Bundaberg Regional Council
Modernising venue bookings across a large, diverse facilities portfolio
Customer Profile
Bundaberg Regional Council replaced legacy calendars and a misfit booking system with a single, purpose-built solution – giving staff visibility, customers self-service, and the organisation confidence to scale without adding headcount.
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Why Watch This Case Study
A candid, operational perspective from the people running bookings day to day.
This session is particularly valuable if your organisation:
- Is managing bookings across a large and varied facilities portfolio
- Has lived through “software that promised everything but delivered little”
- Needs online self-service without losing flexibility for different hire types
- Is under pressure to reduce manual effort while demand continues to grow
This is a practical story about getting back time, transparency and control.
Council's Challenge
Bundaberg’s booking journey will feel familiar to many organisations.
Their starting point included:
- An Outlook calendar as the original booking system
- A later move to software designed for commercial appointments
- Limited visibility of availability for customers
- Heavy reliance on phone calls, emails and physical booking forms
- Increasing staff effort as booking volumes grew
Despite promises of efficiency, earlier systems actually increased workload – growing from 1.5 FTE to 2 FTE just to keep up.
Bundaberg entered the market with a clear position: they would only switch systems if they found the right one.
The Approach
After a full market review and tender process in 2021, Attekus Bookable emerged as the clear choice.
Key elements of Bundaberg’s implementation:
- Attekus Bookable selected as the only solution that met all requirements
- Implementation from October 2021 to May 2022
- A deliberately small project team, with strong operational ownership
- A focus on simplicity so the system could be confidently handed over to staff
Bundaberg also prioritised online availability and payments, responding directly to customer frustration about not being able to see or manage bookings independently.
Tangible Outcomes
Bundaberg shared clear, measurable improvements.
Operational efficiency:
- Staffing reduced from 2 FTE back to 1.5 FTE, with a move to 1 FTE
- Around 500 bookings per month processed efficiently
- No need for custom reports – all finance and operational reporting handled natively
- Bundaberg also highlighted a full integration with Civica Altitude, removing duplication between systems.
Scale and coverage
- 186 bookable spaces across the region
- Facilities include showgrounds, community and neighbourhood centres, halls, parks, gardens, tennis courts, internal meeting rooms and training rooms
- 67 internal staff users and 721 external users actively using the system
Customer experience:
- Customers can view real-time availability online
- Heavy uptake of online payments
- Self-service customer portal allows groups to:
- Maintain insurance documents
- Update committee members
- Manage their own details without staff intervention
Challenges & Learnings
Bundaberg was open about what required attention post-go-live.
Key learnings included:
- Continuous improvement matters – not just the initial implementation
- Some hirers needed support understanding new invoice formats
- Early and active involvement of finance teams is critical
- Communities adapt faster than expected when change is communicated early
- Training regular hirers (particularly older groups) pays dividends
Their advice to other organisations:
Start talking early. Train generously. And keep improving together.
What’s Next
Bundaberg continues to expand and optimise its use of Attekus Bookable, with confidence that the solution can adapt as their facilities portfolio and community needs evolve.
They are also open to sharing their experience directly with peers — helping other councils
Learn from organisations who’ve already done the hard work.
See how others are simplifying bookings without sacrificing flexibility.
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