With millions of travel and meeting dollars at stake, and procurement principles posted on cubicle partitions, corporate clients are rapidly demanding request for proposals (“RFP”) for travel and meeting services rather than the simpler method of renegotiating current supplier contracts. As advertised through supplier claims, new travel and meeting services brings about new RFP questions and requirements.
After creating a new global RFP for travel and meeting services this week and enhancing it in one long 16-hour day (that felt like two 8-hour days squished together, much like my butt after sitting and typing for that many hours), I’ve added a few virtual meeting support questions to the RFP.
Virtual meetings join thoughts while travel joins hands; integration of both embodies the best results. Yet, without the right support, a virtual meeting feels like you’re in a flock of mute geese stuck in a rectangular, two-dimensional sludge.
In your opinion, what types of probing virtual meeting questions should go into an RFP for travel and/or meeting services? Many of my clients are not asking for IT technical or functionality support, but rather, the virtual meeting end user support.
Below are the questions that I’ve developed thus far for a travel management company, meeting management company or meeting planning company to respond to in a request for proposal. Please share your thoughts or ideas.
NOTE: While this particular RFP does not require the technical or functional considerations, feel free to add those types of questions too. If you would like to respond privately, please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks!
Recommending/Offering Virtual Meetings from the TMC, MMC, or MPC perspective
1. Provide the services and processes that you offer for virtual meetings and events.
2. Describe how your company can encourage use of virtual meetings and events to pre-empt travel or meetings. Provide examples of how you have put this process in place for other clients.
3. List your preferred virtual meeting and event technology suppliers if you are recommending those suppliers be used for this client.
4. Provide information on the process used by agents or the online booking tool to recommend/offer virtual meetings as an alternative to travel.
5. Is there a script for the travel agent or meeting sourcer/planner to use to recommend or offer virtual meetings as a complement or replacement to travel/meetings?
6. Describe the skillsets that are necessary to support virtual meetings*
*Note to my readers…I have created a virtual meeting and event role/task responsibility listing that I will be sharing with you soon; it is an excerpt from a book that I’m writing. If you need it immediately, contact me.
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Debi has the following designations:
· Wharton Aresty Executive Education/National Business Travel Association (NBTA) Global Leadership Professional (GLP)
· Meeting Professionals International Certificate in Meetings Management (CMM)
· Convention Industry Council Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
· NBTA Corporate Travel Expert (CTE)
· Six Sigma Green Belt
· Chauncey Certified Technical Trainer (CTT)