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It's just crazy the way computers have taken over our businesses. It's gotten to the point where you must have at least a working knowledge of computers just to be in business. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. In many ways, this technology has made our lives easier. But it has gone well beyond helping us to keep our books, control our inventories and track reservations. Back in the mid-1980s, I came across a program called ROOMER2. It was designed for architects and interior designers to help them design room layouts. At that time, it was a new type of program called CAD (Computer Aided Design). Hank Hufnagel, the programmer, has a brother in the rental business, and saw the potential for party rentals. So did I, so I contacted him. To make a long story short, Hank received so much cooperation from members of the industry that he has been able to steadily improve the program significantly over the years. As a matter of fact, he now publishes a version exclusively for the party business called PartyCAD. The program originally ran under DOS; now it runs under Windows. It used to be two-dimensional; now it's three-dimensional. It used to be black and white; now it's color. You used to have to load each individual chair and table. Now you can load various groups of chair-and-table configurations at once. Hank sent me an evaluation copy of the latest version of the program (3.1.6), and I was absolutely amazed at its combination of ease of use and sophistication of features. It is also extremely easy to learn. Installing the program is a cinch. As with all new programs, just make sure there are no programs, especially anti-virus programs, running in the background during installation. It places a cute party icon on the desktop, so you can easily start the program by double-clicking on the icon. Once the main menu is up, there is a box to its upper left labeled, "Click here to view the PartyCAD demo!" This is an animated demo with sound that runs directly off the CD so that it does not take up space on your hard drive. Hank used an amazing program to create this demo that allows him to take you through the process step by step, and you can see every move he makes. Programmers usually have a difficult time communicating clearly with us mere mortals, but Hank does it in an easygoing style that you or your most computer-phobic employee can understand. Your first move should be to run this demo. When finished, you will be reasonably familiar with the program. The program comes with an unintimidating 43-page manual. Of that, 19 pages is devoted to a tutorial. After you finish the demo, your next step would be to go through the tutorial. Step by step, you will be guided on how to create a room or a tent and furnish it for a party. This won't take you an hour. With a little practice, you'll be able to rapidly create a party right before your customers' eyes. Here are the features that dazzled me as I relearned the program. In the "Make a Plan" module, it is so much easier to create a room. The walls, windows and doors are all there and easily adjusted as to quantity, position and size. If you're planning a tent party, you can go directly to the "Furnish" module and select just about any type of tent you want without having to construct a new one. Once you've loaded the type of tent that you're using, you can begin to load furniture. All table sizes are available with various chair counts. The library of furniture has been expanded so much that it's hard not to find what you want. But just in case, Hank tells you how to construct your own. Once you've loaded a chairs-and-table combination, in one stroke you can use the "fill" command to fill an entire area with the same piece. You can zoom in on a piece for a magnified view with more detail. You can twirl a piece to view it from any angle. You position it simply by clicking and dragging. Precision movement can be achieved either by using the built-in grid, by using the "push" command to bump it to another object or by setting the exact distance to be moved by each click of the mouse anywhere from .1 inch to many feet. Any piece can be duplicated with a simple command. If you load a tabletop item such as a fountain, you can "Jump" it so that it sits on top of the table. Any piece can be changed to just about any color. If you're making a presentation to a customer, and she wants pink tablecloths instead of yellow, it only takes a couple of clicks of the mouse. You ain't seen nothin', yet! The "Virtual Reality" module is nothing less than spectacular. It shows the party in three-dimensional mode and in full color. By clicking and dragging the mouse, you can "walk" through the party and see it from every angle. With the "View" module, you can remove the top of the tent and look down on the party from above. You can even change the lighting by changing the position of the sun. Furthermore, you can record all of your movements through the tent or room and play them back later as a movie. There is even a selection of music available to accompany the movie. Therefore, you can lay out a party, walk through the party and view it from every angle, and play back your movements. This can run continuously as a display on your counter. Finally, you can go to the "Layout a Page" module and create a professional presentation to give to your prospect. There is an area on this page that you can place your logo along with details such as the date, project, owner, designer, etc. You can even include a distance scale for perspective. Hank suggests including a full-color, 3-D view as created in the "Virtual Reality" module, plus a floor plan as created in the "Furnish" module, and a 3-D overhead view as created in the View module. This makes a very impressive presentation for your client. By the way, you can also create a report that shows quantities and costs. This is great for a quick estimate of costs, but I would recommend you use a contract generated by your store computer to seal the deal. I recommend that before you create a plan with your customer present, you do it in the privacy of your office until you master the program. Enclose a copy with every estimate you send out. In a short time, you will become proficient enough to be able to bring a laptop computer to your customer's home or office and do it with their input. Hank is always available to you for phone, fax or e-mail support. When you're stuck, it's great to be able to talk to the guy who actually authored the program rather than some underpaid technician with questionable knowledge. Sophisticated operations have been using CAD programs for party design for a few years. If you're serious about increasing your party business, this program will be crucial to you. Order it today! One more word. Most suppliers do not send me samples of their product because they're afraid that I'll be critical. They're right. I'll always tell it like I see it. But suppliers who have faith in their products will always get a fair shake in this column.
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