Tech whizzes compete for top prize
The competition in Ryman’s annual technology competition was fiercer than ever with 13 teams battling to win Innovate 2022.
The aim of this year’s Ryman Tech team competition was a focus on innovative ways to improve the existing resident experience app, 80 Tech team members answered the call and took part over the two-day competition in December.
First place went to team License to Skill who came up with a personal profile system for residents that is centred around their skills. The team was comprised of Chris Owans, Lisa Healey, Eddie Morgan, and Holly Gillet.
License to Skill team member Eddie Morgan described how it felt winning.
“It was amazing, there were so many great ideas, so it was really cool to get recognition for all the hard-work we put in over the two days. My favourite part was… working with people I don't usually work with.”
In second-place team I’m Still Standing designed an android application which detects when a resident falls and send an SMS to a predefined number.
Third place went to two teams, the first of these being Buzz, with their innovation of a Wellness Profile to have a greater understanding of resident’s physical, mental, and spiritual health.
The joint third place winner was team Zap which focused on integrating a set catalogue of licensable IOT (internet of things) devices as add-ons for the residents.
The people’s choice award going to team RESEXP 20.2.
Winners got to choose from the great prizes up for grabs, which included a laptop and a coffee machine.
The competition is Ryman’s version of Dragon’s Den, with each team getting three minutes to pitch their innovation to this year’s judging panel. Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Rick Davies, Chief Strategy Officer Mary-Anne Stone, Sales Advisor Tracy Blackadder, and Regional Manager Rachel Garrard.
Rick Davies said it was difficult to pick a winner with so much innovation on show.
“Everyone put a huge amount of thought and effort into the competition and there are a whole lot of ideas we can take away and develop to improve the experience for our residents.
“There’s nothing like a bit of competition to fire up imaginations, and there was a lot of imagination and innovation on show. They wowed us with their work.’’
