It happens to all of us: you prepare in advance, but sometimes things don’t go according to plan. What if you could take advantage of these critical moments by equipping yourself with all the best tools and avoiding the worst case scenario? That’s exactly what the Desjardins Aquatic Complex of Mascouche did when they partnered with SmartRec™ in 2020 and it paid off.
When the residents of the town of Mascouche, Quebec were not able to sign up for the activities they needed due to an unforeseen event at another organization, the Aquatic Complex was able to come to the rescue as a reliable alternative. What’s more? While the Aquatic Complex was able to support the community by offering the services they needed and having a user-friendly registration process, they also captured over $55k in revenue from the registrations, all in one day!
Located in Quebec in the Greater Montreal Area, the Desjardins Aquatic Complexe of Mascouche (DACM) services not only local residents but caters and provides crucial services to all residents of the surrounding region. The DACM is a new facility which opened in the fall of 2019. In the words of the DACM Director of Operations, Jonathan Perron, “it’s much more than just an aquatic complex.” With two pools that offer a safe environment for lessons, competitive training, camps and free swim, the DACM also has several event rooms ranging in size that are leveraged by the community for blood drives, social gatherings such as birthday parties and more.
Jonathan Perron has been the Director of Operations at the DACM for over 3 years. In fact, he has been in the role since the Aquatics Complex opened! Starting off his career as a lifeguard and swimming instructor, he is a veteran of organized aquatics with over 12 years of experience in the field. For him, the Aquatics Complex isn’t just for swim activities; his goal is to “offer as many activities as possible to the community, and to diversify our programming to really differentiate the Aquatic Complex from surrounding municipalities.”
His passion for community, as well as water safety, came through as he chatted with the Amilia team. He wants the residents to know that the DACM is there for them, and that at the Aquatics Complex “we are here, and we are listening.” For Jonathan, a big part of being there for the community was offering a way for citizens to find and explore the programs they offer. Then once residents found their programs, Jonathan wanted to be sure they had an easy and reliable way to sign up for them. These goals are what led Jonathan to get in touch with the Amilia team and start working with SmartRec.
Jonathan Perron, chef des opérations au CADM
In the Spring of 2022, Jonathan’s efforts to find a partner who would help make his community's online experience amazing, and ultimately selecting SmartRec, paid off – in a big way.
He was browsing Facebook when he saw posts on the local community group that residents were unable to sign up at another organization due to a bug. It was a moment of opportunity for Jonathan to help residents not only to make sure their children had a guaranteed place at a camp over the summer while parents worked, but also discover other organizations in their area where they could easily and reliably sign up. It was a moment that the CADM did not let pass by.
The demand was so high that the Aquatic Complex team was receiving calls from parents – the community had exhausted all the spots available. To welcome as many as possible, Jonathan was able to update capacity limits, double them and then triple them, on the fly via the SmartRec admin app on his phone. The spots opened up and were reflected on the DACM store in real-time for citizens to purchase.
But not only was Jonathan and the DACM able to have the programs, the means to register and even increase spots for parents that evening, but the CADM was also able to capture over 55k in revenue (which averages to about 700 individual program sign ups), in one evening.
Staying true to his roots, Jonathan aims to bring water safety issues forward in his community by teaching young children swimming, educating the public and training lifeguards. If you are curious to find out more, go to https://www.lifesavingsociety.com/ to get informed.
What Jonathan loves most about SmartRec is how rarely he thinks to himself “ahh they should have this feature.” Plus, he knows that if ever there is a case, that the team at Amilia will listen and work to find solutions to support him and his team. That’s another reason the partnership flourishes: the customer success team at Amilia has always been accessible to him, “I always get a fast response.”
With Jonathan leading the way, the future is bright for the parents, kids, seniors and athletes served by the Desjardins Aquatic Complex of Mascouche. With the help of a reliable eCommerce platform for activities, Jonathan can be sure that his organization is ready to grow and capture all opportunities that come his way, while bringing exceptional value to the community he serves.
