goStandby, the app specifically designed for tour and activities operators has been voted #7 in Anthill Magazine Smart 100 for innovation in 2014.

Nathan Challen lead the goStandby team on the Gold Coast and explained the idea came about after a personal experience with a whale tour company in Brisbane. He shared the moment when the awards were announced:

“Initially, we were delighted to be listed as a candidate in the SMART 100 for 2014.  Then we were ecstatic to hear our final placing today!   We were placed #7 in the final judging.“

Anthill Magazine describes it’s judging process:

At the same time, over 100 ‘maven’ judges were invited to judge 10 applications each, using an online tool developed by Anthill to reflect a set of eight, individually weighted, criteria.

Most people define a maven as a trusted expert in a particular field. The word comes from the Yiddish meyvn and Hebrew mevin (מבֿין), with the same meaning, which in turn derives from the Hebrew binah, meaning understanding.

For our purposes, a maven also means a person who seeks to pass on this knowledge to others – an intense gatherer of information and impressions, the first to pick up on new or nascent trends and share them.

Mavens play a vital role in the commercial success of new products and services.

Unlike early-adopters, who are attracted to any new technology, mavens are more discerning. They are thoughtful in their approach to the adoption of innovations and that is why they are often turned to as trusted advisers.

A successful innovation may be attractive to your average early-adopter but mavens are the people who will bring a successful innovation into the mainstream.

As a result, Anthill’s SMART 100 are not chosen simply due to the novel or unique nature of the innovations but because of the potential of each to achieve consumer adoption and commercial success.