NEW ORLEANS — The ATM Industry Association's Conference 2008 officially opened this week in the center of downtown New Orleans.
More than 600 industry representatives converged on the Marriot Hotel near the city's historic French Quarter, placing this year's attendance higher than previous years.
Lt. Col. Oliver North, host of FoxNews' "War Stories with Oliver North," gave the keynote address. He received a standing ovation after regaling the audience with stories of military war heroes and discussing what he believed will be the most pressing issues the nation will face in the near future.
"It's a pleasure to be with people whose business is commerce — people who make it easy for consumers to gain access to their finances and who care about security," he told the crowd. "It's a remarkable parallel to my job, because my job is to hang around with people whose job it is to provide a better future for folks, with no small degree of security."
Gift cards galore
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| Oliver North delivers the ATMIA keynote address. |
One such exhibit at the Better ATM Services booth consisted of an ATM that dispenses not only cash, but also prepaid gift cards.
Todd Nuttall, chief executive of Better ATM Services, said his company patented technology that enables the ATM to dispense the cards through the ATM cash tray by using standard cassettes. He said his company isn't revamping the ATM, but simply is adding one more function to its traditional business model.
"The ATM has been around for 37 years," Nuttall said. "Everyone knows how to use it. They trust it. It's automated. The industry understands it well. We're not really changing the way that people handle the money through it. We're simply giving them another revenue strength. So the ATM owner can now participate in the card programs that the ATMs are offering."
Rain or shine
Across the hall, another exhibit is catching the eyes of attendees. Jeff Duggin, a sales engineer for Diamond Kiosk, is showing off his company's latest prototype — the "Roll-Up Surround" (RUS) enclosure.
The RUS enclosure operates almost like a mini-garage, with a metal door that can be lowered over the front of the kiosk to protect it from the harmful effects of weather. The enclosure is equipped with motion sensors, enabling it to seal the door automatically if it hasn't been accessed after a pre-specified period of time. Users who want to use the machine after the door has closed can open it again by pressing a button on the enclosure.
"The main thing is to keep the ATM completely away from the elements," Duggin said, adding that other enclosure companies tried to solve the problem simply by placing a weather-resistant flap in front of the kiosk.
"This way, you don't have to worry about somebody not putting the flap back in the right place," he said of Diamond Kiosk's solution.
ATMIA runs Feb. 20-22. For more information, visit www.atmia.com.
