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Carrie Motamedi
carrie@techshop.ws
(415) 244-2204

Strategic Horizons LLP Recognizes TechShop, Inc. for Its Engaging Customer Experiences

TechShop, Inc., the world's first DIY workshop and fabrication studio, has been awarded the Experience Stager of the Year (EXPY) Award.

Menlo Park, CA , October 17, 2011 --

TechShop, Inc., the world's first DIY workshop and fabrication studio, has been awarded the Experience Stager of the Year (EXPY) Award. The award was presented toTechShop CEO Mark Hatch at the recent thinkAbout, an annual event hosted by Strategic Horizons cofounders Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore where executives and professionals from across the globe gather to explore, share and network with others leading the way in the Experience Economy. Previous years' winners include Build-A-Bear Workshop, LEGO Group, Geek Squad, American Girl Place, and others who have demonstrated exceptional skill in creating truly memorable and innovative experiences.

With locations in Menlo Park, San Francisco, San Jose, Raleigh-Durham and Detroit, TechShop is a member-based DIY workshop where inventors, hackers, hobbyists, tinkerers, artists, entrepreneurs, and arts and crafts enthusiasts go to build the things they have always wanted to make. Strategic Horizons is a thinking studio dedicated to shaping the innovative pursuits of Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups.

“Each year the EXPY winner we select exemplifies in a particularly excellent way, the experience-staging principles we espouse in our book, The Experience Economy,” said Jim Gilmore.

"TechShop not only creates a unique environment, it stages a rich and compelling experience for makers of all stripes, one that I also highlight in my recently published book Infinite Possibility: Creating Customer Value on the Digital Frontier,” added Joe Pine.

“The EXPY award recognizes the significant commitment TechShop has made in engaging and empowering anyone to build their dreams and is a tribute to the dedicated staff, who are always ready and willing to enable and innovate,” said Hatch. “We give our members a transformative experience by providing access to over a million dollars in industry leading tools, equipment and software and introducing them to a community of highly creative and knowledgeable professionals. When you walk out of our shop you will have new skills and, likely, inspiration to change the world!”

Read more at Joe Pine's Blog: http://www.infinite-possibility.com/techshop-2011expy

Engage in this Award Winning Experience for Yourself!

Information on membership specials is located here and information on classes can be found here.

About the EXPY Award

First commissioned in 1999, the EXPY is, by all accounts, the first award ever established to specifically honor excellence in experience staging. Pine & Gilmore award the EXPY each year at the culmination of their annual countdown of the “Top Ten Experiences of the Year” at thinkAbout, which highlights advances in the art and science of experience staging. For more about the genesis of the EXPY see “The Making of the EXPY”.

EXPY Winners

1999	American Girl Place, Chicago IL. For recognizing the value, even as a manufacturer of paid-for experiences.
2000	Geek Squad, Minneapolis, MN. For turning a mundane service into an engaging encounter.
2001	Joie de Vivre Hospitality, San Francisco, CA. For its insightful and effective approach to theming.
2002	LEGO Group, Billund, Denmark. For a portfolio of experiences that exemplifies all ten levels of thePlacemaking Portfolio.
2003	Cerritos Library, Cerritos, CA. For integrating architecture, theming, design, technology, and human performances to create an engaging educational experience.
2004	Charthouse Learning Burnsville, MN. For helping workers around the world to truly understand that workIS theatre through its Fish! offerings.
2005	HOK Sport + Venue + Event (now Populous), Kansas City, KS. For expertise in blending the natural with the artificial in placemaking.
2006	Cereality, Scottsdale, AZ. For answering the question, What is to breakfast cereal as Starbucks is to coffee?
2007	TST, Inc., Fort Collins, CO. For turning their offices into the Engineerium, a B2B experience that truly engages and performs.
2008	Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL. For bringing the latest in technology and experience design into an increasingly stale industry.
2009	The U.S. Army, Washington D.C. For reimagining the recruiting experience through AmericasArmy.com and its Army Experience Center.
2010	Build-A-Bear Workshop, St. Louis, MO. For creating a global retail enterprise the continues to exemplify the principles of experience staging and design.
2011	TechShop, Menlo Park, CA. For creating membership-based workshops that give members access to tools and equipment, instruction, and a community of creative and supportive people so they can build the things they have always wanted to make.

About Strategic Horizons LLP

Strategic Horizons LLP is a thinking studio founded in 1996 that is dedicated to helping executives see the world differently. Cofounders Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore are authors, speakers and leading business thinkers. Their best-selling book, “The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage” has helped shaped the innovative pursuits of Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups alike. It has been translated into 17 languages and an updated edition was released by Harvard Business Press in 2011. In addition, Pine and Gilmore's book, “Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want,” was featured as part of TIME magazine's 2008 cover story, “Ten Ideas that Are Changing the World.”

Visit www.StrategicHorizons.com for more information. Joe Pine is a member of the TechShop Advisory Committee.

For Strategic Horizons LLP

Doug Parker

DougPark@aol.com

330-995-4680

About TechShop, Inc.
Founded in October 2006, TechShop is a membership-based, do-it-yourself (DIY) workshop and fabrication studio providing access to a vibrant community of creative people and more than $1 million worth of high quality machines, tools and software. TechShop offers classes, workshops, instruction and meet-ups for people of all ages and skill levels. TechShop is based in Menlo Park, Calif., with locations nationwide.

For information and course listings, visit http://www.techshop.com, email info@techshop.com or call 855-TECHSHOP. You can follow TechShop on Twitter at "@TechShop." TechShop is also on Facebook as "TechShop Incorporated."

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