The event exceeded our expectations. We had hoped for 75 registrants and 116 signed up. The caliber of the speakers was very high, hailing from brands such as Frito-Lay, Sprint, MOOYAH, Neiman Marcus, Six Flags, The Weather Channel and more.

The event also exceeded the attendees’ expectations: 100% of survey respondents said so and all thus far said they would attend again. The caliber of the attendee was not too shabby either, with representatives from 7-Eleven, Capital One, Dave & Buster’s, Exchange, GameStop, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Love’s Travel Stops, On The Border and Target among the audience.

Due to the intimate size of the event and the venue, there were a lot of opportunities for learning and networking. Sponsors included Four Winds Interactive, Intel, Pro-Motion Technology Group, Scala, Two West, Reflect and RMG Networks. Each had a tabletop display in the foyer with examples of screenmedia technology. Intel’s partner VE Global Vending went so far as to bring an interactive vending machine dispensing USB hard drives and snacks to the delight of attendees.

The event began at 12 noon and ended at 12 noon the following day. At the end of the first day, attendees went next door to Austin Ranch for dinner, drinks and awards. Eighteen awards were presented as part of the 2013 DSA Industry Excellence Awards competition. To keep the program moving, brief acceptance speeches were made by only the final three winners: Industry Deployer of the Year (Six Flags), Screenmedia Integration Award (SportChek by TELUS) and Network Operator of the Year (RMG Networks).

The following morning included a session called the “Brain Exchange” in which attendees were able to choose a table topic of interest (vertical markets such as retail and restaurants, or topics such as customer experience or store design) and participate in a moderated roundtable discussion. Many continued their discussions into the refreshment break that followed. Each panel session also welcomed questions from the audience.

The Symposium closed with a presentation by Brandon Elliott of Build-A-Bear, who gave an insider’s view on the development of its “store of the future.”

Prior to the Symposium, the DSA Advisory Board met and held elections during the meeting. New officers for 2013-2014 include:

• President: Bill Lynch, Reevex
• EVP, Digital Signage: Craig K. Martin, Reality Interactive
• VP, Digital Signage: Jennifer Nye, Kohler Co.
• EVP, Mobile: Steve Gurley, Pyrim Technologies
• EVP, Self-Service Kiosk: Ron Bowers, Frank Mayer & Associates
• VP, Self-Service Kiosk: Craig Keefner, Connected Technology Solutions
• EVP, Marketing: Paul Flanigan, Pro-Motion Technology Group
• Treasurer: Janet Webster, Creative Solutions Consulting
• Secretary: Margot Myers, Platt Retail Institute
• Immediate Past President: Jared Miller, NCR

We used the Twitter hashtag #screenmedia13 – so if you missed the event, or want a recap of the sessions, several in the audience took notes. We’re already beginning the planning for the next event; stay tuned for an announcement.

On the Symposium front, recent speakers added to the roster include:

• Sean Andersen, Director of Interactive Services, Six Flags Entertainment 
• Brandon Elliott, Director - Digital Ventures, Build-A-Bear Workshop
• Stephen Hunton, Director, Engagement, Fleishman-Hillard 
• Jeremy Lockhorn, VP, Emerging Media, Razorfish 
• Shannon St. Clair, Sr. Manager of Architecture and Engineering, Yum! Brands

The DSA Advisory Board is holding elections this month for officer positions (president, EVPs, treasurer and secretary) and the results of those elections will be announced May 9 in Dallas.

Judging wrapped up recently for the 2013 DSA Industry Excellence Awards, which honors the best self-service, digital signage and mobile technology deployments across all vertical market segments. This year we had 22 judges. The competition was highly competitive and the entrants keep raising the bar. I’m one of the few who know the final results of the tally – and let me tell you – the winning projects are impressive. I can’t wait to see the winners announced. This will also take place on May 9 during the evening dinner party at Austin Ranch, adjacent to the Hilton DFW Lakes.

I’m super excited about the events in Dallas and I hope to see you there. There's still time to register.