Case Studies

First Stop Shop for Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

Company: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

Along with its metropolitan neighbours Wolverhampton, Dudley and Sandwell, much of Walsall is part of the historic 'Black Country', with strong links to an industrial past of coal mining, quarrying, iron and steel production and fabrication.

In the centre of Walsall, the new Town Wharf is home to a 22 million art gallery, cafes, bars as well as being the centre of the canal network. Museums celebrate the area's leather heritage, and the Arboretum plays host to Britain's biggest inland illuminations every autumn. Surrounded by the Black Country, there are numerous country parks and areas for walking.

When it comes to E-procurement, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council is way ahead of the game. One particular software solution, Events Perfect, has been in use since 1999, managing a variety of venues and events within civic amenities, schools, museums and sporting facilities.

Walsall MBC is a particularly bustling community with a variety of concerts, theatre performances, weddings, exhibitions, training-courses, keep fit and sporting events, offering something for everyone from tots to grannies.

Sunita Lal Kooner, Customer Services Officer, stated 'I have found Events Perfect to be a user-friendly system that is easy to follow and extract information from. It is particularly useful to manage the complexities of all the events that we are responsible for. These can be as diverse as the senior citizens orchestra, ethnic weddings, or theatre events such as Jesus Christ Superstar at the Bloxwich Library Theatre'.

Six users within the Lifelong Learning and Community Directorate currently access the software, with plans to extend the software into other departments in the near future. The Council's 'First Stop Shop', will, as its name implies, be the first point of contact where the local population will be able to book all types of amenities.