Posted Monday, March 30, 2009 by
Rick Borry
We had some good news today - official recognition from a major client!
I remember facing off against Starcite, Amlink (now part of Certain) and ICM on a frigid winter day over 3 years ago with half-day presentations to win the National FFA Organization online registration contract. In hindsight, that was the easy part; we had a year of observation with the "three Bobs" in Louisville, then the first year of implementation in Indianapolis.
If enough people ask, I'll share the tale of "the three Bobs" in a future post.
National FFA Organization Recognizes Certain Software as Catalyst
INDIANAPOLIS – Last November, the National FFA Organization was named the overall 2008 BKD Indiana Excellence Award winner during a banquet luncheon Nov. 19. FFA edged out winners from three other categories (medical, manufacturing & distribution and service) to bring home the prestigious overall honor. Today, FFA Director of Information Technology Mark Cavell recognized Certain Software as a catalyst to that success.
The National FFA Organization received the BKD award based on significant improvements to its convention registration system. The annual National FFA Convention attracts more than 54,000 attendees from FFA chapters across the country. Before the convention’s move to Indianapolis in 2006, registration was a cumbersome and unwieldy manual process; so, to improve customer service and decrease costs, FFA elected to migrate to an online registration system. After a thorough search, FFA selected Certain Software’s Reg123 program.
“Certain Software presented the best off-the-shelf solution for our online event registration needs,” said Cavell. “Due to the size, scope and unique properties of the annual National FFA Convention, Certain also had to be willing to modify their existing product right up to the limit of its capabilities, as well as support those modifications for us. Throughout this process, they have exceeded our already high expectations.”
In 2008, after a three-year cycle of programming, testing and tweaking, the FFA online event registration system reached full maturity and achieved all of its original objectives. The organization has already seen more than $283,000 in annual savings since the system was implemented. The process of registering for convention and ordering event tickets has also become much more convenient for the organizations’ customers. It has cut down the amount of time required to register and has improved accuracy in filling orders. These results, coupled with FFA documentation of the project plan and execution, were the criteria evaluated by the BKD Indiana Excellence Awards judges.
FFA recognized that Certain Software as a catalyst for the success of its online event registration project, and wanted to provide Certain Software with appropriate recognition. Without Certain’s Reg 123 program and the constant support, programming flexibility and dependable performance of Certain Software systems, the vaunted FFA project could not have achieved the same results.
The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 507,763 student members – all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture – as part of 7,439 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The National FFA Organization changed to its present name in 1988, in recognition of the growth and diversity of agriculture and agricultural education. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit www.ffa.org for more information.
For meeting and event planning professionals, opportunities will exist for possible increased negotiating power with venues who are struggling to book meetings and events. 
