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ICX Association honors best interactive customer experience tech at Elevate Awards 2016

The ICX Association last night honored excellence in interactive customer experience technologies with its 2016 Elevate Awards.

Association Managing Director Christopher Hall, left, with Raj Maini, Worldwide Marketing Director, Visual Retail, Digital Signage at Intel

June 3, 2016

Media doesn't just take people to the store; the media is the store, and the store has to become the media —  an experiential playground for customers, according to the Retail Prophet, Doug Stephens, who delivered the opening keynote at this year's Interactive Customer Experience Summit in Dallas.

That trend is manifesting itself in new and innovative technologies changing the way customers interact with and experience brands — some of the best of which were honored at the ICX Summit Awards ceremony last night during a raucous dinner party at the Circle R Ranch near Dallas.

Several industry experts served as judges and handed out awards in 10 categories, including best ICX content in point-of-wait and point-of-sale deployments and best ICX deployments in retail, health care, corporate communications, e-commerce and more. In addition to those 10, awards were given out for ICX Deployment of the Year and ICX Influencer of the Year.

The Awards ceremony and party afterward, complete with Texas barbecue and mechanical bull riding, were held in conjunction with this year's ICX Summit, held nearby at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. The Summit is an annual conference devoted to showcasing the innovative ways technology can be used to create transcendent customer experiences.

ICX Association Managing Director Christopher Hall said the award winners exemplified the amazing experiences that are possible with the combination of forward-thinking and customer-focused CX design and cutting-edge CX technology.

"From patient friendly check-in kiosks designed to adapt to the patients to immersive interactive technologies for the classroom that put the student in the center of the education experience, the work honored here tonight shows it's not just the future of ICX technologies that's bright — the present is pretty amazing itself," he said.

"Part of our work in representing and advocating for the industries we cover is making sure the best works are showcased to help inspire and motivate even further advances and new deployments," said Kathy Doyle, executive vice president and publisher of Networld Media Group, organizers of the Summit and parent company of the Association. "These award winners represent both innovative technology providers and the brave and forward-looking companies willing to innovate and explore the possibilities of these technologies with them."

The 2016 ICX Association Excellence Awards winners were: 

ICX Influencer of the Year (awarded at the association's discretion): Intel

ICX Association Comments:

"When thinking about individuals or organizations who are leading the way in connecting B2C brands to technology that drives customer engagement, it's hard to think of anyone doing more to evangelize this effort than Intel," Hall said at the event. "At our recent ICX Symposium event in Phoenix, one of the attendees marveled at Intel's large investment in showing the industry what's possible with new and rapidly evolving technology. 'They could just make chips and let us figure it out," he said. "But I admire the way they work with brands and other partners to develop the solutions that are helping stores to stay competitive.'

"Indeed. It's because of Intel's deep commitment to working with retailers, suppliers and organizations like the ICX Association to develop best practices in the practice of customer experience that we are proud to recognize Intel as the 2016 ICX Influencer of the Year."

Best ICX Content, Point-of-Sale: Shikatani Lacroix — Adidas Golf – Lift and Compare

Judges' Comments:

• "Liked the simplicity of the interaction and clear calls to action throughout."
• "This "silent associate" that was created bridges the gap between online research and the ultimate need for many people to ask questions and narrow down their purchase selection in a store."
• "I appreciated the emphasis on reuse and the ability to easily update the displays with new promotions over time."
• "This experience was eye-catching, engaging, easy to use, fun, and innovative."
• "Allowing comparisons took it to another level."
• "The display itself was elegant, while practical."

Best ICX Content, Point-of-Wait: Two West – 2015 Middle of the Map Fest Cross Screen Displays

Judges' comments:

• "Excellent visual presentation. Stunning motion graphics…. Content looks compelling and engaging. The seamless blend between the digital/social/kiosk is also impressive."
• "The cross-screen displays were beautifully designed — a solid combination of striking visuals and great pacing."
• "This is the type of application that keeps me motivated after spending 30-plus years in the self-service industry. These guys get it!!"
• "The multilayered engagement depicted here is where the market is NOW and more of these applications need to happen."

Best ICX Deployment, Corporate Communication: Omnivex Corporation and Radiant Technology – Cardinal Health Experience Center

Judges' comments:

• "Now THAT's a corporate lobby. Elegantly and confidently executed; strong deployment!"
• "Very cool interactive elements that would engage in person."
• "From a design perspective, it is visually appealing for sure."

