The MCCA owns and oversees the operation of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), which was recognized by the 2007 Spotlight Awards as the “Convention Center of the Year”, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, The MassMutual Center and the Boston Common Garage. Optaros’ Assembly Methodology (OptAM) will incorporate best-of-breed open source technologies and customized features to allow the MCCA to capitalize on the recent rapid increase in business and react efficiently to increasing demands on internal operations.

“We’re building this innovative new system with our customers in mind - we’re confident that they’ll benefit from an ease of doing business, better access to information and an improved service experience all around,” said James E. Rooney, executive director at the MCCA. “We evaluated all of the software in the market and determined that the best way to meet our business requirements and take advantage of the latest technology was to work with Optaros to design and assemble a custom, web-based solution. We view this as a market-leading effort that will define a new way forward for the industry.”

The EMS will enable MCCA staff to quickly and easily determine facility availability and book new events. Users will interact using a common interface for all modules, streamlining service order fulfillment and improving service delivery performance. The virtually centralized event management system will foster enterprise-wide collaboration and enhance internal communication across the entire organization, strengthening internal controls and minimizing the risk of procedural errors. Additionally, the EMS will manage workflow, customer contacts and business intelligence, among other business components.

“Like many specialized industries, the event management industry is ignored by large enterprise software players and niche providers that are not keeping up with customer requirements for enhancements,” said Marc Osofsky, vice president of marketing at Optaros. “Innovative players such as the MCCA are designing and rapidly assembling solutions using open source components.”

About Optaros

Optaros, an international consulting and systems integration firm, designs and assembles fully supported, Next Gen­eration Internet (NGI) solutions that deliver superior business performance. The unique Optaros Assembly Methodology (OptAM) leverages open source, service oriented architectures, rich interface design and a global collaborative delivery model to assemble solu­tions faster and more flexibly than traditional build, buy or rent options. Optaros serves over 70 clients includ­ing ABB, Biogen Idec, Gtech, McKesson, Merck/Serono, New York Times, Sony Pictures, Swisscom and many others. For more about Optaros, go to www.optaros.com .

About Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA)

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority owns and oversees the operations of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA and the Boston Common Parking Garage. In fiscal year 2008, the MCCA hosted at the BCEC and the Hynes 224 events with over 809,000 attendees that generated over 625,000 hotel room nights and over $512 million in economic impact for Greater Boston.

For more information, please contact:

Courtney Hurst
Metis Communications
617-236-0500
Courtney@metiscomm.com

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Kate Rambo 
Metis Communications
121 East Berkeley Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02118
kate.rambo@metiscomm.com
www.metiscomm.com