How do we win the bid? 我們怎麼贏得標案?

source: penny auction

How do we win the bid? The first thing and also the only is RESEARCH!

It does sound funny, doesn't it? We are drafting a proposal, not a paper! Yes, you are and you do need research… on your decision makers, on your competitors, on your destination, on the congress objectives, on the neighborhood, on your own capacity, etc. It is not a joke! When you bid, you are in a battle where you need strategies and throughout understandings. So, let's have a look at the ‘cooking recipe’!

1.    Understand the association objective

Give your audience what they need and want, not yours! So, always keep the objective in mind when planning. Otherwise you will hear: “Thanks, your idea is brilliant but not what we are looking for!”.

2.    Research and Analyze

Analyze your own strength and weakness. Understand who your competitors are. Find out the final decision makers. Know the game rules.

3.    See through the Request for Proposal / Bid Manual

Make sure you do! Just like the old saying: the devil is in the details.

4.    Follow it!

Don’t bother to create your own format. By this, I mean you can amaze them in anyway but put everything required into your proposal in order. So, the board can compare one with another. No one is happy looking up for one thing leaf to leaf.

5.    Develop the Bid Documents

Easy to read (no slang or jargon)

Use images and illustrations

Use correct English

Determine format (online vs. print)

Share responsibility

Be innovative!

6.    Build up the bidding team

Local host

Convention Bureau

Venue

Government representative/City official

PCO

Airline

Sponsors

 source: CIO

Many associations fail in bidding even though they prepare thoughtfully. Many see it like cooking with recipe, easy! But not all of us are talent at cooking. Therefore, even International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) emphasizes the importance of appointing a PCO for bidding because a good PCO is:

- Responsible: To be your reliable partner

- Knowledgeable : You don't have to reinvent the wheel

- Experience: Learning a lot from past experiences & mistakes

- Expertise: So, you can be one step ahead of your competitors

- Specialization: Make your bid proposal unique

source: pinterest

競標，似乎是很多協會組織的一大難題；倒不是因為沒有人或是不夠專業，更多時候是他們太輕忽了。以為照著食譜就可以做出滿漢全席，但其實不是所有人都有天份可以當廚師，是吧?! 的確，寫一份競標書不難，只要注意以下幾點：

1. 了解該組織的目標。給顧客要的，而不是自己有的，才能吸引到顧客。

2. 做足功課並分析。要去了解的不只是目標，還有誰做決定、這場遊戲的規則、對手是誰等等。

3. 看清楚招標書。魔鬼藏在細節裡，對吧?! 所以確實看清楚招標的內容，才不會寫出一份牛頭不對馬嘴的企劃書。

4.  照著做！這點很重要。就像所有主考官一樣，如果它們還需要翻來翻去找資料，那他們很有可能會當作你沒有寫到。除非你買了保險，不然不要隨便冒這種風險。

5.  寫標書時要注意：容易閱讀、多使用圖片及示意圖、使用正確的語言、確定形式(電子檔或書面)、分擔責任、要有創意。

6.  建立競標團隊。團隊成員從當地的主辦方、政府組織、場地聯絡人、PCO到企業代表都可以。

但如果要贏得標案，你需要更有力的協助，這也就是為什麼連ICCA都強調要找專業的PCO是很重要的。

Where is safe for conference in Asia Pacific region? | 亞太區最安全的十大城市

Get bored about Western countries? There are more conference destinations aside from America and Europe, where are even more stunning! Speaking to the decision on destination, safety always comes to the first place. And, it should be easily understanding where is safe for female travelers is safe for all tourists. So, here come the top 10 safest countries in AP region for your reference!

10^th - Kazakhstan

Location: Central Asia, close to Eastern Europe

Crime Rate: Medium

Night Safety: 60% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 79^th

      source: inhabitat

9^th – Vietnam

Location: Indochina, Southeast Asia

Crime Rate: Low

Night Safety: 82% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 12^th

      source: guidora

8^th – Mongolia

Location: East & Central Asia

Crime Rate: Medium

Night Safety: 50% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 42^th

      source: MEMEPIXI

7^th – South Korea

Location: North Asia

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 60% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 54^th

      source: south korea

6^th – Hong Kong

Location: East Asia, close to mainland China

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 88% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 65^th

      source: flickr

5^th – Australia

Location: Oceania

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 70% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 13^th

      source: travel insider

4^th – Japan

Location: North Asia

Crime Rate: Low

Night Safety: 75% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 11^th

      source: pinterest

3^rd – Taiwan

Location: East Asia

Crime Rate: Low

Night Safety: 75% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 40^th

      source: pinterest

2^nd – New Zealand

Location: Southwestern Oceania

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 60% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 18^th

      source: pinterest

1^st – Singapore

Location: Southeast Asia

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 98% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 80^th

      source: fokis

Singapore is not surprisingly to take the first place. As seen from the above list, all those cities do not only satisfy traveling purpose but most of them also cater for conference need. Put those on your destination list for next conference!

※       Reference

The 10 safest Asian countries for female travelers, Skift

http://skift.com/2013/06/24/the-top-safest-asian-countries-for-female-travelers/

Why do we need meetings / conferences? | 為什麼需要開會?

As the old saying, two birds never sing the same song, so a meeting in any kinds comes along to close the gap. Yet, in this digital era, many tools, such as phone, emails or messenger, seem to replace the functions of face-to-face conference. So, why do we still need a conference? Even though the reasons on the internet are obvious and easy to obtain, what actually convinces you to join one may be “my boss tells me to do”!

source: Etsy

For long, as a conference organizer, we find the conference is a gift for all attendance, just like to join a party. Here are our findings.

1.    Warm Talk that expand your social network

People easily get closer to talk in person because it starts with a hand-shake. By this, human kind somehow would become more understanding and familiar rather than speaking on the phone. Just like all the arguments about online social networking, get out and meet people are always the key to sustain the relationship in the long run.

source: SCMS 

2.    Efficient Communication with  groups

You probably doubt this point but in the accordance to Albert Mehrabian, only 7% of communication is spoken and the rest are made of tone (38%) and body language (55%). It is truer when engaging a big group. So, the time you spending on transportation will pay back on your discussion time, which can be tripled by talking on phone or via emails and no conclusion.

source: rawz

3.    Have Fun

        Yes, having fun in this occasion. This is the best chance to party with people in the same field. Most of conferences has its purpose and objective and most participants are serious for it. Yet, who earn more in the conference are usually those who come in a party manner. We are not saying to get drunk but to make friends and relax yourself. In this manner, you would smile more (that attracts more opportunities) and have a clear mind to learn from the conference.

source: charter world

Although many argue the Internet stops people from meeting up, thanks to the new technology that we can eliminate some small meetings and only to have the critical ones. There are more strong points that you can find from below references. In brief, image how you keep a good friendship, to see each other is necessary once in a while, isn't it? It is the best reason that you need a conference.

Next time when you have a conference to attend, smile and bring your happy mind to talk with people. Believe you will bring much more back to home.

※ Reference
Why we need conferences

5 Reasons You Should Attend a Conference in Your Field

Why Have a Meeting? 

Online vs. Face to Face Communication