In a move to position itself as a leading local and international meeting venue, the 1 700-capacity Olive Convention Centre in Durban has installed Rendezvous, the latest events and conference centre software from NFS Technology Group.

Sastri Ramiah, the CEO of the Olive Convention Centre, said: “We considered our current and future growth potential and wanted to position ourselves as a leading local and international meeting venue and we believe Rendezvous software is as an important tool in this respect.

“The software,” he said, “which was installed earlier this month, is expected to improve our internal event planning efficiencies – and will provide critical reports for analysis, review and decision making.”

Rendezvous Events is a user-friendly convention centre management software system that can be implemented and supported cost-effectively.  Nicolette Kruger, software implementer at NFS Group, said it is designed for conference centres and unique venues, with the scheduling software able to control all aspects of a meeting or event – including reserving space and resources, requesting deposits and managing payments, assigning and overseeing tasks, tracking booking changes, and ensuring the proper delivery of catering and AV equipment.

Ramiah said that the most important characteristic of the Olive Convention centre is its location and its size. “Perhaps our most important characteristic is our size – we are a large meetings venue, with a 1 700 seat capacity plus additional exhibition space. To maximise this we needed an efficient software solution and, after studying the marketplace and various solutions on offer, it was concluded that Rendezvous had the means and the pedigree.”

The Olive Convention Centre is regarded as the latest addition to the many world class facilities Durban has to offer.  Ramiah said the venue prides itself on being technologically advanced and is “versatile, flexible – with seating being able to be configured for theatre style, classroom style and banqueting style”.

Issued by Bryn Evans