CANNES, France - As the sun began to set over Cannes on Wednesday, Milia '98 participants were sorting through the piles of business cards and papers they'd collected over the past few days, disassembling their conference stands, and maybe even finding time for a few moments in the sunshine.
One of the happiest techies leaving town was Marc Lyne, Internet manager for the British Web site Scoot. His company, which provides data about British businesses, was selected as best online reference service during the Milia d'Or awards ceremony. And then the prize jury gave it a double honor by naming it the best in the entire online category.
"Not one but two," said Lyne as he looked the golden, Oscar-like statues. "I'm really happy, but I think I'm still absorbing it."
Douglas Adams, who led the prize jury and is creative director at The Digital Village in London, said that seconds after the jury saw the Web site, they knew it was their winner.
"I instantly thought, 'I've been waiting for this,'" said Adams. "It's clean and very simple but full of information. And they've got a very creative business design. I wouldn't be surprised to see their model spread."
Scoot got started four years ago as a telephone search service similar to the yellow pages in the United States. But it was set up in a way that users can call in, ask for all the pizza parlors in a specific town and the operator provides three appropriate listings. If there are none in the town requested, the next nearest town is searched until the pizza parlor information is in hand.
The company makes its money by allowing up to three businesses in any category (plumbers, for example) and geographical area to pay to be one of the companies read off by the operator when someone calls asking for information.
The information on 2.2 million UK businesses comes from a database firm that Scoot has acquired an interest in. So instead of trying to protect its data, Scoot is trying to find as many ways as possible to disseminate it, thereby increasing the likelihood that consumers will call one of the companies that pay to be on the phone directory service.
"It's back to front to what most people do," said Lyne. "The database is not our value. We get value by giving away data."
It's doing that with its Web site and also by finding partner projects. For example, if there's a golf course with a web site, Scoot will provide links to the golf shops and restaurants nearby so that when someone calls up the golf course site they can easily find related information.
Scoot also provides Web site users with a free fax service - someone who wants to send a fax to a company Scoot has a fax listing for can click on the fax icon, compose a fax and sent it to Scoot, which then faxes it to the requested company. Its directory also provides Web page information and maps.
Already Scoot is available in the Netherlands, and a Belgian site is under construction.
"It's our goal to do all of Europe by the year 2000," said Lyne. "And very shortly what you'll be able to do, which will be absolutely superb, is search our database in any language."
Other online winners in various categories at the multimedia conference included:
Children's: Perdus Dans Les Étoiles, a French-Canadian site that engages kids in learning activities through adventure.
Lifestyles and hobbies: The (Virtual) Baguette, a bilingual French-English humor and entertainment magazine.
Business and training: News.com, CNET's online daily news service.
Art, culture and society: Amnesty International Refuge Campaign, which promotes awareness of the international refugee crisis.
Online games: Quake II, a 3D action game.
