An informal treaty for the meetings industry is being drawn up to help make the conference bidding process smoother for associations, destinations and venues alike.
The AC Forum-ICCA RFP Charter was given a soft launch at the ICCA Congress, in Panama, this week with delegates invited to give feedback into making its objectives practicable.
The process whereby associations invite bids for their events by sending out requests for proposal (RFPs) is a notoriously vexed one, which can result in frustration on all sides.
To help ease the process the charter focuses on five key pillars:
- Broader Strategic Objectives
- Transparency
- Process & Timelines
- Post-bid Engagement
- Partnerships
The aims include taking the guess work out of the process, preventing destinations from bidding for unsuitable events, and ensuring that associations give feedback to rejected bids.
The Broader Strategic Objectives pillar, for example, calls on associations to make clear the event’s objectives, beyond mere logistics and cost. It is a chance for associations to spell out exactly what they want to achieve, including long-term legacy, and the kind of help they would expect from a destination or venue in bringing these objectives to fruition.
The Charter's five pillars Photo Credit: Northstar/James LancasterThe charter evolved from working groups between ICCA and AC Forum members, which built on the idea of RFIs – or requests for interest – a ‘pre-bid filter phase’ designed to create robust destination or venue shortlists based on a set of non-negotiable criteria set by the client.
Both ICCA and AC Forum – a Vienna-based association of around 50 associations aimed at peer-to-peer learning – will now collect signatories to the charter ahead of an official launch.
Dermot Ryan, head of association engagement at ICCA, said: “This is an evergreen topic. I don’t think there’s anybody in this industry who doesn’t want more efficient, effective, less time-intensive RFPS, whether you’re an ICCA member or an association.”
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.
