SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATION SERVICES RFP #101-2011 August 29, 2011 The San Mateo County Event Center is accepting proposals for Advertising, Marketing & Public Relation services for the San Mateo County Fair. The contract will be awarded for the 2012 Fair (June, 9 17, 2012) and will include options to renew for 2013 and 2014 Fairs. The San Mateo County Fair, which celebrated its 78 th anniversary in June 2011, is a longstanding community event produced by the San Mateo County Event Center. The San Mateo County Fair has budgeted up to $250,000 for promotion of the annual Fair. The Fair consists of several components, such as competitive exhibit displays, carnival rides and games, commercial exhibits, entertainment (both nationally known and community), and food. In 2011, the Fair adopted a theme of Where Tradition Meets Innovation. Staff continues to work and create interactive events and displays that represent this theme and the surrounding communities. As the San Mateo County Fair looks forward to another 78 years of Fair, a new direction of advertising, marketing & public relations is desired for this next stage of the Fair. I. SCOPE OF REQUESTED SERVICES Proposer must demonstrate their ability to develop a creative and innovative advertising campaign for the annual San Mateo County Fair. Campaign must include examples of special promotions for a Festival, Fair, and /or Large Event, as well as an aggressive and diverse outreach program with both traditional and non-traditional media partners including various ethnic and alternative communities in the county. Proposer must demonstrate ability to work cooperatively with the other members of the San Mateo County Fair creative team, including but not limited to graphic artists, print houses, entertainment buyer, sponsorship coordinator, webmaster and other special event staff. Proposer must secure a production company to create the Fair radio and TV ads. Proposer must also be available during the 9 days of the Fair to follow up on all media needs and publicity events. Proposer must demonstrate ability to comply with all requirements in Association s standard Service Agreement. A copy of the most recent Advertising and Marketing Service Agreement is attached as Exhibit A, However scope of services in any future agreements may differ. Page 1 of 9
II. Proposal Process A. Calendar Of Events Release of RFP August 29, 2011 Proposers Question Deadline September 7, 2011* Proposal Due Date September 19, 2011 Interview Proposers September 20 or 21, 2011 Evaluate Interviews September 22, 2011 Recommendation to Fair Oversight Committee September 27, 2011 Decision by Board of Directors September 27, 2011 Notification of Proposal Status September 28, 2011 * All questions from proposers must be submitted in writing to: San Mateo County Event Center, Attn: Matt Cranford, email address: mcranford@smeventcenter.com Responses to all written questions will be in writing to all recipients of the Advertising & Marketing Services RFP. B. Submission & Receipt of Proposals Three (3) copies of the typed, sealed proposal must be received by the San Mateo County Event Center at the following address no later than, 5:00 p.m. on September 19, 2011. The San Mateo County Event Center will not be responsible for any late mail deliveries. Please direct proposals to: Matt Cranford San Mateo County Event Center 2495 S. Delaware Street San Mateo, CA 94403 (650) 574-3247 Email: mcranford@smeventcenter.com C. Evaluation of Proposals Proposals will be evaluated by a proposal review committee based on the criteria listed below. The Committee will review the proposals and recommend a selection to the San Mateo County Fair Oversight Committee, who in turn will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors. The Fair Oversight Committee reserves the right to accept or reject the Proposal Review Committee s recommendation, and the Board of Directors reserves the right to accept or reject the Proposal Review Committee s and the Fair Oversight Committee s recommendation. Page 2 of 9
All information requested from the applicants for inclusion in the proposals is important. However, in order to provide some indication to applicants of the relative importance of each section, evaluation criteria will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following (NOTE: criteria not listed in order of importance): i. Reputation & Experience: Evidence of demonstrated competence of staff, use of latest advertising and marketing tools, ability to generate creative campaigns for various types of events and demonstrate successful rate of return on advertising investments, ability to work under strict deadlines and perform tasks to satisfaction of clients. ii. iii. iv. Capability & Availability of Staff: Evidence that qualified and experienced staff is available and/or can be hired with enough time to meet the goals of the RFP. Cost: Proposed cost is reasonable for the work to be performed i.e. advertising, graphic and production work. Compliance with RFP: Evidence of ability to perform services listed within RFP, as well as performance during interview. D. Scope of Services i. Creation of advertising message for the 2012 San Mateo County Fair meet utilizing, but not limited to, the following media purchase: TV, radio, newsprint and other creative media. Association to have final approval of advertising message. ii. iii. iv. Development of the media schedule and placement of ads. Association to have final approval of all ads three weeks prior to aired schedule. Development and execution of special promotions for the Fair, including radio promotions for main stage acts and the Carnival. All promotions must be presented in writing to Association for approval, prior to being offered to media or retail. No commitments may be made without Association approval. Implement an aggressive and diverse outreach program with both traditional and non-traditional media partners, including various ethnic and alternative communities in the county. v. Work together with other members of the San Mateo County Fair Creative Team, entertainment buyer, sponsorship coordinator, web master and other special event staff. Page 3 of 9
vi. vii. viii. ix. Secure Production Company to create Fair and radio and TV ads. Assist with development of theme for annual Fair, including acquiring secondary stage entertainment. Secure 4-5 times the advertising budget with promotional value. Leverage ad buys as sponsor of event x. Must be available during the 9 days of the Fair to follow up on all media related needs and publicity events. xi. xii. xiii. xiv. xv. Must be available to meet and/or confer on a regular basis with Association and will attend one Board of Directors meeting a year to update them on the progress of the Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Department. Provide a final report recapping the effectiveness of the Advertising & Marketing campaign for the 2012 San Mateo County Fair Writing press releases and leveraging media interest Using integrated social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) with other marketing plans Creating and executing PR timelines and initiatives E. Proposal Contents The contents of the proposal shall be as follows: i. Proposed Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Methodology 1. Description of the proposed advertising campaign for the 2012 San Mateo County Fair, including a breakdown of the Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations budget by category; electronic, print, etc. 2. Examples of special promotions for a large festival or County Fair, and Carnival, assisting the Fair to achieve 4-5 times the advertising budget with promotional value. 3. Examples of outreach programs to attract both traditional and nontraditional media partners, including various ethnic and alternative Page 4 of 9
