Dear EMS Customer,

In preparing this edition of the Reservation Times, we noticed that in the previous edition, which went out last summer, we were bemoaning the triple digit temperatures in Denver and dreaming of cool breezes. Well, now the shoe is on the other foot. As of this writing, we have just finished digging out from two consecutive blizzards followed by an arctic system that plunged our daytime highs into the single digits and turned snow drifts into glaciers.

Fortunately, the temperature inside the DEA office is always a comfortable 72 degrees. And after some time off for the holidays, including a few rare office closure days, we’re all rested, refreshed (if perhaps a little sore from all the shoveling) and back to business.

Below you’ll find articles that reflect on 2006, look ahead to the general release of Windows Vista, list the tradeshows we’ll be attending and events we’ll be hosting in 2007, and more. So, whatever your weather, read on. And, happy scheduling!

Sincerely,

The Editorial Staff at Dean Evans & Associates, Inc.
EMSNewsletter@dea.com

Table of Contents

Looking Back as We Forge Ahead

Well, as quickly as you can say, “Happy New Year”, we’re a month into 2007. With 2006 fast becoming a speck in the rearview mirror, we thought we should take a minute or two to reflect on what was a very exciting and productive year for us.

In the first quarter, we used input from our customers and the insight of our consulting, client support and development teams to produce powerful new updates to all of our scheduling programs. A few months later we released Version 2.0 of the EMS Master Calendar system to rave reviews.

On the strength of those updates, and with many thanks to our existing customers for spreading the EMS word, we added hundreds of customers in 2006, ultimately topping the 3000 client mark. It seemed appropriate to hit a major milestone like that in the year in which we celebrated the company’s 20th Anniversary!

In November we introduced the higher education community to the concept of “complete campus scheduling” with the release of the EMS Campus meeting/event/academic scheduling system. We anticipate helping many colleges and universities implement the system in 2007.

Throughout the year, we continued to create and strengthen business alliances with companies whose products and services complement ours. Many of them exhibited at our EMS Users Conference in October.

So what lies ahead? With 2006 being our best year ever from many perspectives, we can only hope for more of the same. And as always, we look forward to our continued partnership with you and the advances in our products and services that come out of that mutually beneficial relationship.

Vista on the Horizon: EMS Compatibility With the New Windows Operating System

Microsoft began releasing its next generation Windows client operating system, called Vista, to businesses in November 2006 and plans widespread availability to consumers on January 30th, 2007. According to Microsoft, this much anticipated new version of Windows introduces powerful new technologies that will help your people do their best work. It will help them collaborate and communicate more effectively—easily connecting them to corporate resources, to the Internet, and to each other—regardless of their locations. It will also help your business lower costs, improve security, and comply with regulatory requirements.

Some of the new features and benefits of Windows Vista include: sophisticated graphics, better search and organization tools, improved security, easier access to information and applications, new multimedia functions and tools, and improved system tools for backups, updates and more. For complete information on Vista, visit Microsoft’s site at www.microsoft.com/windowsvista.

Although Vista has a lot to offer, we would caution against jumping in too quickly – for a couple reasons… First, software vendors have been slow to release Vista-compatible versions of their products. For example, major anti-virus software makers still didn’t have their products ready at the time this article was written. We would highly recommend you confirm the compatibility of mission-critical software applications before attempting to upgrade. Second, the minimum system requirements for Vista are substantially higher than they were for Windows XP, which may mean the purchase of new hardware to even support Windows Vista. Again, visit Microsoft’s website above (look for the “Get Ready” section) for detailed requirements.

So, where does EMS stand with Vista compatibility? We have Vista-compatible versions of all the major EMS software products available upon request. If you plan to upgrade to Windows Vista anytime soon, you will need to contact our Customer Support department at 800-288-4565 or support@dea.com to discuss your EMS system and to request your Vista-compatible version. General availability (i.e. no consultation required) of Vista-compatible versions of EMS is scheduled for March or April of 2007.