Best ICX Deployment, E-commerce: Reality Interactive –Great George Watches Ecomm Website

Judges' comments:

• "Well done! Marrying the KickStarter fund-raising while introducing the product in a very competitive category which fueling the Path to Purchase reflects a best practice in multi-media communications."
• "Brand distinction and the ability for consumers to amplify the brand is to be applauded."
• "Great attention to detail — I loved the ticking clock hands!"
• "Beautiful product photography and good copy combined to tell the product's story in a compelling way."

Best ICX Deployment, Entertainment/Gaming: Omnivex Corporation – Calgary Stampede

Judges' comments:

• "A good use of way -finding maps to create a solution and reduce the need of paper maps, the integration of maintenance etc. is an excellent feature as it provides passengers with a real-time view."
• "The large screen and integration is fantastic! Overall, it is a very good solution and meets the needs of passengers."
• "Solid solution…. Glad these guys understand their customers."
• "A good application of wayfinding for a complex venue…. Wish more companies would put more effort into their solutions."

Best ICX Deployment, Financial Services: ItsPayd — ItsPayd

Judges' comments:

• "This application addresses and key business problem while at the same time, engaging consumers in such a way as to not alienate or erode the relationship between brand and consumer."
• "A consumer with unsettled accounts would surely appreciate this highly respectful approach rather than a collection call (which is expensive to the brand)."
• "A great concept and I like the way that the information is captured and the way that customer can easily choose a specific payment plan."
• "Very innovative concept, very nicely tied to customer experience event and business need."

Best ICX Deployment, Government/Education/Non-Profit Agency: Prendi – The Wonder Room

Judges' comments:

• "WOW — The Wonder Room by Prendi is an outstanding and innovative ‘next step' in education."
• "This solution offers the potential for many types of experiences going forward — not only within classrooms but also at conferences and leadership development training situations.
• "A great learning tool for kids as well as it educates in a very entertaining way."
• "My wife wants to send our kids to this school! Innovative use of the technology in an academic setting."

Best ICX Deployment: Healthcare: Connected Technology Solutions – The CTS Healthcare Services Patient Passport Express

Judges' comments:

• "The CTS Healthcare Services Patient Passport Express is an excellent customer experience solution for patients." 
• "The sleek style and easy-to-follow on-screen prompts along with the movable monitor for ADA compliance is very innovative."
• "I thought the kiosk was very nice, great ADA integration, considerations for germs in a hospital environment and all the "bells and whistles" to do everything you need at one kiosk."
• "A kiosk for the hospital check in makes perfect sense. The ADA feature and the UV light are very impressive."

Best ICX Deployment, Retail: Shikatani Lacroix – FLOW-Cable & Wireless Communications

Judges' comments:

• "I like how elements of the physical store are woven into the digital signage, making the whole project seem more unified."
• "Visually stunning and intriguing. Both the project and the supporting documentation reflect a company/project that understands the power of media engagement."
• "This is what I envision when I think of the possibilities."
• "The system achieved clearly measurable objectives, was engaging, appropriate, interactive and easy to use."

Best ICX Deployment: Other (in a category not listed): Reality Interactive – MINI USA Digital Retail Program

Judges' comments:

• "Reality Interactive's MINI Digital Interactive Program is an excellent idea — really like the synergy with what was already done with BMW a few years ago.  Also like that they've made it so much easier for the dealerships to "comply" and have easy access to this experience w/o having to do a lot of work (loading DVDs, checking to be sure it's correct)."
• "A great solution ensuring all dealers are showing the same content, the ability to manage and maintain content remotely ensures brand integrity is maintained. A great use of a CMS platform."
• "I was prepared to see 'another car dealership' project. Was pleasantly surprised to see a professional integration of an online with an in-store experience. Given that it is Mini Cooper, I would assume their customer base expects this type of experience. It's cool and edgy."

ICX Deployment of the Year (the submission with the highest average score): Prendi —The Wonder Room

Judges' comments:

"This technology is cool, but what's even more impressive is Prendi's understanding of good education — empowering students to explore. It would have been easy to create something that makes the teacher look like the hero, but the simultaneous multi-user aspect of the multi-action video wall combined with the rest of the room's features make this not just technology, but a truly powerful experience. Very, very well done."

The ICX Association, based in Louisville, Kentucky, connects B2C brands with technology designed to elevate the customer experience by partnering with supplier-side members to deliver content that explains, researches and demonstrates technology-based approaches to brand-side members.