Seattle Pacific University / Camp Casey

Since the 1980’s, the university’s conference team has worked tirelessly to provide non-profit organizations with an affordable and friendly gathering place for meetings, workshops and retreats.

Over the last few years, the number of special events being held at the University has steadily increased. So, with nearly 200 events and 8,000 visitors per year, the conference staff decided to look at different ways to improve efficiency, reduce administrative costs, and stimulate additional revenue streams. After months of research and countless hours attending demonstrations, conference staff decided that Kinetic Software’s Kx Hospitality and Conferencing software system fulfilled all their criteria. In 2006, they replaced basic housing software with Kinetic’s robust event management package.

Amy Foster, Assistant Director of Campus and Casey Conference Services, participated in the review process. She said: “We looked for a system that combined marketing with the management of historical data in one, user-friendly tool.” Ultimately, the goal was to identify a software product that would quickly assimilate into the university’s day-to-day activities at both its main campus and the Camp Casey retreat center.

In addition, the University wanted a package that would be capable of dealing with longer-term needs and any expansion of activities. “We wanted software that would bend and flex with our evolving program,” explained Amy.

Since going live, Kx’s intuitive design continues to impress Amy.

“In just nine months, Kx has paid for itself by streamlining the way we do our business,” she said.

The conference team continues to discover new functionality, which helps productivity on all fronts. “The action screen has improved our staff’s communication and keeps all of us on task for important deadlines.” Kinetic’s customer service has also exceeded her expectations. “Kinetic’s support specialist takes the initiative to call us and check-in to see how things are going with the system.”

Not only has using Kx made dramatic improvements to the way in which the University currently operates, but knowing what is possible has spurred SPU’s Conference Services’ office on to start exploring other ways in which it can improve its operation. Staff is keen to use the Marketing and Sales module to help them identify market trends, compare critical client data, and track lost business. This functionality will play a crucial role in identifying what the department needs to do to meet its future targets, particularly in relation to initiating and managing change across the entire campus.