Finding the Right Venue Using an RFP - Part 1 of the Statewide and Regional Meeting Series

Planning for a statewide or regional meeting should start well in advance of the event. The Northeast Wisconsin Chapter began planning for the 2019 Wisconsin Statewide Conference in 2017 by first securing a venue for our event. In the first part of our six-part Chapter Leaders Blog series on effectively planning statewide and regional meetings, we’ll outline how to find the right venue for your chapter’s event with the help of a well though-out Request for Proposal (RFP).

Starting An RFP
We had a number of potential locations to choose from, because our chapter covers a large geographical area. We started narrowing down our possibilities by first submitting our RFP to approximately 15 potential sites for the conference.

The RFP should include:

• The Association Name (Northeast Wisconsin American Payroll Association)
• Intended Event (2019 Annual Wisconsin Statewide Payroll Conference)
• Intended Date (September 19-20, 2019)
• Planned Attendance (200 attendees)
• Coordinator Contact Information (Email and phone number)
• And Response Deadline (July 15, 2017)

An RFP can narrow down a large number of possible venues to only those which meet all the requirements of your event.  For example, our event required a large room to hold 200 people and three smaller rooms to hold 100, 50, and 50 each.

Important Questions to Include in the RFP
Questions on your RFP should be customized and relevant to your event’s needs. Helpful examples of questions to ask a potential venue are:

• Do you have four rooms available for the conference with the following capacities?
  • Room 1 – capacity for 200 attendees
  • Room 2 – capacity for 100 attendees
  • Room 3 – capacity for 50 attendees
  • Room 4 – capacity for 50 attendees
• What would be the fee of the room rentals for two days?
• What are the Audio/Visual options for each room?
• What is the fee for rental of the following A/V items?
  • Screen
  • Projector
  • Power cords
• Do you have a conference meeting area we could use to check in attendees?
• Do you serve food at your facility?
• What is the average cost of:
  • Dinner?
  • Lunch?
  • Breakfast?
• If you do not serve food, who do you typically use for food service?

Lodging Options for Attendees

The final purpose of the RFP is to find lodging for out-of-town guests. Ask if lodging is available nearby if lodging is not on-site at the location. If a number of attendees are likely to bring family or friends, ask about local attractions. Example RFP questions include:

• Do you have lodging available on site?
• What would be the fee of a room in conjunction with the conference? Which nights could we get the discounted rate?
• Do you offer any discounts to local hotels or area attractions?

After the responses are received, discuss with your conference board to decide which location will best fit your budget and event needs. Best of luck with planning!

This article is the first of a six-part series on effectively planning statewide and regional meetings, authored by Statewide Coordinator and Past President of the Northeast Wisconsin Chapter, Stephanie Ernsting, CPP. Subscribe to the blog for weekly updates!