Investec deploys new conference, banqueting system from NFS

Investec works very similarly to a conference centre. The bank has internal and external clients who host half-day or full-day functions that require catering. They also hold hourly meetings that require refreshments. On an average day, Investec is met with 240 bookings, of which 180 require a combination of catering and/or refreshments.

Several companies were approached by the bank to assist in finding a software solution for their conference environment, but NFS Hospitality was selected from a shortlist of five vendors.

Rendezvous, a fully browser-based conference, catering and meeting room booking system, includes a complete set of features that can be implemented and supported in a cost-effective manner. The software can be deployed centrally to manage multiple properties and can be accessed via multiple options such as the intranet, Outlook calendar, etc.

Nicolette Kruger, NFS Project Manager on the Investec account, said: “Rendezvous is not just a typical meeting room management system; it benefits any establishment - small or large - that needs to manage meeting rooms. Rendezvous can manage all the booking steps, from checking availability to catering options. It is not only applicable to commercial conference venues, but to any organisation that manages meeting rooms.

“Investec manages over 300 meeting rooms in Sandton alone,” continued Kruger. “Their initial rollout took place in Sandton, followed by rollouts at their other branches within South Africa.”

In addition, Rendezvous has managed to streamline Investec's internal billing and assisted in exporting data that can be imported into the general ledger system. NFS has also developed reports that can be used as statements for Investec's internal clients.

“The greatest improvement for Investec is the accounting process. It used to be a manual process, but is now semi-automated. The meeting room bookings are simplified with the use of dropdown boxes instead of the receptionist having to type the information into the required field,” Kruger explained.