"StarCite Stimulus Plan" Provides Free Access to World's Leading Meetings Management Software Platform for New Customers
PHILADELPHIA - April 7, 2009 - To help companies keep travelers on the road doing business with customers, colleagues and others while controlling costs, StarCite, Inc. today announced the launch of the "StarCite Stimulus Plan" - a free offering of StarCite's meetings management software in 2009 for qualified new customers starting today through June 30th. StarCite provides the only true end-to-end meeting management technology platform on the market, automating every facet of corporate meetings and events.
"Our goal is to make it easier for companies to get back to business by delivering savings through StarCite's meetings management technology," said Greg Dukat, chief executive officer of StarCite. "We've seen strong and increasing corporate adoption of cost-saving meetings management programs and technology. Meetings management software is critical to not only save money but also to reduce the business risks of failing to properly follow Sarbanes-Oxley, TARP, and pharmaceutical/healthcare regulations.
"By providing free access to the StarCite platform we are helping companies better manage their meetings spend so meetings can continue taking place, making this unique offer a win-win for everyone involved," Dukat continued. "As hundreds of current StarCite customers have seen, our solutions will help new users quickly reduce their costs today and maximize the value of their meetings spending as the economy recovers."
A recent StarCite survey found that although meetings and events represent as much as 35% or more of many companies' travel spending, less than half the companies surveyed have established meetings policies - in contrast with 95% of respondents who said their organization has a travel policy in place. At many companies, meetings can represent as much as 3% of revenues but lack adequate controls over spending.
By working with StarCite, companies can reduce their meetings spend by 12-25% by quantifying how meetings spending is being allocated, driving closer adherence to corporate spending policies, and putting meetings out for competitive bid by hotels and venues through a streamlined electronic request-for-proposal process. Additional and ongoing savings can be realized over a longer time period.
The StarCite Stimulus Plan features every module of the StarCite system: planning, budgeting, buying, attendee management, payment and results measurement. This includes full access to a competitive bidding process through the StarCite Marketplace, an online marketplace linking buyers with more than 93,000 hotels, venues and meeting suppliers around the world. New StarCite customers will also have access to StarCite's ongoing customer support and online, on-demand training system.
Qualified customers that sign up for the StarCite Stimulus Plan will have the opportunity to use all of StarCite's standard services for free through the remainder of 2009. For more information on the StarCite Stimulus Plan, companies can complete StarCite's website request form: http://www.starcite.com/starcite/planners/requestmoreinformation.
About StarCite, Inc.
StarCite, Inc. provides a technology platform that makes meetings and event planning, booking and management simpler, easier, and more cost-effective for corporations, hotels, venues and meetings suppliers worldwide. StarCite delivers visibility, cost savings and control over meetings spending for businesses and enhanced revenue opportunities for suppliers. Through Web-based, on-demand technology, StarCite automates and supports every key element of the meetings planning and procurement process: planning, budgeting, buying, attendance, payment, and results measurement. Using StarCite's proprietary online marketplace, meetings buyers can connect and conduct business with over 93,000 hotels, venues, destinations and suppliers globally. StarCite is based in Philadelphia, PA. Its equity holders include Internet Capital Group (NASDAQ: ICGE), TPG Growth, Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), and TL Ventures. For more information about StarCite please visit www.starcite.com.
StarCite Media Contact:
Mike Flores
Sloane & Company
212-446-1895
mflores@sloanepr.com
