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eventRFP Event Planning

Building Events

Overview: Not surprisingly, most of the functionality in eventRFP is centered around events. Once you create or select an existing event, you can begin "building" your event by adding destinations and Providers. While you can manage multiple events simultaneously, you can only build one event at a time. Think of events like separate shopping carts. You select a single shopping cart, labeled 2012 Marketing Summit, and add as many "eventRFP Products" as you would like -- in this case destinations and Providers. When you would like to "shop" for a different event, you switch to a different shopping cart, labeled 2013 Sales Meeting, and begin adding destinations and Providers. You will soon realize that these are special shopping carts, because each one automatically organizes the destinations and Providers you add into a powerful management sytem, called the Events Dashboard. You may create as many shopping carts as you would like and you may switch between shopping carts whenever you like. OK, enough shopping cart metaphors... let's move on!
Creating Events: To create a new event, open your Events Dashboard by clicking the My Events link in the top menu. Then, click on the New Event button and give your event a name in the popup that appears. Note that your new event will automatically become the active event so you can begin adding destinations and Providers right away.
Switching Events: There are two ways to switch between events. If you are already in the Events Dashboard, you can set a new active event by simply clicking on the event name. If you are not on the Events Dashboard screen, it may be easier to switch active events using the Event Widget in the site header.
Events Widget: The Events Widget provides quick and easy management features for your events. The widget displays the active event you are currently building and the destinations and providers you have added to it. Additionally, it allows you to quickly switch between active events as mentioned before.

Events Dashboard

Overview: The Events Dashboard is at the core of eventRFP and is accessed using the "My Events" link in the top menu. It allows you to manage, track, and view all of your event-related data on a single screen. You will quickly notice that all information in the Events Dashboard is organized by event. Under each event, information is further organized by destination/provider pairs. Each destination/provider pair has a heading that displays the event status, the proposal status, and message notifications. In the screenshot below, the user has hovered their mouse cursor over the Los Angeles / ABC Destination row to see the action buttons, which allow you to send messages or make private comments.

Timeline Preview: Within the Events Dashboard, you can also view the Timeline Preview for any destination/provider pair. The Timeline provides a chronological view of all activity related to a destination/provider pair for a given event. This includes messages, private comments, status updates, RFPs, proposals, and contracts. To open the Timeline Preview for a destionation/provider pair, click the expand button on the far left of the row. To see the detailed standalone Timeline, click any one of the "View..." links in the Timeline Preview.

Event Timeline

Overview: The Event Timeline shows a detailed chronological display of all activity related to a single provider for a specific event. Any comments or messages that you send to or receive from the Provider will appear in the Timeline, marked with the logo shown in the screenshot below. Similarly, any time the event status changes, an entry will automatically be made in the Timeline, marked with the logo shown in the screenshot.

Example: For instance, if the Provider sends you a proposal, an entry is automatically made for the status change: "Proposal Delivered". Within that entry, you will see the attached proposal and any notes from the Provider. When you view the proposal, another entry is automatically created: "Proposal Viewed". The entire RFP Process is captured in the Timeline, from RFP Sent to Proposal Received to Contract Finalized.

Tip: To quickly make a private comment (useful for personal notes) or send a message to the Provider, use the buttons in the top right.

The RFP Process

1. Build Your Event

Find Destinations: You can find destinations using the search box or browsing the Destinations menu.
Choose Providers: Once you have decided on one or more destinations, choose one or more Providers to add to your active event.

2. Send RFPs and Receive Proposals

Send RFPs: When ready, send your RFP to multiple Providers with a single click. You do not need to send your RFP to all Providers at one time. For example, you may send your RFP to three Providers on Wednesday, then add another provider to your event on Thursday and send the RFP to the newly added Provider. Note that you only have a single version of an RFP for any given event, however you can make changes to the single version of your RFP as needed.
Receive Proposals: You will be notified via email when a Provider sends you a proposal. eventRFP also provides visual cues when you receive a proposal. You may receive several varying proposals from a single Provider as you critique the details and activities for an event.

3. Correspond with Providers to Choose a Single Provider

Exchange Messages: As you build events, use eventRFP's messaging feature to correspond with Providers and send files (as attachments). All correspondence is tracked in your Timeline which provides a chronological view of all activity (messages, comments, RFPs, proposals, contracts, etc.) for a single event.
Award Business: Eventually you will choose a single Provider to handle your event. Send the Provider a message to inform them that they have won your business.

4. Negotiate and Finalize Contract

Negotiate Contract: After you finalize the proposal, you will request a contract from the Provider. If you need to negotiate the contract terms, you can "return" the contract and simultaneously request changes and upload revisions.
Finalize Contract: To finalize a contract, upload a signed version of the contract. Be sure to check the "Contract is signed by client" checkbox!

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