STARCITE ADDS 2ND REG CHOICE

StarCite Inc., the meetings and events dot-com, continues to build alliances, most recently with Cvent, the Arlington, Va. — based provider of online registration and e-marketing tools. StarCite will integrate Cvent's applications into its site (www.starcite.com); in exchange, Cvent will incorporate StarCite's site selection and e-RFP tools into its Internet-hosted software package.

This announcement comes on the heels of StarCite's partnership with another online registration company. Earlier this year, StarCite allied with Cardinal Communication, whose RegWeb tool competes with Cvent.

“It's very common for a portal to have several options. It's like a department store having blouses by several designers,” says Rod Marymor, president of the Berkeley, Calif. — based Cardinal. And meeting planners can choose the best fit. “Our focus is really on registration, reporting, and meeting operations,” says Marymor. “Cvent's big emphasis is on e-mail marketing and data analysis.

“This wasn't a surprise to us. They told us that we'd be one of no more than two [registration companies]. … I think they're doing a smart thing. There's so much business.”

The registration partnerships are a natural for StarCite, which at its core is a huge database of meeting venues. Event planners search for facilities that fit their needs and send out e-RFPs. In addition, StarCite creates customized Web sites that allow corporations to consolidate and track meeting spending and activity.