I want to start a discussion this month on RFPs and in my view, how the system is broken in many ways. OK, I know this is going to be controversial but I still want to get a conversation started. I hope that I get feedback on this and that we can open a dialog that will share information and help make the process better. For the past 18 years we have been a digital marketing and advertising company we have responded to RFPs. Some of them are very well written and some simply cause more questions than clarity. Lately, however, we see a trend in destinations sending out RFPs that seem to look exactly alike. Its almost like there is a “template” RFP out there that has the same programs, same parameters, same goals. The trouble with this is that no destination is like another and each has a unique set of problems and budget constraints. To treat them all as “cookie cutter” programs is just not the right way to go about it. In my opinion RFPs by their nature don’t address the real issue, which is program improvement based on analysis and clear cut objectives. When we have won RFPs we were able to dig into the web program and get good data and analytics in order to set up clear program recommendations and define goals. We were happy, the client was happy and we keep that client year over year for many years. When we lost an RFP it was always about budget, but many times it was that we believed the organization would get much more uplift from different programs than what they were asking for in the RFP. We would have been able to meet budget requirements AND show increase to meet goals they had, but there was no discussion before the RFP was sent out. Interesting to note that almost 50% of the time when we don’t win a contract through RFP the organization contacts us a year or so later and wants to hire us. (that’s how we know we could meet those goals with different programs and same budget) What I am trying to say is the RFP process is broken. I know DMOs need to go out for RFP and that makes sense in some instances. If you are not getting results year over year or if your current company cannot provide the service levels or the knowledge to keep your organization moving forward and keep you happy. But there should be a better way to go about this process where the organization gets great insight about the options they have and they can still satisfy any mandate about RFP process. Think about the fact that probably 6 staff people in a digital agency touch your account every day. Multiply the salaries of those people, add the results you have received and that really is your return on investment. You did not have to employ those people, pay the 20% plus benefits, manage them and most importantly keep them educated and going to conferences on each and every specific digital subject matter. You have the subject matter experts working for you but don’t have the salary load or management cost. The cost of delivering a really solid program to DMOs is not cheap. RFPs don’t elaborate on how much the internal DMO team will contribute or can contribute. Again, I am hoping that there will be a dialog started about the RFP process and how we can improve it by working together. I would like to hear from any of you and get your feedback, from vendors or organizations. Let’s make this process better for all. Happy Holidays! Leah Woolford Founder and Chairman of USDM.net lwoolford@usdm.net