Talking Points

[dzdk6s]

I'm interested in going to some local malls and giving management/security some demo's trying to gain acceptance of Segway within the mall. Does Segway America have any talking points and or handouts that they recommend? Or do we just wing it?

Went to local Walmart Corner store (for milk and oreos) and Baja Fresh stores last night and didn't have any problems. Went very slow was very respectful of those on foot. Answered lots of questions, but no one seemed upset at all.

[Stan671]

SEG America does not have any talking points documents to give you at this time.

My recommendation right now it to take it easy. We want to push the envelope of Segway acceptance, but we don't want to break it. Malls are private property and regular rules for the streets and sidewalks do not apply to the areas inside a mall. The mall management is perfectly within it's rights to make a rule to exclude Segway HT's and there is nothing we can do about it. This is why you need to go gently and don't push too much. All business are already so scared of lawsuits that they hesitate to do anything new.

You should make an appointment to meet with the management of the mall. Be on time and dress nicely. Be businees friendly/casual in your convrsation and respectful of thier names and titles. You can talk about how many Segway HT's there are (more than 7000) and how almost all states in the USA have passed laws putting them in a class by themselves and allowing them on the streets and sidewalks. It is important to note that a special class of vehicle is defined for the Segway HT so that it is not lumped in with motor vehicles and scooters. By doing this, the states' laws allow different rules for the EPAMD. They can allow EPAMD's in the sidewalks without scooters being allowed. The mall can follow a similar path - they can define the EPAMD and allow certain uses in the mall but this will not allow scooters and bicycles in the mall. So, be doing it this way, they can allow the Segway HT to be used without having to worry about a flood of other scooters claiming they are allowed also. If those other scooters don't fit the definition of the EPAMD, then they are excluded.

I think it is important to point this out because I would expect the mall mangament to be worried that if they open the door to the Segway HT, that they will be over run by scooters. Show them that there is a simple way they can avoid this by having the structure of thier regulations match those of many states in the USA.

Don't talk to much about how fast the Segway can go or how you can do fancy tricks with it. Stress the fact that the Segway is not all-or-nothing like most scooters. The Segway's "throttle" and steering controls are extremely sensitive and infinitely adjustable from standing perfectly still to bearly moving to a walking pace. Show them that the machine is absolutley controllable at any speed, even standing still. It is not like a bike where you need to be moving to balance. Show them that is can go perfectly straight or make a perfect circle without zig-zaging like bikes need to do to maintain balance. It can spin in place and go backwards. It takes up no more room that the person standing on it.

Show them that it accellerates smoothly and turns smoothly with minimum movement from the rider. There is no jerking motion to make it go like a skateboard. Your arms and legs are not flailing about like a rollerskater.

Talk about the redundant safety systems and the high quality design and workmanship. Tell them that is took more than 10 years of development to invent the Segway HT. It was not just a goofy toy developed by some guy in his garage. The Segway prototypes were tested for thousands of hours and thousands of miles before the product was even brought to market. Tell them how much it costs. This will help them realize that you won't have a bunch of goofy kids hot dogging around the place on the Segway's. Segway riders are mature, responsible people who will want to take good care of themselves and thier $4500 investment.

Tell them about how Segway riders undestand that thier transportation devices are brand new and many people do not know what they are or how to react to them. The riders know that all eyes are on them and thet if they make a specticle or cause problems that they will only ruin it for themselves and for this new mode of tranportation in the future. Segway riders will always be courtous and respectful of other shoppers in the mall.

Let them walk quietly behind you as you travel through the mall and let them see how controlled and unassuming the Segway really is in a crowd. Many people you are near will not even notice you are riding the thing unless they actually see it. The machine makes no noticable noise and emits to fumes or gases since it is entirely electric. The Segway HT is more meanuverable that your car or bike or anything else and has more computing power than the average PC. This is a very high tech machine - not a goofy toy. People who purchase them take them seriously and they ride seriously (and they spend money in the mall seriously <grin>).

So, see what they have to say. Listen to what they say and don't say. Customize your comments to what they seem to be hesitant about. Offer a trial period for a couple of months. But if they just don't go along with the idea of the Segway in thier mall, then you will just have to leave it that way. offer to come and visit again in a few months to see if they have had a chance to gather more information about the benefits of the Segway HT and if they might reconsider a trial period.

But if they say no, you will have to respect that.

Good luck. Please let us know how it goes.

Personally, I don't feel like mall acceptance is a high priority. Of course, for people with mobility issues, it would be good to get the malls to allow that. But I don't think that the Segway HT is really too practical in a mall for a regular person. These are just my personal thoughts.

Stan Dobrowski

[IndyFIRSTengineer]

Very well stated Stan. I think it would be good to "formalize" those comments in a page posted on SegAmerica.com. There have been many productive discussions here about how to communicate just "what the Segway is". At least some of us (and I would say probably most) will have a hard time coming up with that stuff off the top of our heads in a casual conversation. SegAmerica would be a good central location for those types of "talking points".

Stuart Bloom - Rolls-Royce Corporation
FIRST Team 1018 - Pike High School "RoboDevils"

“Who goes out and says, ‘You have a better probability of winning the state lottery than making a nickel in professional sports. And by the way, last year two million exciting technical jobs went unfilled in this country because you weren't there to take that job. And it pays you 10 times as much as flipping burgers, and it's fun and it's exciting and you get to create things and build things and help make the world a better place and help make yourself a better living.’ Who tells them this?”
Dean Kamen, founder - FIRST Robotics

[dzdk6s]

Stan,
Thanks so very much, that is the approach I was looking to take, but wanted to make sure I didn't miss speak or miss step. The knee jerk reaction of most is to ban what they don't understand, I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks Again,
Don Knight - General Motors Corporation
- FIRST Team 64 "The Gila Monsters"

[dzdk6s]

Stan,
Thanks so very much, that is the approach I was looking to take, but wanted to make sure I didn't miss speak or miss step. The knee jerk reaction of most is to ban what they don't understand, I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks Again,
Don Knight - General Motors Corporation
- FIRST Team 64 "The Gila Monsters"