Offaly company wins major tender for all Irish Shows Association members

Irish software development and integration company, Tullamore based Dotser, has won a national tender with the Irish Shows Association (ISA) to deploy licences of its SuperShow - Agricultural Show Management Platform, to all ISA member shows in Ireland.

The cloud business contract will see Dotser deliver on the ISA’s overall objective “to provide an umbrella solution for the deployment of online show management software for individual ISA show members, and provide support to a Super Administrator and 10 proposed SuperUsers”.

Following the ISA’s feasibility study and market research; the tendering and selection process awarded Dotser winning marks in their three criterias: skills and expertise, quality and technical merit of the methodological process proposed, and cost.

These followed the overall selection criterias of economic and financial standing, turnover, and technical and professional ability.

The contract is being part-funded under the LEADER national co-operation programme, which is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Agriculture, as part of Project Ireland 2040. The project is being led out by Monaghan Integrated Development CLG in partnership with Avondhu Blackwater Partnership CLG, Galway Rural Development CLG and Southwest Mayo Development Company CLG.

Each show is expected to achieve significant benefits when live; such as a great reduction in time that show organisers & secretaries spend in operating and administering shows, improved cost efficiencies, more positive feedback, and increases in participation and footfall.

Each show will benefit from the system’s key features:

One central system to manage many key show management functions such as trade management, competitions, memberships, and sponsorships.
Tiered functionality with the ability to assign different roles, user rights and permissions.
Live judging and results published directly to the show’s website.
Single sign-on for competitors and trade stand holders to sign into ISA shows.
Website content management system.
Search Engine Optimisation management.
Promotional functionality with sharing content directly to social media platforms.
Use of show’s own branding and website name.
Online payment integration.
Competitors and exhibitors will also benefit by way of the single sign-on feature; central across all SuperShow powered websites.

Commenting on the announcement of the confirmed contract; Loughnan Hooper, Chief Executive Officer at Dotser says “we are delighted to have been awarded this tender to power all ISA shows with the SuperShow Event Management System, and excited for each of the shows who will benefit greatly from SuperShow, and their local economies and communities. Being the culmination of 20 years development and fine-tuning work on the ground in the agriculture and events industry and with voluntary organisation structures, we have arrived at what is now the most ideal show management solution for the Irish Shows Association’s members. We look forward to a seamless roll out, and incredible results for everyone involved”.

The roll-out of the project has commenced with training actively underway including a session held at the ISA AGM, recently, where Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys commended the ISA for "the great work being done in digitising and future proofing the shows".

Pictured at the event held on the 26th of November, from left to right is: Geoff Liffey, Business Development Manager at Dotser; Heather Humphreys, Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection; Catherine Gallagher, Outgoing National President of the ISA; Jim Harrison, National Secretary of the ISA, and Ciara Kinnarney, SuperShow Manager at Dotser.

The contract was confirmed in May, and all shows will be set up on the ISA SuperShow Platform by the end of this year.