Writing an AV RFP for a Phoenix Corporate Conference

Start with the program format: general sessions, breakouts, panels, audience questions and any remote participation. State anticipated attendance by room, clearly labeling estimates. Explain what attendees need to hear and see, what presenters will do and whether sessions overlap. Include a draft agenda with its revision status.

Use short functional statements. For a hypothetical leadership conference, a requirement could say that a remote presenter must hear the moderator and audience questions while sharing presentation content. This is more useful than requesting an unspecified hybrid package. Ask respondents to explain their proposed approach and identify dependencies.

Describe the expected materials: slides, embedded video, panel introductions and any content intended for both the room and remote participants. Explain whether presenters bring their own devices or submit files for a managed playback workflow. If that decision is pending, request clearly labeled alternatives rather than letting each respondent assume a different process.

State who will collect files, approve content and communicate revisions. Ask respondents what preparation and rehearsal information they need. Do not invent submission deadlines before confirming the production schedule; instead, require a proposed content workflow with decision points for planner approval.

Include venue-provided room plans and confirmed access information, identifying their source and version. Keep unknowns in a separate question log. Ask the venue about approved connection points, available connectivity, loading access, room turnover and any requirements affecting outside production teams. Do not describe an unconfirmed feature as available.

Electrical capacity, structural loads, staging conditions and rigging cannot be settled through planner assumptions. Require qualified professional review and venue approval where applicable. The RFP should ask respondents to flag necessary reviews and information gaps, not to promise feasibility from an incomplete room diagram.

Require a narrative approach, a room-by-room scope, proposed operator coverage, a responsibility table and a separate list of exclusions. Ask respondents to identify which requirements they meet, which need clarification and which depend on venue confirmation. Exact configurations should be developed through the quote process.

Keep required responses separate from optional alternatives. Otherwise, a creative variation can obscure whether the basic conference need is covered. Invite alternatives only when respondents explain the operational tradeoff, such as a different presenter workflow or a revised rehearsal sequence.

Tell respondents how the planning team will evaluate operational fit, response completeness, staffing logic and clarity of handoff. Use criteria tied to the conference rather than vague requests for an impressive proposal. Ask for evidence within the response, such as an explanation of concurrent-session coverage.

Designate one contact for questions and maintain a shared clarification record. When an answer changes the scope, distribute the update consistently. Before issuing the RFP, have the program owner and venue contact review their respective information so respondents are not asked to reconcile contradictory instructions.