer judges will select and announce the top three entries in each group. Every NAMA OneShow attendee will have the opportunity to cast one vote for each operator award category on the show floor on Wednesday, and the winners will be announced on Thursday morning at the OneShow keynote event.
All exhibiting companies as well as operating companies are encouraged to enter and become eligible for the award. All qualified entries will automatically be presented with an iSpot symbol to place in their booth drawing the attention of all show attendees. All entries must be submitted online by Friday, March 23. For more information or to apply, visit www.NAMAOneShow.org.