communities in the county, assisting the Fair to achieve 4-5 times the advertising budget with promotional value. 4. Examples of public releases and uses of social media and demonstrate contacts with Bay Area media outlets ii. Personnel 1. Listing of principle owners of the company. 2. Primary contact for contract, names of additional staff utilized for completion of contract and professional experience of all of the above. 3. Dependability 4. Willingness to work and cooperate with Fair staff, other contractors and/or their representative. 5. If any portion of the proposal is sub-contracted, all information of contactor and personnel must be included. iii. Experience and Qualifications 1. Performance history under similar or relevant conditions, including recent history at other fairs and other events. 2. Three (3) Examples of advertising and marketing campaigns from other events where proposer provided Advertising & Marketing services. Please do not submit examples from more than three years ago. 3. Three (3) examples of public release initiatives from other events where proposer provided Public Release services. Please do not submit examples from more than three years ago. 4. References (a minimum of 3 references, including current phone numbers). 5. Letters of Recommendation 6. List 3 contacts under which you will be providing advertising, marketing and public relation services in 2011 and 2012. Do any contacts have conflicting dates with the San Mateo County Fair Dates? Page 5 of 9
7. Describe your business philosophy and why your company is interested in fulfilling this contract. 8. Demonstrated ability to comply with insurance and workers compensation coverage requirements. iv. Cost F. Interview 1. Cost breakdown for services contained in the proposal. 2. No agency commission will be paid. Each proposer submitting a written proposal will be required to give an oral interview regarding the content of their proposal, such as company history and their proposed 2012 Fair Advertising & Marketing campaign. Interviews will be scheduled September 20 & 21, 2011. It is anticipated that each interview will last approximately 60 minutes. Specific interview needs, such as screens, projectors, etc. will be taken during scheduling. Competing proposers will not be allowed to sit in on the interviews of other proposers. III. GENERAL INFORMATION This RFP does not commit the San Mateo County Expositions & Fair Association to award a contract, to pay costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal responding to this request, or to procure a contract for service. The Association reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this request, to negotiate with qualified applicants the restructuring of the proposal, or to cancel in part or in its entirety the RFP process if the Association deems it is in its best interest to do so. This RFP will not be construed to be a low bid process. The contract, if awarded, will be negotiated with the proposer who can best meet the Associations needs as identified in this RFP. It is in the proposer s best interest to submit a complete and accurate proposal. Where documentation or response is incomplete or silent, it will be assumed that the proposal is deficient. Further, it is in the proposer s best interest to write a proposal that meets the stated requirements contained in this RFP. While applicants may provide alternatives to the requirements for consideration, failure to comply with all minimum requirements described within the RFP may disqualify proposals. The Association reserves the right to waive any RFP requirements if it deems it to be in the best interest of the Association. No agreement shall be executed with any subcontractor to perform any services set forth in this agreement, unless first receiving Association s written approval. No approval under this section Page 6 of 9
shall constitute a continuing approval for subcontracting the same or any other services unless the approval specifically states that it is a continuing approval. The California Public Records Act, Government Code Section 6250, provides that access to information concerning the conduct of the people s business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in the state. Public records are defined as any writing relating to the conduct of the public s business and are open to inspection during normal business hours. There are specific exceptions to the Public Record Act. In the event the Association receives a request for inspection of any proposal submitted pursuant to this RFP, it is the responsibility of the organization whose proposal has been requested to assert any right to confidentiality that may exist. The Association will not make that assertion on behalf of the proposer. Without a judicial determination that the documents are exempt from disclosure, they will be subject to inspection. Due to the potential proprietary information to be provided, proposals will not be considered public record until after a decision has been made by the Board of Directors. Submission of a proposal constitutes a complete waiver of any claims whatsoever against the San Mateo County Event Center, and/or its agents, officers or employees, that the Association has violated a proposer s right to privacy, disclosed trade secrets or caused any damage by allowing the proposal to be inspected. Page 7 of 9
Response to the Request for Proposal for Advertising, Marketing & Public Relation Services 2012 San Mateo County Fair i. Proposed Advertising, Marketing & Public Relation Methodology 1. Proposed Campaign/Promotional opportunities 2. Advertising & Marketing Breakdown 3. Public Release schedule and initiative breakdown ii. Personnel 1. Agency Principals 2. Primary Contact 3. Dependability 4. Willingness to work with others iii. Experience & Qualifications 1. Similar performance history 2. Three examples of ad campaigns Page 8 of 9
3. References 4. Letters of Recommendation 5. Three Advertising, Marketing & PR Contracts for 2010-2011 6. Business Philosophy 7. Compliance iv. Cost 1. Cost for Services (Please provide detail) 2. If offering graphic services, please detail separately 3. If offering print services, please detail separately Page 9 of 9