Archive of E-Zine Articles

Understanding the RFP Process, Part II

Volume 1, Article IV, December 5, 2005

Part I – Article Summary
> Approaching the RFP – getting the most from previous show experience.
> Hold project review meetings, solicit staff input and document their comments.
> Make notes as to current successes and failures and future wants and needs.

Part II - We have chosen to write about the RFP in three parts as we feel it is a critical part of the exhibiting process that as we alluded to last week is often not addressed with the attention that it deserves. Keep in mind that as you specify and purchase an exhibit, what you are really helping your designer and builder to create is a portable corporate headquarters. In fact, in most cases your exhibit will be seen and experienced by many more of your customers and prospects than the permanent structure that bears the name Corporate HQ.

With these thoughts in mind we will look at four subjects this week:

1) Integrate your corporate identity into your design. While you do not have to actually complete this integration yourself, you will have to specify what aspects of the corporate identity package you want included in the exhibit. Usually, your logo, product brand names and company colors will be a part of this specification. However, in addition to these easy to convey company characteristics, you may also have certain aspects of your company culture that you want to convey to your customers and prospects. Everything from the materials that are used to finish your trade show exhibit, to the floor covering and furniture can be used to convey what your company represents and the products that it sells. If there are certain examples of your culture such as objects in the building where you meet with your future exhibit designers mention these and show them during the design meetings. Also, mention these objects in your written RFP with pictures if possible. As they say, a picture will convey a 1000 words for many of these objects. In addition, by integrating the look and feel of your permanent HQ into the exhibit, there will be less of a stretch from the portable HQ to the permanent HQ, so your corporate identity should be communicated more clearly and consistently to all that purchase from you.

2) Integrate ergonomics into your design. It is very important that you address the level of comfort that you want to provide in your exhibit to your designers. On the simplest level, you and your co-workers will spend a huge amount of time within your exhibit space. In order to get their all, they will have to be at ease, comfortable and rested enough that they can function at a level above their average day. This is because, in many cases they will be face to face with customers for 8 hours a day, a much more intense schedule than a typical salespersons norm. You should also provide for the comfort of your prospects and customers. Your space should be designed so that customers are comfortable while they attend your meetings and presentations. Sales tools and presentation materials should be close at hand and easily accessible. In many cases, this will be the best place for a customer to actually “feel” your product before they make the decision to purchase.

3) Integrate functionality into your design. Your exhibit must also provide for all of the behind the scenes aspects that are important for your success. Immediately, lighting, exhibit weight and areas for storage come to mind. The lighting design will improve your exhibit ergonomics and greatly affect your costs of exhibiting. Your exhibits weight will greatly affect your costs of exhibiting as material (freight) handling costs are often your 2nd or 3rd highest specific exhibit and show costs. While you are not going to control the weight of your exhibit, you should specify that you want this weight taken into account and examined as the design is created. As for storage, it seems that so often the exhibitor does not give careful consideration to the storage space that they require within the exhibit. We think a safe rule for specifying the storage requirement would be to take whatever storage that you think is required and double it. If you don’t need that space now, you will quickly come up with ways to utilize it later. There will be many other aspects of functionality to consider including booth modularity (its ability to flex down or up in size, change shape and configuration), and how your product is displayed and presented. Make sure that you give thought to each of these aspects and any others that have appeared in your show review notes (see Part I of this article).

4) Anticipate and allow for the future. It will take additional thought and planning to integrate future needs into your RFP now, but on the long run will help greatly to reduce your exhibitor costs, increase your exhibit functionality, and save you time as an exhibit manager. Specify an exhibit that allows for company growth, flexibility regarding the floor-plan, and changes to your product line and consequent market focus. Take into account how the graphics are integrated into the space, which graphics are easily changeable, and which are not. Most importantly, make sure that whatever you integrate into your RFP planning is clearly documented on the RFP itself and communicated clearly to the exhibit designers involved.

Coming Attractions! In our next edition, which you will receive in two weeks, we will continue to discuss the RFP process. This is the foundation of an exhibit purchase. If approached poorly it is you and your staff that must live with the lacking end-product, frustration and ensuing complaints!