Everything Tech Providers Wished You Knew About Writing An RFP #NAMPC Slide Deck

I’m SEA>ORD bound today and had a wonderful time at #NAMPC 2018. The presentation was a hit (more on that later) and before I forget, I wanted to make the slide deck available.

Based on feedback from earlier versions of this presentation, and in order to better suit the content to NAMPC attendees, my co-presenter, Ceci Dadisman, and I made the following modifications:

  1. New content focusing on ticketing and box office providers (a must-have for arts orgs).
  2. New content that includes an overview of necessary RFP sections.
  3. New information architecture content.
  4. Expanded speaker notes*.
  5. An expanded microsite that includes a comprehensive list of providers to consider when creating an RFP.

As promised, the slide deck is available at Google Slides and open to all:

*I’ve always felt speaker notes are an integral component to a good presentation. My colleague, Joe Patti, summed it up nicely when he wrote “one of the most frustrating parts of viewing a slide deck outside the context of the presentation is trying to figure out what the bullet points really mean.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Granted, I know some presenters don’t like providing the details of a presentation because it can be interpreted as giving away trade secrets. But in the end, if you’re worried that someone else will get your gig becasue they lifted your copy, that’s a good sign you may not be bringing as much value to the table as you should.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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