Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show

Self-Service Innovation Virtual Summit honors inaugural Innovation Awards winners

The winners of the first Self-Service Virtual Innovation Awards were announced yesterday during the Self-Service Innovation Virtual Summit.

Image courtesy of Ultraleap.

December 9, 2020 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

While COVID-19 has placed a tremendous strain across many industries, those in the self-service kiosk and vending industries have accelerated innovation as a result. This was reflected in the announcement of winners in five categories during the Self-Service Virtual Innovation Summit being held Dec. 8-9.

The winners were honored during an awards ceremony Tuesday, the first day of the two-day summit. Carts Blanche sponsored the awards, honoring the most innovative solutions for kiosks, vending and facilities for adapting to the new normalcy of COVID-19 and its aftermath.

The winners are:

Innovation of the Year (B2B):
PicoCooler, submitted by 365 Retail Markets.

Innovation of the Year (B2C):
Freestyle Contactless Pouring on a Smartphone, submitted by the Coca-Cola Co.

Best COVID-19 Solution:
TouchFree, submitted by Ultraleap.

Reader's Choice Award: Innovator of the Year (Company)
Chowbotics.

Reader's Choice Award: Innovator of the Year (Person)
Krishna Vedula, COO, 365 Retail Markets.

Judges for the awards included:

Christiana DiMattesa, director of in-store and experiential marketing, North America, at Under Armour.
Rafik Hanna, vice president of IT at Taco Bell Corp.
Michael Kasavana, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the National Automatic Merchandising Association.
David Kepron, owner and principal, Retail (r)Evolution.
Elliot Maras, editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times.
Adam Pierno, associate VP of marketing strategy at Arizona State University.

Watch the video to learn more about the winners.