UNLV recently released the results of a study on room-diagramming software for convention and meeting facilities giving MeetingMatrix software the highest marks for functionality, usability and efficiency.

The study, conducted by evaluators from the UNLV Hotel Research and Development Center of the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, was approached from the perspective of a meeting planning professional "whose needs must be precise and exact," noted the report. Each of the three evaluators submitted individual reports to be compiled by a fourth person to prevent bias in the study.

Noted as one of the top hospitality schools in the country, UNLV provided evaluators who compared meeting facility software packages, MeetingMatrix Platinum+ 5.1, Optimum Settings 3.0 and Room Viewer Pro 4.3. Each software package was reviewed over a three-month period based on the perceived utility it would provide to a meeting planner. Study participants, who each had a meeting industry background, did not receive formal software training but did have access to software manuals, help features, and online support.

In each category -- functionality, usability and efficiency -- MeetingMatrix received the top ranking followed by Optimum Settings and Room Viewer.

In summary, the UNLV study stated, "One is advised to look at all three programs to determine which is the best fit for their organization. It is worth noting that software is dynamic, as new versions are a continuous part of the development process. The future versions of the software evaluated in this study will contain new features and other improvements." "For example, in version 6, MeetingMatrix has come out with a 3-D view, which allows one to take a virtual tour of the meeting room. This is a great feature when the client is a novice, who has difficulty conceptualizing a schematic drawing. "Based on the evaluations of the three packages, MeetingMatrix appears to be the best choice for the professional needing a full-service package, while Room Viewer appears to be the best choice for a casual user."

An executive summary of "A Comparative Study of Three Meeting Diagramming Software Programs from a User's Perspective" can be found online.

For more information, call John Bowen at (702) 895-0876.