Meetings & Conventions: Real-Life Reviews
MeetingTrak
December 1997
MeetingTrakPhoenix Solutions
(800-779-7430)
This meetings management software is designed to handle all
parts of registration and setup, from speakers and A/V to housing,
confirmation letters and much more. The current version was
developed in Microsoft Access 2.0.
Price: Single user, $2,995; multi-user, $3,995 for two, $495 for
each additional user.
Additional system requirements: Microsoft Access 2.0/7.0; 28.8
Kbps or faster modem, and PC Anywhere, software for accessing your
office computer from the road.
Scott Noon, director of professional development, Classroom
Connect, Lancaster, Pa., plans four meetings a year for groups of
500 to 2,500 and has been using MeetingTrak for a year.
How do you use MeetingTrak?
For registration and site program management. We're very happy with
it and would highly recommend it to others.What is its greatest strength?
It's extremely user-friendly and it's easy to get people trained on
it rapidly.What is its greatest weakness?
It's not terribly sophisticated for a large conference.How would you improve the software?
Everything I've wished it could do, they've made it do in the
upgrades and custom work. Our systems department is working on
hooking it to the Web so our attendees will be able to check their
records online.Eric Weigand, president, Convention Resource Management,
Orlando, plans 20 meetings a year for an average of 550 people and
has been using MeetingTrak for two years.
How do you use MeetingTrak?
I have it on a network, so there are multiple users. We use it
primarily for registration processing. We have multiple stations,
so several people can access records at the same time.What is its greatest strength?
It's user-friendly. Having a background using Microsoft Access is a
major plus.What is its greatest weakness?
You don't get a detailed user's manual, so when first starting out,
plan to rely on technical support.How would you improve the software?
We've worked with them to help them improve it, because on large
meetings when you're trying to do reports, it looked great, but it
would take up way too many pages. When you're printing a report on
3,000 people, you want something that condenses the numbers to as
few pages as possible.Jeri Wagner, CMP, convention/meetings manager, Farm Credit
Council, Denver, plans 30 meetings a year for 10 to 1,100 people
and has been using MeetingTrak for four years.
How do you use MeetingTrak?
I live by it. I use it for managing all aspects of my meetings,
from entering registrations to tracking F&B to setting up
exhibitors and booths, and printing name badges and tickets for
events. It also produces housing lists, which I can print out and
send to the hotel. After the event, I use it for invoices. It might
not be worth the time for those who plan a small number of
meetings, but for anybody who's doing a large amount of meetings,
it's a must.What is its greatest strength?
Project management. It gives you a handle on what's going on with
your meeting day-to-day. A lot of our attendees are repeats, so
they are automatically entered into a database. I haven't seen any
other program as complete. This new version is so idiot-proof.What is its greatest weakness?
There are occasional glitches, but their tech support walks me
through them. They're really helpful.How would you improve the software?
We just built a Web site for the association, and we're checking
into online registration; I want to link it with MeetingTrak. I'd
also like it to do a report that shows pick-ups by day -- I have to
do that manually.
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