Before filling out your RFP to hotels and venues that will not meet your requirements, do your homework to save time for both you and the potential venue partner. Remember, while it may not take much effort to send out an eRFP, it does take a lot of time for the hotel to respond and for you to review them. This extra step is necessary in the venue vetting process and is guaranteed to pay off.
Look at Meeting Objections & Requirements
While the items listed below may sound like they belong on an RFP, they are high-level considerations you must nail down before submitting an RFP. This information can be used in the proposal or may just help you drill down to the next level.
Goals
What are the goals and objectives of your meeting? Once you can convey them in a clear, concise manner, many venues will become obvious choices.
Style
What is the style of the meeting? Is it a networking function for employees, educational session of like-minded professionals or a large annual association convention? Also, does the venue reflect the image of the organisation? Is it a place your company, its stakeholders and sponsors would be proud to enter? On the other hand, is it too opulent for your guests? This takes time to assess and requires planners like you to walk a fine line. The venue should not be “too” of anything. Too cheap or too expensive are not words you wish to hear from attendees.
Meeting Space, AV and Food
- What is your total meeting space requirement? Would a convention centre, conference centre or hotel work best for your group? How many breakout rooms do you need, and will you want to use outside function space?
- What type of audio visual equipment will you need, including risers and podiums? Is technical support available on site?
- Are there ways to brand your event through the hotel’s marquee or digital signage?
- Is Wi-Fi prevalent throughout the facility, including outdoor space? Is it free or fee-based?
- What about charging stations? Are they available throughout the space and do they support many types of mobile devices?
- Look at food and beverage – overall, what is the cuisine? Can you bring in outside caterers, if desired?
Break Down the Budget
If you are like most meeting professionals, you collect convention and conference surveys from attendees at the end of each meeting to garner feedback about what worked and what did not. Now is the time to pull up those results and really learn from them. In addition, if this is an annual event, take a hard look at your three-year history. Analyse meeting spend in the areas of space, audio-visual, presenters, food and beverage, and any other line items of significance. Lastly, map these results against your goals. How do they line up? Should you be doing things consistently or do attendees want a fresh take?
Look and Ask for Help
There is an abundance of free resources available as you look for venue guidance to help make meaningful and successful decisions. For a particular destination, start by looking for its Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). CVBs can aid you in three major areas:
- Gather information and connect with hotels that meet your search criteria
- Set realistic expectations for the destination and
- Educate you about local demand factors, such as peak times, special conventions and construction projects scheduled for the time of your event
The Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) blog details perspectives, insights, and advice for meeting professionals about locations and venues.
The Convention Industry Council offers the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) that promotes development and implementation of industry-wide accepted practices to create and enhance efficiency throughout the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. There are many free templates available to evaluate venues and destinations full of great questions.
If you are a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), you can search under the community directory and connect directly with other planners, suppliers and university faculty in the city you are looking to explore. As a fellow member, you can ask for advice about the best venues and from experienced professionals.
The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) has a collection of models and samples used by real associations and industry partners designed to generate ideas and save you time when planning your meeting.
Cvent has two offerings to help planners narrow down their choices
- Cvent Supplier Network offers live chat capabilities with a Cvent consultant and serves as a way for more than 70,000+ planners to find venues from a pool of 268,000+ listed hotels and venues, send RFPs and collect proposals, all through a single platform.
- EliteMeetings.com is a free tool for planners looking at luxury destinations. It gives you an opportunity to view 44,000 properties via an exclusive portal. Every member has direct access to a personal assistant who can help with information about a particular destination and find the perfect hotel for a specific event.
