It’s no secret that we love our hometown of Victoria, B.C., and we are not alone. Some of Canada’s best and brightest technology companies call Victoria home, and the tech industry is thriving. VIATEC (Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology, and Entrepreneurship Council) acts as the beating heart of our technology sector, working to grow and promote the community.
On June 24th, VIATEC held their 16th annual awards show to celebrate the achievements of the local technology companies that are turning Greater Victoria in one of the fastest-growing tech regions in Canada. According to VIATEC, 2016 saw a record 189 nominations, which resulted in 58 nominations across 15 awards. This year, Checkfront was nominated for two awards: Product of the Year and Technology Company of the Year (11-49).
We were delighted for the opportunity to network and celebrate the success of our neighbors, and sent 20 eager Checkfront-ers down to the awards ceremony to represent our company, our investors, and our customers. There was a record 800 attendees, and Carson Hall, in the Victoria Conference Centre, was alive with energy and excitement.
The theme was “gritty carnival” and the evening included everything from a live band, to a trapeze artist, and even flying whales! The winners were announced at the gala, and we were honored to receive our “Freddy” (robot trophy) for Product of the Year. This award is “where innovation rubber hits the road”, and celebrates successful, innovative technology products.
In looking at our fellow nominees, we were truly humbled to stand alongside such outstanding technology products and thrilled to have received the accolade. So excited, that all 20 attending employees went up on stage to accept the award!
While it is always nice to be recognized for your hard work, this award was especially near and dear to our hearts because we are all so enthusiastic about our product. It is rewarding to help our customers grow their businesses, by giving them a simple solution to their not-so-simple problems. We are truly passionate about building a product that gives our customers the freedom to focus on doing what they love – which is why they started their business in the first place.
Of course, we couldn’t have won this award without our clients, who believe in our product and use it to their full advantage. We allow our customers, big and small, to shape our product. This ensures that we are constantly innovating the product in ways that help our customers manage and run their businesses more efficiently. Without them, Checkfront would not be where it is today.
Jason Watts, of Stay Tofino Vacation Rentals, has been a Checkfront customer for years and uses Checkfront as a custom integration on his website to access his inventory across multiple platforms. “Using Checkfront has allowed me to truly take my business with me wherever I go,” says Jason. “Checkfront was great to begin with, but with the continued updates, and constantly added new features, it just keeps getting better and better.”
In February 2015, Wildplay chose Checkfront to be their network-wide solution across all Wildplay operations, in order to meet the growing needs of their guests, the complicated park management and the evolving packaging and scheduling needs of their business.
“Checkfront blends strong client relations with a solid development philosophy. Not only does the company continue to develop their innovative product to the ever-evolving demands of business, they show integrity and an innovative approach to client relations,” says Tom Benson, CEO of Wildplay. “WildPlay is proud to be a client and partner of Checkfront.”
And finally, thank you to VIATEC, and the VIATEC awards sponsors. Thank you for creating a night to honor the leaders, creators, and innovators of the local tech industry. We are proud to stand among these celebrated technology companies, and look forward to continuing to support our growing community in Victoria.
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