Create the perfect event RFP in 7 easy steps

Planners and suppliers are getting along better, according to the Northstar/Cvent Meetings Industry PULSE Survey. The relationship is recovering from high levels of dissatisfaction in 2023 — particularly with hotel negotiations, service levels and other factors. Angst often stems from a lack of clarity on what the group needs and what the property can deliver. Starting with a well-executed request for proposal (RFP) is an essential foundation for success.

Here are the 7 key steps to consider:

1. Display the details

When designing your RFP, provide recipients with a comprehensive overview of your organisation as a whole and the specific meeting/event you are asking them to bid on. The goal here is to have the hotel or venue understand your needs and why you have chosen to include them in the selection process. The more in-depth and accurate the RFP, the more precise the return proposals should be. While all the event details might not be in place at this stage, share as much relevant information as you can.

Be sure to disclose the history (value) of the event up front, says Angela Cox, vice president of events for Northstar Meetings Group. “In the tighter market we are in now, suppliers do the math on every event they are bidding on. Having proven history of room blocks, F&B spend and ancillary spend helps make your case for the event’s consideration.”

2. Define the purpose

Include the big picture: Is this a one-off event or are you looking to hold this meeting annually in the same destination? If not, might the venue be selected to host other events in the organisation’s roster if all goes well? The possibility of future business makes your RFP much more attractive.

Include the objectives of your event. One approach is to answer this question: What are the top five things your organisation hopes to accomplish from this event, and how can the venue help you achieve those goals?

3. Create a complete event profile

Here’s where the meat of the RFP comes to life. Use this checklist as a guide to outlining your needs and expectations, including the process and timeline for decision-making. Include only the elements and questions that are relevant to your event.

RFP submission guidelines

• Deadline for receiving proposals
• Where and how proposals should be returned
• Date by which a decision will be made
• Daily Schedule
• Dates and times for all elements of the event
• Setup time/days required
• Breakdown time/days required
• Times you will need access to the space(s) on the day of the event

Define the event

• Type of event (conference, training, gala, luncheon, etc.)
  Event’s format
• Objective(s) and key topic(s)
• Previous history for the event and other background information, if applicable
• Preferred layouts for each meeting room or event space
• Event website and social media handles, if applicable

Audience overview

• Number of participants expected (estimated minimum and maximum)
• Demographics of the target audience
• Anticipated number/type of special needs to be accommodated

Meeting room details

• Largest meeting space required
• Amount of exhibit space needed
• Number and size of breakout rooms needed
• Amount of prefunction space for registration or other uses
• Area(s) where refreshments can be served
• Distances between meeting rooms
• Speaker green room availability/location, if applicable
• Requirements for a staff office

Food-and-beverage specifics

• Approximate catering budget/expected costs
• Number of meals provided per day
• Number and time of refreshment breaks
• Type of refreshments preferred
• Anticipated food allergies and requirements (note if you will be surveying attendees in advance to prepare the catering department better)

Technology needs

• Audio­visual setup and equipment required for each room
• Internet bandwidth required
• Network security requirements, if any
• Technology to be incorporated into the programme (such as audience-response systems, social walls)
• Additional requirements for speakers
• A/V staffing needs

Accommodation

• Total number of anticipated rooms and room nights
• Number and size of staff and speaker rooms needed

4. Disclose budgeting

There’s no reason to withhold information about your event budget; that only wastes time when costs exceed your limits. Be very specific about budgeting guidelines and bottom lines in the RFP. Determine and include price lists for resort fees, parking (including valet services), internet/utility fees, F&B, union labour fees and so on.

Provide an acceptable range for guestroom rates, and note whether reservations will be handled by your organisation or a housing bureau, or if they’ll be made directly with the hotel. Provide your overall F&B budget or range, and ask that responses include taxes, service charges and gratuities.

5. Consider sustainability

No matter where your organisation is in its sustainability journey, efforts to green your meetings can be facilitated by choosing hotels and venues that share these values.

Julia Spangler, owner of Ecosystem Events, notes, “Sustainability (and accessibility) should be reflected in the event details and purpose that the planner presents at the beginning of the RFP. Clearly stating your values and goals in these areas will provide valuable guidance to the respondents.”

She suggests starting with these basic sustainability questions for venues and other suppliers.

Sustainability questions

• How does your company mitigate the environmental impact of its services (such as greenhouse-gas emissions; waste, water and energy use; or other areas related to your services)?
• Does your company hold any sustainability certifications? If yes, please provide details.
• Do any members of your staff hold sustainability credentials or certifications? If yes, please provide details about the credential and the role this staff member will play in servicing the event.
• Are any of your company’s sustainability offerings “upon request” only? If yes, describe any additional fees related to these offerings, if applicable.

Venue sustainability

The following questions address what the facility can offer, as suggested by Nancy Zavada, CMP Fellow, founder and president of MeetGreen, one of the earliest players in event sustainability initiatives.

• Does the facility have a sustainability policy?
• Does the venue have 100 percent energy-efficient lighting and HVAC in the public areas, meeting rooms and exhibit halls?
• What percentage of post-consumer content is in the paper towels, the toilet paper and the office paper?
• Is a recycling programme in place? If so, what items can be recycled (cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, etc.)?
• Are drinking fountains or dispensers available as an alternative to individual plastic water bottles?
• Is reusable serviceware available for all meals?
• Will leftover food be donated to a local food bank? If no, is the facility open to having this option set up?
• Is electronic signage available for client use?

6. Plan for accessibility

Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility.net and its foundation, TravelAbility.org, currently is working with Destinations International to develop content that will help meeting planners open up their events to attendees who have disabilities. To begin with, he says, be prepared to inform potential hotels what your attendees will need. Your registration form should ask participants if they use wheelchairs or scooters; are blind or have low vision; are deaf or hard of hearing; are neurodivergent or have Autism Spectrum Disorder; and/or have food allergies or other requirements.

Accessibility questions

Steinman suggests putting the following questions in your RFP to determine whether the property effectively can accommodate attendees with a range of disabilities.

• Do you have wheelchair ramps for speakers or others to access the stage?
• Do you have photographs and descriptions of accessible guest rooms? How many ADA rooms does the hotel have with roll-in showers?
• In what ways is your facility ADA compliant?
• Is ADA information available on the property’s website?
• Where is handicap parking in relation to the entrance?
• Is there space that would work well as a “quiet” room, convenient to session areas, for neurodiverse attendees?
• Do you have an experienced staff member who can be responsible for assisting people with disabilities?

7. Be available to answer questions

As venues prepare responses to your RFP, they will likely have questions. Be sure to include your name, company name, mailing address, email address and phone number in the request. Disclose your preferred method of contact, and include a back-up contact in case you are unavailable.

Be sure to acknowledge receipt of thorough timely replies, and honour the decision timeline you have set. As a professional courtesy, contact the venues that were not selected and explain why.

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Source: Northstar Meetings Group