Request for Proposals – Event Management Company for the 2025 Soybean Tour in Malawi

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Project Background:

The Feed the Future Malawi Growth Poles Project is accelerating environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable, resilient, and more inclusive wealth generation in Malawi by mobilizing rural-based private sector investments and partnerships with anchor firms and their surrounding communities, smallholder organizations, cooperatives, and MSMEs in a growth pole approach, with a focus on ensuring benefits are inclusive of smallholders, youth, and women.

Description:
Growth Poles seeks an experienced Event Management Company to oversee and manage planning and execution of the 2025 Soybean Tour in Malawi, which is anticipated to be a three-day event taking place in Blantyre and Chikwawa in March 2025.

The Soybean Tour will draw key stakeholders from the financial sector, seed and input suppliers, producers, aggregators, and processors in Malawi to network, make business connections, and learn about new technologies and opportunities in Malawi.

Event Objectives:

1. Sensitize investors, industry actors and stakeholders to stakeholders to new varietal pipelines, good agricultural practices, mechanization, technologies, and inputs in the Soybean sector in Malawi, including opportunities for irrigated production in the Lower Shire Valley associated with the Shire Valley Transformation Program;
2. Attract a diverse group of stakeholders from across the soybean value chain and create meaningful networking and collaboration opportunities among industry actors;
3. Raise awareness of industry challenges such as rust, and initiatives to address them;
4. Promote investment and market growth in the soybean industry and create a platform for dialogue that continues after the event;
5. To become an annual event in Malawi.

Number of Participants: 200

Venue:

1. Blantyre Venues
2. Agricane Sangowa Research Farm, Chikwawa

Responsibilities

Working closely with Growth Poles Events Coordinator and event organizing committee, the Event Manager will play several key roles in planning and execution of the Soybean Tour including:

1. Advertising the event
2. Sponsorship Identification & Management
3. Exhibitors management
4. Participants / Attendees management
5. Logistics supporting before, during and post event
6. Procurement support for event inputs and services

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Event Communications & Brand Management: Work with event organizing committee to design event marketing and communications materials and advertising, consistent with donor marking and branding guidelines, including signs, banners, and booths for the event.
• Sponsorship Management: Develop terms for financial sponsorship opportunities, and identity, engage and manage sponsors
• Exhibitor Management: Develop terms for exhibitor opportunities, and engage and manage exhibitors
• Attendee/Participant Management – Draft and send invitations, provide information and updates to attendees, manage invitation and attendance lists, track RSVPs, and provide regular attendance estimates for planning purposes.
• Procurement Coordination: Coordinate with the Growth Poles Procurement Manager to support procurement of required inputs and services for the event, including assisting with developing a procurement list and schedule, collecting quotations from potential suppliers, and coordinating with suppliers on logistics
• Travel Coordination: Organize travel logistics for event site visits, including identifying transportation providers and conducting dry runs to confirm travel times and site suitability, and coordinate a police escort for tour site visits
• Registration, décor, presentation and related Event Needs: Organize and manage decorations, sound system, on-site registration process and signage on roads and inside of venue for the conference, as well as other event coordination and management tasks as needed.
• Expo and Exhibit Management: Manage exhibit booth set-up and ensure all booths are consistent in quality.
• Client Engagement & Management: Provide feedback and weekly reports to the Growth Poles Event Coordinator, participate in regular planning calls.
• Safety Management: Ensure compliance with insurance, legal, health and safety obligations.
• Troubleshooting: Proactively handle any arising issues and troubleshoot any emerging problems on the event day and be readily available to assist in field day events.
• Event Capture: Provide a detailed summary of event information within one week after the conclusion of the event including total numbers of attendees, detailed lists of all attendees’ names, orgs, titles and contact info, as well as for exhibit booths.

Contract Type: The contract will be a cost reimbursable contract with an approved cost ceiling to allow flexibility as needs evolve based on the final design of the event.

Costs will be reviewed for reasonableness and quality and reimbursed by the Client.

Requirements and Skills

• Proven experience as an Events Planner in Malawi, particularly of corporate events involving exhibits and multiple field visits.
• Ability to work in Blantyre and Chikwawa, and familiarity with logistics and event venues and services in these areas
• Proven experience with planning events involving high-profile, VIP guests, including heads of industry and government officials.
• Experience in brand management, including developing communications materials including press releases, videos, advertisements, signs, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate contingencies.
• Excellent time management and communication skills.
• Ability to manage venue arrangements and priorities independently.
• Minimum of three verifiable references from previous clients.

How to apply

Proposals should be sent to: procurement@ftfagdiv.com by 17:30 Hrs on Friday, November 8th, 2024 with an email clearly marked: Request for proposals: Provision of General Event Management Services for the Soy Bean Tour, and addressed to: Palladium International, Feed the Future Growth Poles Activity, Plot 3/121, Laws Avenue, Off Colby Road, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Applying businesses:

• Company Profile, Certificate of registration (these will be verified with issuing authorities)
• A letter of interest detailing offeror’s qualifications to fulfill the scope of work outlined above;
• Names, emails, and phone numbers of three previous clients for whom applicant conducted similar work;
• Names and CVs for proposed staff to work on the event;
• An itemized quotation outlining the cost offeror estimates to fulfill the scope of work outlined above, including daily rates and proposed level of effort for proposed staff to work on the event.

Bidders will be evaluated on a best value trade-off basis, taking both qualifications and price into account.

Palladium International reserves the right to accept or reject any submissions or make no purchase. All prospective vendors will be required to submit a due diligence request, as required by the United States Government. Only selected vendors will be contacted.

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