Everland Kid City Kiosk a "Kid Magnet"

What's the ultimate way to appeal to kids? How about developing an interactive kiosk with an ultra-bright color scheme, fluorescent lighting and an illuminated, rotating globe with wire antennae on top? Add to that a state-of-the-art computer with a flat touchscreen monitor and it should be a winner. At least that's what Everland Entertainment is counting on."In the testing that we've done so far with our Kid City 2000 interactive kiosk, it's a kid magnet," says Rick Forsythe, vice president of the Nashville-based company.Scheduled to be placed initially in more than 350 Christian retail outlets beginning in November, the unit replaces the original Kid City Product Center that debuted in 1994. "In '94 the desire was to be ahead of our time and we accomplished that," Forsythe explains. "That's our goal here as well -- to not only be competitive with the look, but to also be ahead of our time with the technology."Housed in a kiosk made of vacuum-formed plastic, the 72-inch-high unit offers a space-efficient 24-inch footprint and is designed for both endcap positions and freestanding placement. Its base is made of rotationally-molded urethane. Vacuum-formed shelves nested into wire cradles on the front of the unit display a large assortment of audio and video products. In addition, 100 units will be retrofitted with an enhancement kit that will allow for placement of product on shelves on the sides and back of the unit. "This one is freestanding and will only go in the larger stores," Forsythe says.Some of the key elements of the unit include the switch to a Philips flat screen 15-inch monitor with 14,000 response points. It's approximately 4 inches thick and allows for adjustable tilt to maximize viewing for both children and adults. A high-speed Macintosh G3 computer offers full-motion, digital pictures. Consumers can simply touch the screen to preview selected segments of the audio and video products from Everland and Word-Distributed labels included in the kiosk. The system hardware is housed in the rear of the kiosk and is easily accessible.A Bose stereo system with high-infinity sound makes the listening experience fulfilling, according to Forsythe. Consumers can interact by either listening and watching the audiotapes and videotapes or playing on-screen games. The other interactive element of the kiosk is a captured version of Everland's new web site. "While it's all self-contained, you'll feel like you're actually going out on the web and can preview live action video, games, live chats and web events as well as detailed product information," Forsythe says.Another key feature of the Kid City 2000 is that it's connected to a high-speed modem and state-of-the-art software to facilitate on-line updates directly from the company's central offices. "For example, when we do our quarterly updates of new products, we'll have the ability to send new video clips, press releases and product information," says Forsythe. "The stores won't even know it's been done." In addition, Everland will be able to determine if there are problems with any units. If there are, "we'll be able to do diagnostics on-line and go ahead and fix the problem. If something can't be fixed on-line, we'll immediately send out a new component that the retailer can easily replace himself."While Forsythe chose not to disclose unit costs, he refers to them as "a significant investment." Retailers will pay a monthly fee that includes the unit, maintenance, 24-hour support and the high-speed, interactive ISDN line. Stores will make a three-year commitment when they accept a unit. "After five years, we still have 175 of the original 333 units out there that went into the market," Forsthe says. "These stores are very excited to get on board again and take this to the next generation."East Rutherford, N.J.-based Trans World Marketing produced the kiosk. The company also worked in partnership with Everland to design the unit. Forsythe says Everland developed the equipment configurations and wrote the software and all the logistics for the operation of the unit in-house in partnership with Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, Calif., and Philips Consumer Electronics, Knoxville, Tenn.Everland is the children's entertainment division of Word Entertainment, which is owned by Gaylord Entertainment, Nashville.

Everland Kid City Kiosk a "Kid Magnet"

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