From the “State of Allied Electronics” address given by Jack Dickinson on Tuesday morning to dinner on the Battleship USS New Jersey Tuesday night, to the moment hypnotist Marshal Manlove had Joe Russo of Quick Chek convinced that a furry “Alf” doll was his long lost son, it was evident that this wasn’t your typical users conference.
Several presentations were conducted on the once exclusive 33rd floor of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, now the luxurious Loews Hotel in downtown Philadelphia. Dispenser manufacturers Bennett, Gilbarco Veeder-Root, and Dresser Wayne were among the presenters.
Alan Levine of Bennett described his company’s intention to return to dominance as a supplier of gasoline dispensers in the U.S. Alan compared Bennett to Allied in terms of company size and employee personality. "The Allied Think Tank 2010 was one of the best customer forums I have ever attended,” said Alan. “It was the perfect mix of technical discussions along with terrific customer interactions and feedback.”
Mark Williams of Gilbarco Veeder-Root quickly grabbed the attention of his audience with the sobering thought that “1/3rd of all gasoline customers aren’t coming into your store.” He then continued with his presentation of “Forecourt Focus: Driving In-Store Sales.”
Tim Weston of Dresser Wayne treated attendees of his session to a “memory lane” of retail fuel. Weston spoke of the birth of “pay-at-pump” in the 1980s, the introduction of PIN debit and advanced marketing capabilities in the 1990s, and PCI security influence of the 2000s.
Allied’s software engineers Lou Seitchik and Rob Tomenchok then took center stage, each with separate presentations. Longtime Allied Software Engineer Lou Seitchik provided a general overview of PA-DSS and Allied’s current validation schedule. Lou also spoke at length about issues and solutions in a topic called “Security Beyond PCI.” He also shared information on Allied’s in-house loyalty projects.
Software Engineer Rob Tomenchok led a session on recommended wiring best practices – a critical topic in today’s forecourt environment. “The cost of protection is less than the cost of failure,” said Rob who also quoted the military adage “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.”
Following a poignant discussion with local author and historian Bill Pezza, conference attendees boarded buses for the Battleship USS New Jersey where they were greeted by Philadelphia Mummers and treated to a tour.
Ken Wade of Flash Foods won the privilege of firing off the USS New Jersey's 5” gun. “Touring the USS New Jersey was an experience that will always be remembered,” said Ken. “It was an honor to experience the shooting of the gun from a piece of history that played a role in fighting for our freedom as Americans.”
After dinner on the ship, laughter was served up by renowned Hypnotherapist Marshal Manlove who had the crowd roaring as participants “visited” exotic locales, went “fishing,” “ate” ice cream, and explored other areas of the human mind.
The next day, attendees sat in on presentations from such Allied vendors as The Pinnacle Corporation, Retalix, Sunshine Electronic Display Corporation, VendGogh, and Warren Rogers Associates.
Loyalty presentations from Outsite Networks, Inc. and StandOUT Video & Marketing provided interesting bookends for an otherwise technology based conference.
“The conference provided new and innovative ideas for expanding our business and offered a new perspective on approaching projects that have been identified as key to our company goals in the coming years,” said Larry Murphree, Manager of Application Development for MAPCO Express, Inc.
This was the second Think Tank for Brad Spain, Solutions Developer for Thorntons, Inc. “Think Tank 2010 was a great successor to the 2008 event,” said Brad. “I found it informative and a great way to learn about initiatives that Allied has on the horizon which may affect my company. Looking forward to the next event!”
“I thought the ‘Helpful Smile in Every Aisle’ was only in the Midwest at Hy-Vee but I felt very welcomed and a willingness to help from all the Allied employees,” said Christy Myers, Assistant Vice President of Retail Systems for Hy-Vee, Inc. “It was great meeting the Allied staff and thanks for providing this technology exchange to your customers!”
This was also the second Think Tank for Johnnie Jones, Computer Operations Manager for Wilco Hess, LLC. “The Think Tank is a must for anyone who uses Allied Electronics products, “said Johnnie. “The knowledge learned from Allied, their Vendor partners and other Allied customers is well worth the attendance.”
Check out our photo essay of Think Tank 2010! |
