The RFP (Request for Proposal) process has become the bête noire of the meetings industry, with all parties bemoaning a lack of transparency and wasted time and effort.
Now a white
paper from the World PCO Alliance is
calling for a fundamental rethink of how international association meetings are
sourced, arguing that introducing an early stage ‘Request for Information’ (RFI)
phase could dramatically improve the process.
The report, developed following discussions at last year’s ICCA
Congress, argues that the Request for Proposal (RFP) has become burdensome
for both associations and destinations.
In its current form, destinations often commit extensive
time and resources to bids, only to discover late in the process that they are
misaligned on key requirements or priorities.
The proposed RFI phase aims to address this by acting as a
preliminary filter.
Rather than requiring detailed proposals upfront,
associations would first issue a concise document outlining their core
requirements, “dealbreakers,” and high-level expectations.
Destinations would respond in kind, focusing only on
feasibility, capacity, and alignment.
This earlier checkpoint allows both sides to assess whether
a full bid is worthwhile before committing significant resources. As the paper
notes, this “reduces unnecessary workload, improves clarity for all parties,
and increases the overall quality and relevance of final proposals.” It also
lowers barriers to entry for smaller or emerging destinations, which may
otherwise be deterred by the cost and complexity of preparing full RFP
submissions.
The RFI phase is not designed to replace the RFP, but to
refine it. By shortlisting only viable and aligned candidates, associations can
ensure that subsequent proposals are more targeted, while destinations can
invest their efforts with greater confidence in the likelihood of success.
However, the white paper argues that improving efficiency is
only part of the challenge. It also raises concerns about the continued
reliance on RFP models that were designed more than two decades ago and no
longer reflect the realities or priorities of today’s events landscape.
“The RFP models currently used across the international
association sector were largely designed more than two decades ago, before the
urgency of climate change, before sustainability and ESG reporting became
standard practice,” the report states. Despite growing industry focus on
environmental and social impact, many RFPs still treat these considerations
inconsistently or superficially.
In practice, sustainability, inclusion, and legacy are often
referenced but not clearly defined or weighted, leaving destinations to
interpret what truly matters. This lack of clarity can lead to waster effort,
with bidders over-investing in areas that may be rhetorically important but
operationally secondary.
More fundamentally, the paper argues that traditional RFPs
remain overly transactional—focused on logistics, cost, and
infrastructure—rather than fostering genuine, mission-driven partnerships
between associations and destinations.
“We heard loud and clear in Porto: To stay relevant,
responsible, and resilient, and for the best outcomes, RFP processes must
evolve from procurement tools into strategic frameworks for mission-aligned,
impact-driven partnerships.”
This shift would see destinations not simply as hosts, but
as collaborators in delivering broader social, cultural, and environmental
outcomes. It also calls for earlier engagement, shared understanding of goals,
and a move toward long-term value creation rather than one-off transactions.
Ultimately, the introduction of an RFI - or alternatively RFQ (Request for Qualifications - phase is positioned
as a practical first step in this wider transformation, streamlining processes
in the short term while paving the way for a more strategic, sustainable, and
partnership-based approach to bidding for international association meetings.
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
