South Shore CVA Board of Directors go Paperless

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Paperless less than a month and able to reduce the Board meeting duration

Hammond, IN, October 17, 2013:  The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority Board of Directors launched a new program to streamline access to board information, using iPads and personal computers, prior to and during the monthly meetings.

Paroon Chadha, co-founder and CEO of Passageways, welcomed the board and expressed the company’s excitement in having the first convention and visitors bureau join the Passageways family during its  September monthly board meeting. “It was exciting to see a group move away from paper and easily become paperless in their boardroom using our platform. It is remarkable that their first paperless meeting was done so efficiently and was wrapped up a few minutes ahead of schedule”.

Over the last year, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority has redesigned their website and mobile site, installed a state-of-the-art video wall in the Indiana Welcome Center, implemented the use of Passageways Board Portal, and has made technological upgrades in their board room and theater. Upgrades to the W.F. Wellman Exhibit Hall will also be completed in the coming weeks.

“We have been able to streamline a lot of what we do because we have a forward -thinking CEO. We are  constantly looking for ways to better utilize the talents of our organization and make technological  advancements work for us and our visitors,” said Luke Weinman IV, chief technology officer with the South Shore CVA.

According to Speros A. Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore CVA, the CVA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously last month to implement Passageways Board Portal because of the clear benefits it offers.

 “Passageways Board Portal allows our board members easy access to important documents, agendas and a calendar of events before and during meetings, our board members were able to see the benefit in transitioning    to a completely paperless board packet,” said Batistatos.

According to Stephanie Scott, Vice President of Customer Experience at Passageways, Board Portal serves a   range of industries including financial institutions, universities, marketing firms and energy co-ops. The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority is the first CVB in the state to utilize the technology.

“First and foremost, the primary benefits are efficiency and secure access to information,” stated Scott. The monthly board packets will be able to be prepared more efficiently, resulting in cost savings for the organization. Cost savings will be seen in the time and resources that were previously spent compiling and preparing the traditional paper board packets.

“Immediately, a benefit the board can expect is the ability to access up-to-date information,” said Scott.

“Our organization went with Passageways because it’s an Indiana-based company that offered a product that    will meet our needs. It was the right fit to take us paperless,” said Batistatos. “This tool is expandable, it can migrate to a newer version and it offered a user-friendly application that fit the board.”

Scott noted that Passageways will be looking at how a CVB Board of Directors may be different or how the   board may share similar needs with other industry boards. “It’s always exciting when we can welcome a new industry; it helps us understand their needs. We are excited to learn what the convention and visitors bureau industry needs,” said Scott.

 About Passageways LLC.

Passageways was founded in 2003 with the vision to “To make our World more Collaborative .”  Today the company is an industry-leading provider of collaborative portal solutions.  In 2013 Passageways will celebrate their 10 year anniversary. The company has successfully delivered over 300 portals to various industries. For more information, please call 1-765-535-1883, email [email protected], or visit passageways.com.