Software expected to help region secure convention business Tacoma, WA and Vancouver, BC: September 22, 2010 – Tacoma Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) announced today the signing of an agreement with Meetingmax Systems to handle its online housing reservation needs. The CVB made the decision in order to meet the growing calls from meeting planners for a simplified housing solution.

“Meetingmax’s system has an excellent reputation within the travel industry,” says Shauna Lunde, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Tacoma Regional CVB. “Meeting planners have had positive experiences with the system in other destinations and have been requesting the service from us.”

With 87 hotels and 6,000 hotel rooms, the Tacoma Regional CVB was looking for a system that could simplify the process of reserving room blocks at a variety of hotels. Instead of having to use each hotel’s system to track bookings, a meeting planner can secure blocks of housing through the CVB and manage their bookings through one central portal. Conference attendees are sent a link which allows them to explore participating hotels and book their own rooms.

“In today’s competitive market, having an online housing reservation system is another service that CVBs can offer their meeting planners,” says Jeff Duncan, COO, Meetingmax Systems. “It’s a value added benefit that can help Tacoma and Pierce County attract business.”

Meetingmax’s system was selected based on its user-friendly interface and the fact that it does not have minimum booking requirements. The system has received positive feedback from other Washington destinations and is now used by CVBs in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Yakima.

Located just 18 miles south of the Seattle-Tacoma Airport on the I5 corridor, Pierce County is an easy to reach destination for convention attendees. The region offers a wide variety of activities ranging from fine dining and harbor tours, to kayaking and hiking at Mt. Rainier. Visitors can easily explore Tacoma’s historic and cultural attractions on foot, including the Museum of Glass featuring the work of renowned glass artists.

CVA signs agreement to streamline housing reservations for visiting sports teams

Hammond, IN and Vancouver, BC; August 25, 2010 – As part of its ongoing investment in technology, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA) has engaged Meetingmax Systems to handle its online housing reservation needs. Through the agreement, South Shore CVA will use Meetingmax’s system to manage housing bookings for conference and event attendees, including teams traveling to the region’s numerous sports tournaments.

“While convention traffic is important to us, our region’s core strength lies in our ability to host major sports tournaments,” says Speros Batistatos, President and CEO of the South Shore CVA. “But this type of business requires that we book teams and their families into numerous hotels across the region. Meetingmax’s system helps us streamline that process for our customers and hoteliers.”

By using Meetingmax’s system, instead of having to call different hotels and reserve rooms with their own credit card, a coach or event planner can make one call to the CVA to secure room blocks. Each tournament attendee is then directed to log onto the system to book and pay for their own room.

“Instead of spending our budget on visitors’ guides, we are investing in technology and improving the efficiency of our marketing efforts,” continues Batistatos. “By having people reserve their housing through us, we can break down the demographics, learn more about our customers, and build a targeted email database.”

Meetingmax’s system ties directly into the CVA’s award-winning email marketing program. Once guests have booked in, the CVA sends them their room confirmation along with information about what to do when they arrive and coupons for partner restaurants and attractions. After checkout, the CVA emails visitors a survey to gauge their satisfaction with the hotel, local restaurants, and sports facilities. South Shore then provides this feedback to the other organizations.

“Our system helps South Shore build relationships and alleviate their clients’ stress by not having to run around and contract with different hotels,” says Jeff Duncan, COO, Meetingmax Systems. “We can provide their event planners with quantitative data that they can use to plan next year’s event. For example, by tracking bookings, we know that their teams want to book at hotels with a pool, that offer continental breakfast, or are close to certain facilities.”

As part of its selection process, South Shore looked at several other housing systems but ultimately selected Meetingmax for its user-friendly interface, customizable features, and affordable per-reservation fee.

In addition to deploying online housing, South Shore has also embraced other technology to improve service and efficiency. Recently, the organization launched a mobi site for mobile phones and has deployed advanced database marketing tools to help drive tourist traffic.

About South Shore CVA: The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority is the sales and marketing organization leading the hospitality industry and supporting its partners in the development and promotion of tourist attractions along Indiana's south shore of Lake Michigan.