The Compressed Air & Gas Institute (CAGI) is the leading trade association in North America representing those who supply compressed air and gas as a power source to industry. Recent research showed that some manufacturers who used compressed air were moving toward electricity or hydraulics instead. CAGI needed to combat this trend by increasing awareness and use of compressed air by the next generation of engineers. How could CAGI increase the use of compressed air and gas, now and in the future?
CAGI partnered with Vilocity to create a national contest aimed at college students at top engineering schools throughout the U.S. The CAGI Innovation Awards worked to increase engineering students' understanding of the versatility of compressed air and gas, turning these students into potential customers as they entered the workforce. Select universities were invited to form teams for the contest, and were invited via direct mail, on campus signage, emailed announcements, and a public relations campaign. These teams were partnered with professional mentors and challenged to develop innovative product concepts that used compressed air or gas as the power source. Ongoing communication via a website, direct mail, email newsletters, and phone ensured the student teams learned the unique benefits of compressed air and gas, and how to utilize them in "real world" situations.
The first year of the contest was such as success, CAGI has asked Vilocity to implement the contest for a second year...with 5 times as many schools invited! In Year 1, both CAGI and Vilocity were impressed with the groundbreaking engineering designs created by the students. Monetary prizes were awarded to both the winning student teams and their schools. The CAGI Innovation Awards has thus become an annual contest, further broadening young engineers' understanding and use of compressed air, while generating a strong Return On Investment (ROI) for CAGI and its member companies for years to come.
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