EMS Campus: For National University of Health Sciences, It's Just What the Doctor Ordered

In July of last year, we announced in the Reservation Times that the development of our newest product, which would handle event management, campus calendaring and academic scheduling, was well underway. Coding was completed later in the summer, and following a rigorous testing period, EMS Campus was released in November.

The first organization to implement the system was National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois. Asked about how things are going so far, Keith Werosh, university registrar, had this to say...

EMS: How would you describe the process of getting EMS Campus up and running at National University?
KW: The entire implementation process was very easy. We worked with a handful of really talented individuals from Dean Evans & Associates who took the time to learn our student information system and made the necessary adjustments for a seamless integration. The system documentation is very detailed and easy to understand. All in all, this was one of the easiest implementations I have ever been a part of. The support staff members are very attentive and accessible live by phone which is a real plus in this day and age.

EMS: Did you have any concerns about being one of the first organizations to use a brand new product?
KW: We did have concerns in terms of what to expect and there are a few bugs that are still being worked out. But we had high expectations and Campus has delivered thus far. We took a big risk purchasing a system without really seeing it first but it turned out to be the right system since we were looking for a comprehensive scheduling solution that fit our budget.

EMS: Has the functionality of EMS Campus met your expectations?
KW: It has but we're not using all of the features of Campus yet. In the terms to come, we hope to explore more of the features and use more of the web interface.

EMS: What benefits are you finding in using the academic scheduling functionality in EMS Campus?
KW: Campus has allowed us to manage our information more efficiently and provide better and more accurate information to our stakeholders. Since we are a specialized institution with a number of lab courses needing specific rooms, we are slow moving on getting the optimization process up and running. As we use Campus more, we expect to get a better handle on room utilization given that we seem to be running out of space on campus. This information will be extremely helpful as we explore options for building more academic space.

All in all, it sounds like National University’s willingness to take a “leap of faith” with a newly-released product is paying off – both for them and us, as their insightful feedback is being used to make EMS Campus an even better product.

For more information on EMS Campus, go to www.dea.com/Campus/Campus or contact our Sales department at 800-440-3994 ext. 863 or sales@dea.com.

Tradeshows, Training and Other Events

As we get rolling in 2007, we are looking forward to another action-packed year of tradeshows and events. We truly enjoy the opportunity to talk with customers and prospects about the latest advancements in the EMS product line and to get their input on how EMS can better meet their needs.

In addition to our travels around the country, we are looking forward to seeing customers who will be coming to Denver to attend training at the EMS Training Center and to Breckenridge, Colorado for the 2007 EMS Users Conference in August.

For all the details on tradeshows, training and other events, read below or check out our online master calendar at www.dea.com/mcdea.

Early 2007 Tradeshows
Below is a list of the tradeshows we will be attending in early 2007. If you plan to be at any of these events, please stop by the EMS booth to say Hello!

• AACRAO Annual Meeting, February 28-March 3, Boston, Booth #420
• SunGard Summit 2007, March 19-22, Las Vegas, Booth #504
• ACCED-I 27th Annual Conference, March 25-28, Baltimore
• ACUI 2007, March 25-28, Atlanta
• CoreNet Global Summit, April 29-May 2, Denver

Early 2007 EMS Training Center Sessions
Get away from the distractions of your office and get fully immersed in software training for your EMS Professional system at the EMS Training Center in Denver, Colorado, home to our corporate headquarters. Sessions on the calendar for early 2007 are:

• Getting Started with EMS Professional, February 20-22
• Getting Started with EMS Professional, March 13-15
• Getting Started with EMS Professional, April 10-12

Training can also be done online or on-site. See www.dea.com/training.aspx for details.

2007 EMS Users Conference
We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2007 EMS Users Conference in Breckenridge, Colorado! The four day event (August 6-9) will give you a chance to develop an even better understanding of your EMS software through training sessions, panel discussions, product demonstrations, and one-on-one consultations with our support staff. In addition, the conference is a great opportunity to network with fellow EMS users.

