City of Richmond Selects PerfectMind to Help Community Live Healthily with Improved Access to Parks & Recreation Services

BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA and RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 6, 2017) - PerfectMind, creators of next-generation facility booking and membership management software, and the growing City of Richmond in British Columbia today announced an agreement that will make it simpler for the City's parks, recreation and cultural program users to access services while also extending the use of technology to improve the customer experience. The City of Richmond chose the PerfectMind platform, which is growing in popularity with cities throughout North America, because it provides an effortless way for citizens to participate in active living and wellness, taking advantage of the City's many programs and facilities. PerfectMind makes it easy for users to sign up for programs, buy tickets, manage accounts and make facility bookings and rentals.

With a strong economy, diverse and rapidly growing population and abundant natural resources, the City of Richmond is a leader in service delivery innovation, using technology to simplify interactions for citizens. As part of its mission to remain on the forefront of service delivery standards, the City will deploy a user-friendly parks, recreation and cultural services management platform that is faster, more powerful, highly personalized and tightly integrated with consumer technology, including mobile phones. PerfectMind is a highly flexible system that immediately improves the user experience, and it also gives the City access to data and tools that will allow it to better anticipate demand and plan and manage programs more efficiently so it can serve citizens even more effectively in the future.

"Through our innovative Digital Strategy, the City of Richmond is committed to being a leader among local governments in using technology to improve customer service and efficiency," said Richmond Mayor, Malcolm Brodie. "The City has closely monitored the implementation of PerfectMind at the Richmond Olympic Oval and has worked closely with the company to enhance their product so it can meet the needs of our rapidly growing community. We believe it will become the new standard for a robust, customer-friendly registration solution for local governments."

"We're thrilled to work with a forward-thinking city like Richmond to improve customer service levels today while providing the reporting and backend capabilities they'll need to remain on the cutting edge in the years to come," said PerfectMind CEO Farid Dordar. "Our platform is a game-changer that can help growing cities connect with their communities while generating the data they need to identify trends and ensure that programs meet evolving demand as their regions grow."

The PerfectMind platform has been rolled out for services provided at the Richmond Olympic Oval, which was originally built as the speed skating venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Oval is operated by a subsidiary corporation that is wholly owned by the City of Richmond. The Oval has been transformed into a multi-purpose centre of excellence for sport, recreation and culture, serving the community with two ice rinks, running tracks, hardwood courts, high performance gyms, indoor rowing tank, a climbing wall, fitness centre, yoga studios, Olympic museum, sports medicine clinic and many other facilities used year-round.

Since the launch of the PerfectMind platform, the Oval has already seen dramatic improvements in service levels, with a 50% increase in the number of programs and services that are available online. Tasks that can now be completed online include ticket purchasing, access to promotional and discount codes, membership purchasing and signatures for waivers and contracts. In addition, the Oval has seen a 90% drop in the number of calls it fields each week - a decrease of approximately 1,500 calls.

Early in 2018, the City of Richmond will unveil a new facility featuring a senior centre and aquatic centre. The new $79.6 million multi-purpose complex is now under construction in the heart of Richmond. The community will be able to access a major aquatic centre, expanded senior centre and other recreational and sport amenities. The City looks forward to handling registration and program communication using the PerfectMind platform.

Learn more about PerfectMind's membership management solutions at parks.perfectmind.com. Find out more about the City of Richmond's parks and recreation programs at www.richmond.ca.

About the City of Richmond

The City of Richmond is BC's fourth largest municipality with a vision "to be the most appealing, livable and well-managed community in Canada." An Official Venue City of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Richmond is internationally acclaimed for its cultural diversity, healthy lifestyles, and natural environment. Home for Vancouver International Airport, deep sea port facilities, and the Canada Line, Richmond is a global centre for transportation, trade and distribution. The City of Richmond has received numerous provincial, national and international accolades for innovation and excellence in service delivery and local government administration.

About PerfectMind

PerfectMind software is used by more than 5,000 organizations in 21 countries. The company's innovative platform empowers cities, parks and recreation organizations, higher education and health and wellness businesses of all sizes to better connect with their communities. PerfectMind has twice been listed on the Profit100 list of fastest growing companies in Canada and has been selected by city leaders throughout Canada and the United States to enhance increasingly diverse and mobile populations' access to city programs and facilities to support healthy, active lifestyles. Find out more at www.perfectmind.com.