REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) Template
Updated: Sep 9
Request for Proposal (RFP Template – an absolute must-have meeting planning tool!
Wait! What? Another meeting template for your meeting planning toolbox?
In a word: YES!
A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) template is an absolute must-have meeting planning tool.
Why, you ask? Let me explain.
A key component of the meeting planning process is site search and selection. Once you’ve done your research and narrowed down your site selection to a preferred few destinations/venues, it’s time to formally submit a request for space to your preferred venues of choice. This is done through a REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) template.
What exactly is an REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) template?
In general terms an RFP is a formal, structured document used by organizations to make known a project or service need and invite vendors to submit detailed proposals for such.
In meeting planning terms, the purpose of an RFP is to provide an overview of the full scope of your meeting and the space required, concessions and expectations. An RFP template is an interchangeable document created for each proposal with informational categories that need to be addressed including at minimum the following.
Company background
Program history
Preferred arrival/departure pattern and dates
Estimated number and types of guest rooms
Outline of meeting and meal specs (general session + breakouts + audio-visual/staging + meals + office space + storage space per day) move-in/move-out timing; specific challenges or barriers, 24-hour hold requirements or NOT)
Concessions (be realistic)
Contact Information
Providing an accurate outline of your meeting needs at this stage of the planning process is imperative. The more specific you are, the better able a venue will be able to determine if your meeting is a good fit for them. The last thing you want is to go to contract, find you need more meeting space or guest rooms than anticipated, and learn the venue can no longer accommodate your group.
(My Overall Meeting Action Plan template is another important tool to include in your meeting planning toolbox. It will help you and your team sort out all the key meeting elements like goals and objectives; intended audience; anticipated numbers and more.)
And, just as YOU do your due diligence in checking references on the venues/vendors you’re looking at, vendors, too, do reference checks on you, your organization and the history of your programs – so details matter.
If this is a first-time program and you’re trying to gauge attendance, this may prove a little challenging; but if it’s a repeat program, being honest and upfront about your program’s history is essential. Your credibility is at play here.
How do you get a complimentary copy of my REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL template?
To request a complimentary copy of the REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) template today and be added to my mailing list, and/or learn more about me, my book and The Meeting Planning Process, visit my website at https://wwwmaryjowiseman.net.
You’ll find other helpful templates in my book, The Meeting Planning Process: A Guide to Planning Successful Meetings including a Meeting Timeline; an Overall Meeting Action Plan and Basic Room Diagrams and their uses.
Plan well. Be well. Stay safe. Never stop learning.
Mary Jo Wiseman, CMP | Author, The Meeting Planning Process: A Guide to Planning Successful Meetings
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