You will find that organising a conference often involves more than you would expect. There is a lot to be arranged, both financially and in terms of administration and organisation. The Utrecht Convention Bureau is here to help and to share its thoughts and ideas with you on everything you will need.
The start
There are always several parties that are interested in hosting a certain conference. So, bids will need to be submitted. A bid is an itemised proposal that is submitted to the committee of the association or a selection committee. It will use the bids received to decide which country and city the conference will ultimately take place in. A bid contains specific information about dates, the proposed venue, prices and conditions.
The bidding procedure
In some cases, a bid book will need to be prepared; in others, a bid form will be enough. In both cases, a lot of information will need to be collected. A bidding procedure could involve:
- Creating a special committee, the so-called Local Organisation Committee, that collects all the information necessary and guides the process.
- Preparing a bid book or bid form.
- Lobbying within the association.
- Presenting the bid book. This often also involves a presentation to the associations’ committee or selection committee.
- Organising a site inspection to show what Utrecht and its conference and event venues have to offer.
Why a bid book?
A bid book gives an impression of what you want to offer if yours is the winning bid. The bid book explains the theme, subject and which venue and why in detail, but also what the city has to offer visitors to the conference. A bid book will often contains letters of recommendation from organisations and public authorities that are connected with the conference as well.
Support from the UCB
The UCB is here to help you put together a bid book. We work with a large number of partners in the region, because of which it is easy for us to provide you with all the information you need. We can also advise you on grant funds, marketing & promotion and the ultimate choice of venue.
Need some advice?
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about how to put together a bid book.
