Massachusetts Convention Center Authority

The Challenge
After opening the 2.1 million square foot BCEC in 2004, the MCCA started feeling a strain within its daily operations.  The software system they were using to manage the sale of the space within their facilities was outdated, making the system difficult to use and data hard to access.  Operations, specifically service delivery, became fertile ground for human error and decreased profits. 

It became apparent to the MCCA’s executives that if the company were to continue to grow, operate efficiently and accurately serve each client, they needed a more robust event management system.  The organization’s unique business structure and complex processes required a custom solution.

The Solution
The MCCA hired Optaros, providers of custom applications for clients through the Assembled Web, to design and implement a new, open source event management system.

The MCCA was looking for a scalable, custom-built solution that would manage the entire event lifecycle and enable more efficient, timely data access. To achieve this, the MCCA wanted to streamline business process flows and eliminate redundant data entry. 

The solution also required a design that was elegant and easy to use, with a goal of extending the system access to clients and customers.

Because of the need for continual updates and expansions, the MCCA wanted their IT team to have ready access to data, as well as the ability to apply security models and make iterative, plug-and-play updates. Optaros worked closely with the MCCA’s IT team in the entire implementation process, giving them a thorough understanding of the system’s operational capabilities and design.

The end product, known as ShowBiz, helps streamline the detailed process of setting up large-scale events.  The MCCA now runs approximately 90 percent of their daily operations on this custom open source platform.

Results
MCCA personnel now have ready access to real-time data.  Rather than running reports and having to request information that was often hidden within the old system structure, staff members have the ability to access information based on their permission levels. Not only is information now easier to access, but ShowBiz also streamlined data entry and improved its accuracy and usefulness. Previously, there was no uniform data-entry process, resulting in unnecessary or missing information.

Streamlined, technology-based processes have taken the place of inter-office mail and paper messages, allowing employees to spend more time focusing on customer service and service delivery. 

Under the old system, work order information for an event was compiled in event resumes.  These 50-to-100-page documents included all event details, such as the number and location of chairs needed, food service timing, electrical information and all other details that make for a successful event. 

Event resumes no longer exist at the MCCA thanks to ShowBiz, as the new event management system allows all data to be entered, sorted and searched.  Relevant parties are notified when an update is made to their information, and they no longer need to read a full event document to understand their role.  All service delivery teams can see exactly what is needed from them, and allocate resources accordingly.

“Working closely with Optaros, we feel we have created a product that can grow as our business grows while setting a huge precedent for the convention and meeting industry,” said James E. Rooney, executive director of the MCCA. “Our collaboration also allows us to market this product to other facilities that are where we were before ShowBiz.”

Financially, the MCCA has seen tremendous gains.  Employees no longer waste time entering information in both financial and event management systems, which were previously separate.  Having one master data source reduces the opportunity for human error and inconsistency in data processing, and allows the team to focus more on collections and cash flow management.  Just six months after the new event management system went live, the MCCA had collected more than $500,000 in outstanding account receivables.

On August 5, 2009, Optaros and the MCCA received the Red Hat Innovation Award in the JBoss Extensive Ecosystem category for their work on ShowBiz.

Assembly
Optaros assembled the MCCA’s event management system using three servers running on JBoss.  The first, EXT servers, is used for the online ordering site, and allows MCCA exhibitors to purchase services and materials online.

The internal event management site, INT servers, enables MCCA personnel to access and manipulate all event and inventory management components, including sales, event and space setup and configuration, exhibitor services and complete finance data.

Lastly, ESB Servers run all services that need to execute asynchronous and long-running transactions.  This includes auditing and notifications, as well as integration services with backend and external systems such as a financial management system and PayPal for credit card processing. 

As requested by the MCCA, this setup provides their IT department with a completely plug-in/plug-out architecture, so that updates can be tested and made easily, and other external servers can be integrated as needed.

Optaros designed a multi-tiered web architecture to scale and perform as a traditional desktop application. As efficiency and ease-of-use were paramount to MCCA employees who would be working with the system on a daily basis, Optaros worked with the goal of designing a next-generation user experience while improving the overall performance of the MCCA’s system. 

The Google Web Toolkit is used for the front-end of the system.  This enabled the Java development team to build a complex Javascript and AJAX, leveraging the same core Java skills that were used to build the JBoss business services, developed using a Spring and Hibernate framework. 

“This project is a prime example of what open source can do for an enterprise, specifically in regard to scalability and cost savings,” said Marc Osofsky, vice president of marketing, Optaros. “The recognition from Red Hat with the JBoss Extensive Ecosystem Innovation Award is a testament to the ERP [enterprise resource planning] scale and open business architecture of the system we assembled for the MCCA.”