Dear ECRS,

This past spring, the Montana State University-Billings Foundation sponsored its eleventh annual Wine and Food Festival, raising more than $200,000 in support of the University and its students. The Festival is a logistical challenge requiring over 200 volunteers to support a variety of cooking schools, wine tasting events, and other popular programs. The Festival culminated with a wine and food sampling event on Friday evening, and a dinner and live auction on Saturday. The Friday and Saturday events took place in an 80 by 210 foot tent in the heart of the Montana State University campus.

For this event to be successful, many challenges must be addressed. For the Wine Festival, one of those challenges has been establishing a temporary wine store in the festival tent where featured wines and other collectibles are sold. Additionally, the wine store serves as cashier for auctions, which occur both nights in the tent. Primarily with volunteers, we have one day to set up a wine store that features over 150 differently priced items. When the tent opens, there is no dress rehearsal. At the Friday event, we are immediately flooded with 800 guests, many buying their favorite wines in large quantity.

"With Catapult, the wine store operated more efficiently
and professionally than ever before. Catapult also made it
very easy to generate meaningful financial reports
as we needed them."

ECR Software Corporation graciously donated the use of Catapult point-of-sale software for the wine store through your local vendor. I marvel how well the Catapult system worked, bar code readers and all. With a team of volunteer cashiers who received only a few minutes of advanced training, we were able to keep up with the rush using only two tills. With Catapult, the wine store operated more efficiently and professionally than ever before. The system processed the store's inventory seamlessly. Catapult also made it very easy to generate meaningful financial reports as we needed them.

Thank you for supporting Montana State University-Billings Foundation's Wine and Food Festival!

Sincerely,
Jon Egeland
Director of Operations
Montana State University

A Brief History of the Festival

In 1992, the MSU-Billings Foundation, in an effort to increase campus visibility, provide scholarship dollars to students, and engage community volunteers with the Foundation and campus, formed an Ad Hoc Committee to explore a special event. Because one of the foundation's original members had a particular knowledge and love for wine, a wine festival seemed to be the way to go. After research on different festivals across the country and visiting a few, the MSU-Billings Foundation Board approved the idea and provided start-up funds.

Since 1993, the MSU-Billings Foundation Wine & Food Festival has raised progressively more funds each year which are used to enhance the quality of instruction, strengthen research efforts, and provide community outreach to the constituent groups served by Montana State University.