For more information or to register for the 2007 conference, please visit www.dea.com/UsersConference/Conf.aspx.

EMS Lunch & Learns
Throughout the year, our account management staff will be moderating EMS Lunch & Learn sessions hosted by our customers, like the one that took place recently at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA. Lunch & Learns provide a casual and relaxed setting in which EMS clients and prospective clients can learn about recent product developments, network with other scheduling professionals in their region, and hear real life EMS experiences from guest speakers. And… the lunch is on us!

If you think you might be interested in hosting a Lunch & Learn, or just want to know more about them, please contact us at 800-440-3994 ext. 863 or sales@dea.com.

Identify Identity: Continuity in Communications

Article courtesy of Visix, Inc. - Formerly Tech Electronics, Inc., Visix is an EMS business partner that produces a suite of software applications that allow users to create, import and manage their communications from anywhere, and to deliver those messages (including meeting and event information from EMS) to virtually any endpoint. Learn more about Visix at www.visix.com.

What is an organization’s identity and why is it important when producing visual communications? Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, defines “corporate identity” as, “The 'persona' of an organization, which is designed to accord with and facilitate the attainment of objectives, and is usually visibly manifested by way of branding and the use of trademarks.”

In short, your organization’s identity is its public face - its “look” - and should be considered when you are designing content for digital signage or presentations. You want to put forward a united “brand” in both internal and external communications. Your content will improve drastically in quality if you use a standardized array of colors, fonts and styles. Side-by-side presentation of your messages will automatically blend and please the eye if you are choosing from a predetermined set of design elements.

This doesn’t mean the end of uniqueness and creativity. Bring in outside designs and graphics that complement and offset identity components for greater impact. You can play with layouts and craft interesting, effective communications while incorporating a few standard themes.

Some organizations will have a graphics library that you can choose from and their Internet or intranet sites can be a good resource for photos and graphics that have already passed the approval process. If you’re selecting backgrounds from a library, consider using those that complement your color palette, or have your favorites tinted to match your color system.

Over time, you can “train” users to look for colors related to specific types of information. For example – blue backgrounds could indicate HR information, red might be related to facility security and green might draw attention to important announcements. This level of standardization helps your audience more efficiently locate relevant content.

Using approved identity components and mixing in complementary design elements will improve the quality of your visual messaging while solidifying your organization’s identity with viewers – two communications goals easily met with a little preparation and creativity.

Dayna Newlon - Software Trainer/Consultant

Dayna Newlon is a member of our Professional Services team, providing onsite training and consulting for new EMS clients. A true “road warrior,” Dayna crisscrossed the country last year helping implement EMS at 27 different client sites in 18 states.

After receiving a degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, she moved to Colorado and began working for the Marriott hotel chain. It was there that she developed an appreciation for the importance of scheduling software. “You can have a beautiful facility and a dedicated staff, but if you don’t have an excellent grasp of when, where and how your rooms and resources are being used, your organization is not going to do well.”

Having grown up in the small town of Denison, Iowa, Dayna enjoys the time she spends back in the office with her close-knit group of coworkers. “At Dean Evans, you get the best of both worlds: An industry-leading company that puts out great products, but one that believes in and promotes a good work/life balance and an office environment that has a family-feel.” In many ways, the DEA staff has become a second family to her. In fact, another of our consultants, Wendy Newlon, is Dayna’s cousin, leading many around the office to teasingly refer to Dayna as “the other Newlon.”

Family is important to Dayna when she is away from the office, too. In fact, it’s one of the reasons she moved to Colorado in the first place, as she has a number of relatives in the Denver area. “I love spending time with my niece and nephews,” she says, “Their enthusiasm for life is contagious.”

When she’s not working or relaxing with family, Dayna loves to get away to the mountains. One of her passions is skiing – a sport that has brought her great pleasure… and some pain. But a torn knee ligament in her first season hasn’t kept her off the slopes. “When’s the next winter Olympics?” she asks with a grin.