Get ready to rethink Certain Software. Earlier this summer, the company released Meeting Planner Plus meeting management software, which is a lot like its Event Planner Plus product — on steroids.
After launching a single-user product, Event Planner Plus, in 1998, the company went to work on a networkable system. No one anticipated a four-year design and engineering process, says President and CEO Jim Pappas, who was brought on in 2000, but he's pleased with the results. “What's exciting about MPP is the sophistication of all these functions in one application.” Those functions range from attendee registration and management, task and timeline management, calendars, and vendor quote comparisons to budgeting, room layout and seating assignments, printing badges and tent cards, and tracking vendors, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors.
MPP is not Certain's only new product. The company acquired Register123, an online registration product, in November and is building a bridge between the on- and off-line systems, which was expected to be completed by the end of summer. The new PowerLink product allows registration information to flow between Register123 and MPP, or between a proprietary online registration system and MPP.
Competing with products such as Peopleware Pro, Isis Gold, and MeetingTrak, Meeting Planner Plus will allow up to 10 users to access the same information simultaneously. The system costs $4,995 for the first user, $1,000 each for others. Powerlink costs $2,495. For an MPP demo, visit www.certain.com.