After returning from the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association 2008 Conference in Austin, TX, I had to step back and just say, “Wow, a LOT of universities use our software now!”  This was evidenced by how well our User Group Meeting at the conference was attended.  Prior to the conference, we had about 25 people RSVP for the meeting – at the meeting itself we had about 35-40 people representing more than 20 Campus Recreation facilities actually show up!  We had to call the hotel staff to bring us some more chairs! 

The meeting itself was very positive, and we unveiled our new Equipment Checkout, Event Manager, Member Upload, and League/Tournament Scheduler modules.  Some of you who were at last year’s NIRSA User Group Meeting in Minneapolis or at the Summit in Houston last September remember us asking for your input as to what you wanted to see in these modules.  Well, I’m pleased to say that I think we did a great job of listening to and implementing your suggestions.  We incorporated some new things into Equipment Checkout such as Location-Specific equipment inventories, printable agreements for each equipment type rental, and a distinction between Inventory Equipment Types (basketballs, volleyballs, etc.) and Bulk Equipment Types (towels, carabiners, etc.).  In Event Manager (replacing Facility Management) we now offer Function Packages, so you can group multiple function types into one package rate, and an interface to use equipment from the Equipment Checkout Inventory on Events.  The Member Upload (replacing Student Download) now runs as a Windows ® service, so not only do you no longer need to have the Student Download application running, you no longer even need to be logged into the computer to parse new files!  Lastly, the League/Tournament Scheduler is greatly enhanced over its Spectrum counterpart, with the ability to do Singles, Doubles, or Team sports, Single- or Double-Elimination Tournaments, assigned Officials, and registration and payment inside the module itself!  For more information on these or other Spectrum NG enhancements, please talk to your Account Manager or Sales Representative.  If you’re curious about how a good management system can help you run your facility, check out our White Paper on the topic.

Aside from the User Group Meeting, we had a considerable amount of traffic at our booth as well, with many existing customers and soon-to-be customers stopping by to say hi and see what Spectrum NG was all about.  This was another very successful trade show for us, which feels really good following up our success at the IHRSA Show last month.  If you want to stop by and see us at a show that you’re going to, check out our Trade Shows page to find out where we’ll be.  We’d love to see you!  Also, if you’re curious about what Spectrum NG has to offer, feel free to sign up for any of our free Webinars or contact your Account Manager or Sales Representative for a demonstration.  Lastly, if there’s something you’d like to see included in Spectrum NG, or you have any questions about it, please register and post in our User Forums.

Written by, PJ Gustafson Director of Educational Services

We just returned from what is arguably the most successful IHRSA show in the history of our company.  There was a good mix of both potential customers and existing customers.  Our new booth looked great and was located in prime real estate, giving us a constant flow of traffic all three days.

Speaking of booth’s, I often wonder what customers (existing and potential) think when they visit a company that has a big, modern booth versus one that has a small, boring booth.  It seems that the adage – bigger is better – doesn’t always apply when people are evaluating software companies.  However, if you were to apply the same theory to, let’s say, equipment manufactures, I guarantee you people would think twice about buying fitness equipment from a vendor with a small little booth in the back near the loading dock and toilets.

One of the things that stood out at the convention was the fact that so many of our competitors are behind us in terms of technology.   While this may not be important to everyone, there seems to be a growing trend in this industry in the importance that is placed on having state-of-the-art technology to run your business.  More health and fitness companies are developing IT positions than ever before and I consider that a positive for the industry.

Next up in April is NIRSA and Club Industry East. 

CSI Software is Level 1 PCI Compliant as a service provider and Level 1 PCI and PABP Compliant as a software developer.

Being PCI Compliant is like being pregnant.  You are either are or you are not.  There is no middle ground open to subjective statements or interpretations.

Be aware of any vendor that tells you they are PCI Compliant and doesn’t provide tangible proof in the form of a certificate or a ROC (Report on compliance).

Be aware of any vendor that tells you they are “in the process of being audited”.  The audit process is long and is not a simple formality.  It is quite possible that the audit will reveal gaps that need to be addressed, which will further delay the certification process.

Over 60 customers representing over 35 different organizations converged on The Houstonian hotel in Houston, TX last week for Summit 2007 – our first international User Group Conference. 

By all accounts, the event was a huge success for everyone.  High marks were given for the keynote speakers, breakout sessions, one-on-one sessions and conference party.  The one aspect of the conference that all attendees raved about was the networking opportunities.  Many new relationships were started at the event and it is our hope that our customers continue to communicate directly with one another both formally and informally.

We have confirmed next year’s event at The Houstonian on September 16 and 17, 2008.  We have already started planning the conference and our hope is to make next year’s event bigger and better than before.  Stay tuned for more details.

We just completed our Level 1 PCI/PABP Compliance audit of our software and data hosting facility.  Ambiron Trust was originally scheduled to spend three days doing the audit.  The representative was so impressed with our architecture, procedures and data center, he was able to complete the audit in only two days.  More shameless boasting: the auditor told us to be proud that we were held to the same standards as a Fortune 1 company he recently audited and we met those standards equally!

The PCI audit was a long, arduous and expensive process.  It was particularly challenging for us because not only are we a software provider, we offer hosting services for our customers as well.  We are glad it is over!

Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro annual Top 100 club list report was just published.  The list is based on revenue as reported by club companies and other membership-based facilities.  Unfortunately, not every company reports their revenue so the list has to be taken with a grain of salt. 

Well, CSI Software continues to build market share.  Some impressive statistics:

• Over 22% of the companies on the list use CSI Software. 
• More clubs in the Top 10 use CSI Software than any other software company in the world - a first for us.
• 6 of the Top 10 single location, multipurpose facilities use CSI Software
• 5 of the Top 10 wellness centers use CSI Software

After two years of discussion and contemplation, we finally decided to hold our first-ever User Group Conference, Summit 2007, this September at The Houstonian -  a prestigious 4-star urban resort in Houston, TX. 

The idea behind this event is to provide two-days of in-depth education and training, dynamic information exchange and practical, high-impact solutions to customers that depend on CSI Software technology, products and services.

The challenge with doing something like this is you never really know how many people are going to show up.  Our research indicated our customers wanted this event but we didn’t know for sure.  We had never held anything like this before, none of our competitor’s do, so we were going into unchartered waters.  We decided to be as conservative as possible and budget for 50 registrants.

Well, with over two months still to go, we are unofficially sold out!  Now we are scrambling to secure more rooms at the hotel so we may allow more registrants.  We are determined to make the event as enjoyable and productive for our customers as possible and are sparing no expense to do so.  It is our hope to hold this event every year – alternating yearly between Houston and another city in the state of Texas.