Photo Credit: All photos in this article provided by NCBiotech, NCBiotech/American Aerial Photos, and NCBiotech/Jim Sink
Twenty meeting spaces. a thousand meetings and events a year. Two separate booking systems that didn’t talk to each other. For the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NC Biotech), this combination was a recipe for confusion and missed details. By unifying their scheduling process and adding smart room signs, they transformed the way staff find, book, and prepare spaces in real time.
Want to hear the full story directly from NC Biotech? Watch the recording of our webinar titled “Smart Signs, Smarter Scheduling,”
TL;DR Key Takeaways:
- Joseph Voska, Director of the Conference Center at North Carolina Biotechnology Center, explains how he and his team enabled day-of booking while staying in full control of their facility’s spaces.
- NC Biotech faced significant challenges managing its 20 meeting spaces, which were split between Mazévo for large events and Outlook for internal rooms, causing service request confusion and inefficient email-based booking.
- They consolidated all rooms into Mazévo, and installed Mazévo Room Signs on tablets outside rooms, enabling staff to see real-time availability and make on-the-spot bookings.
- The new, unified process has been a major success, eliminating booking conflicts and empowering people to reserve spaces with confidence.
Setting the Scene at NC Biotech
Located in the heart of North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, NC Biotech is a state-sponsored organization with a vital mission to advance the life sciences and fuel economic growth across the state. A key part of this mission is its impressive conference center, which serves as a central hub for over a thousand life science organizations and NC Biotech’s own 90 employees.
With 20 different meeting and event spaces—from a 170-seat auditorium to flexible breakout rooms—the center is in constant demand. It hosts everything from high-stakes board meetings and multi-day training sessions to career fairs and networking events.
As Joseph Voska, the Director of the Conference Center, explains, they stay busy. In the last fiscal year alone, they managed nearly 500 unique events and a thousand individual space bookings. But behind these impressive numbers, a growing operational issue was brewing.
The Challenge: A Tale of Two Systems
The problem wasn't a lack of effort but rather the lack of a single, unified system. The conference center team Joseph leads managed 14 of the largest event spaces using Mazévo. The other six internal meeting rooms, however, were scheduled by staff through Outlook resource calendars. “We were almost having to run double books,” Joseph says. “You can just imagine what a nightmare it was.”
This scenario led to three significant headaches:
- Invisible service requests. Staff would book an internal room in Outlook for a small meeting, then email Joseph's team requesting A/V support or catering. "The challenge was that what they were doing wasn't visible to us in our system," Joseph notes. "We couldn't see those meetings or events, so we couldn't make sure that the proper services and staff were scheduled to support them."
- No room ownership. The six internal meeting rooms were essentially orphaned. With no one officially overseeing them between bookings, staff would often walk into a room to find leftover food, trash, or tangled A/V cords. There was no process to ensure a room was clean and ready for the next group.
- A confusing experience for guests. When visitors arrived for a meeting in one of the Outlook-scheduled rooms, the front desk team had no information to share. With multiple events happening simultaneously, they couldn't direct visitors, which undermined the professional welcome they strive to provide.
In addition, the process of booking the main conference spaces was a frustrating cycle of back-and-forth emails, where a room's availability could change mid-conversation. The team knew they needed a better way.
The Solution: Unifying Scheduling Processes with Mazévo and Room Signs
To solve the problem, Joseph brought his facilities and IT colleagues together. The goal was to create unified oversight and a consistent, streamlined scheduling process for all 20 spaces. The answer was to go all-in with Mazévo.
First, they brought all six of the internal meeting rooms into the Mazévo system, finally creating a single source of truth for every bookable space in the building. Staff could now see real-time availability for every room and submit requests through a simple portal.
The real game-changer, however, was how they handled spontaneous, day-of bookings. They purchased new Android tablets and implemented Mazévo Room Signs outside each of the six internal rooms. Now, instead of guessing if a room is free, staff can walk up and see its status at a glance.
"It's a really great resource for folks," Joseph says. "They can walk up, see when the room's available and when it’s not. Using the tablets has made the biggest difference for our organization."
The tablets display the room’s schedule for the day, and if the room is free, a large green "Available" button appears. A staff member can simply tap the screen and book the room on the spot for up to six hours.
To keep things manageable for the event team, they established a simple rule: Same-day bookings made at the sign don't include services. If a team requires catering or dedicated A/V support, they simply need to book in advance through the portal.
The Results: Efficiency, Confidence, and Happy Staff
After getting buy-in from leadership and holding training sessions for all staff, the new process went live. The results were immediate and overwhelmingly positive.
- Empowered staff. Instead of waiting for an email response, staff now see real-time availability and can confidently book spaces themselves. "Staff appreciate the ability to see what spaces are available in real time instead of waiting for an email response," Joseph shares.
- Confident booking. When a request is submitted through the portal, Mazévo automatically places a hold on the space, so staff feel reassured that the room won't be scooped up while their request is being approved.
- A lifesaver for walk-ups. The room signs have eliminated the chaos and conflict of day-of bookings. Staff no longer accidentally walk in on a colleague's meeting, and finding a space for a spontaneous collaboration is simple and stress-free.
- Happier, more efficient teams. Overall, the feedback has been excellent. The streamlined process has saved countless hours and eliminated major frustration points for both the event team and the staff they support.
Lessons Learned on the Path to Scheduling Success
Joseph’s journey offers valuable advice for any organization looking to make a similar change.
- Get buy-in by explaining the “why.” The biggest hurdle can be convincing people to change a process they're used to. Joseph found success by focusing on the bigger picture. He sat down with stakeholders to explain why the change was needed to provide seamless support for everyone's events.
- Listen to concerns. Change can be intimidating. Joseph met with concerned leaders and staff multiple times to hear their questions and work through them, which was critical for building confidence in the new system.
- Don't suffer in silence. When facing these challenges, Joseph reached out to the Mazévo team. "I was just blown away that these tools existed," he admits. The lesson is that you shouldn’t assume you know everything your software can do. Partnering with your provider can unlock solutions you didn't even know were possible.
Take Control of Your Spaces With State-of-the-Art Technology
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center's story proves that it's possible to empower your users with the flexibility of day-of booking without losing control of your facilities. By unifying their systems and leveraging smart technology like Mazévo Room Signs, they created a process that is efficient, transparent, and user-friendly.
If you're tired of juggling multiple calendars, answering endless emails about availability, and dealing with booking conflicts like NC Biotech was, maybe it's time to see how a unified platform like Mazévo can help.
Contact us today to discuss your needs, or schedule a demo.