Event Planning - week 5

1. Event proposals and bidding
Event Planning | Week 5

2. Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, you will be able to:
 Describe the bidding process
 Explain the difference between a Request for Information and
Request for Proposal
 Prepare a client file

3. What is a
proposal?
• To get a client to respond to ideas
• A way to present your creative concept
• Opportunity to demonstrate your credibility
• Win business (over a competitor)

4. Types of
response
1. Response to an individual brief
This is where you are already known
to the client and so you can eliminate some
information such as your bio and portfolio,
testimonials, pictures of previous events, client list.
2. Request for Proposal (RFP)
Sent by a client who is seeking the
services of an event organiser to produce the event.
This would be a competitive bid.
Or…
3. Request for Information (RFI)
A client asking for information about
the company in readiness for selecting event
organisers who will receive the brief.

5. The Process of
Bidding for an
Event
Adapted from Bowdin G. Allen J.
O’Toole W. Harris R. and McDonnell
I., (2011) Events Management, 3rd
edn, London: Butterworth-Heinemann.
p.190
 Receive the enquiry
 Decide on intent to bid for the event
 Event feasibility – decision to proceed or cease
 Form a team to prepare and submit bid document
(proposal)
 Acceptance from client, or rejection by client
 If accepted, contracts are signed here
 Begin strategic planning, or analyse why rejected

6. Writing the Proposal
 Cover page
 Contents list
 Introduction
 Interpretation of the brief
 Background or company
background – and team member
biographies
 Terms & conditions
 Theme and décor
 Food & Beverage requirements –
menus
 Details of proposed venues
 Timeline
 Event schedule
 Transport for guests
 Health and safety considerations
 Full costing or package price

7. Detailed descriptions
Visuals
Pictures
Websites/weblinks
Creative ideas
Describe the theme/mood

8. Budget
 May only be estimated costs, but must make this clear
 Should show potential additional costs or overspend
 Should allow for variations in numbers attending the event (show the highest
potential number of guests and the upper limit of costs)
 Rather than list a sum amount, the budget can be shown as a ‘shopping list’
 So that the client can choose which elements to include
 This will help with meeting the budget
 Also allows the client to make decisions based on cost
 May entice the client to up their budget if they like all elements

9. Creativity
Professionalism
Experience
Time in the industry
Appropriateness of experience – specialist events or diverse events
Credibility – references, awards, certifications

10.  Mail or courier
 Email
 Live presentation
 On time – must not miss promised deadlines; must not disappoint on
expectations
 Keep uniform text and font style
 Spell check and proof read
 Follow up with phone calls or emails

11. Contracts
Reason for a Contract
 Write down everything that is planned to
do  Deliverables
 Outlines what is agreed and promised
between key parties
 For products and services
 Between event manager and client
 Between event manager and suppliers
 Provides legal safety net and peace of
mind
Key points to note:
 Each side must have the capacity to enter
the contract. Not under age; not under
influence of drink or drugs (mentally
incompetent)
 Mutual exchange. If one side is to be held
to the contract, there must be something
given in exchange (usually money)
 Mutual agreement. Both sides must be
clear about details, rights and obligations
 Four components: Parties, offer,
consideration, acceptance (Goldblatt,
2014)
Source: Goldblatt, J. (2014). Special Events, 7th edn, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons

12.  Terms and Conditions (T’s & C’s)
 Contact information – of both sides
 Event details
 Financial details (costs, fees, compensation, VAT, and payment terms)
 Rider information (an attachment to original contract)
 Clauses

13. What is included in a contract?
Event details include:
 Venue details
 Services provided
 Additional services
 Access times and over-running
 Compliance with relevant regulations
and standards
Clauses include:
 Cancellation schedule
 Termination of contract
 Force majeure (removes liability for
unavoidable situations, such as weather,
acts of God, strikes, natural disasters)
 Limited liability and insurance
 Payment terms and schedule (including
attrition clauses)

14.  Standardised format
 All details are negotiable until signed by both parties
 Negotiate what you can deliver, or walk away
 Deadline for sign and return
 Changes must be authorised and signed as an amendment, or a revised
contract should be issued
 Signatures should be dated
 An unsigned contract may still be defended in court, as may verbal agreements

15.  When one side fails to stick to their part of the agreement or promise
 When one side makes it impossible for the other side to perform their duties
 When one side refuses to perform their duties
 When one side does something against the good intent of the contract

16.  Communication – Stick to the letter of the contract
 Negotiation – consider alternative solutions to the problem
 Mediation – third party neutral mediator but not decider of solution
 Conciliation – also third party mediator, but with authority to decide best solution
 Arbitration – appointment of a third party or panel to listen to both sides and
make a decision without either side being involved in the decision
 Small claims court
 Litigation – expert legal advice; extremely expensive

17.  Once we reach the contract stage, we need to open a Client File
 Provides an important ‘paper trail’ and can be an important on-site reference
 The client file is important to help manage the lead-in, because of having to
juggle the ongoing range of components of an event, such as:
 budget, orders, contact reports, schedule, riders, venue information, supplier contracts
 You could be working on a number of events at one time – each with all these
components to manage
 Even now, can often still be a physical file, as usually referred to offline
 Should contain a record of all agreements, decisions and conversations

18. Content of the
Client File
 Client
 Enquiry form
 Briefing document
 Proposal
 Client contract
 Contact reports
 Administration
 Event checklist
 Administration checklist
 Event schedule (running
order)
 Budget
 Suppliers
 Contracts
 Orders
 Theme
 Decoration
 Flowers
 Branding
 Venue
 Hire contract
 Venue site meeting
reports
 Caterer
 Menus
 Technical
 Production details
 Debrief reports
 Final report

19. Any questions?