RFP Quick Start Guide - custom.cvent.com€¦ · This Quick Start Guide will help Venues to create, edit and preview profile listings on the Cvent Supplier Network. You will also

RFP Quick Start Guide For Suppliers July 2010 Cvent, Inc 8180 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102 U.S. and Canada (toll-free) - 866.318.4357 UK (toll-free) - 0808.234.4543 Australia (toll-free) - 1800.502.472 All others and local - 703.226.3535 www.cvent.com [email protected]

Please Note: Some features stated in this document may not be available to all users. If you are interested in purchasing additional features, please Contact Cvent Sales for more information at 866.318.4358.

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© 2010 Cvent, Inc. Page 2

Table of Contents A. Getting Started ......................................................................................................................................................3

B. Administration ........................................................................................................................................................4

C. Edit/Add your Venue Profile ............................................................................................................................... 14

1. Overview ........................................................................................................................................................ 16

2. Meeting Rooms .............................................................................................................................................. 20

3. Image Gallery ................................................................................................................................................. 22

4. Places of Interest ........................................................................................................................................... 23

5. Promotions ..................................................................................................................................................... 24

6. Contacts ......................................................................................................................................................... 25

7. Documents ..................................................................................................................................................... 26

8. Venue Administration ..................................................................................................................................... 27

9. Preview ........................................................................................................................................................... 28

D. Add / Edit a Service ........................................................................................................................................... 30

E. Manage RFPs .................................................................................................................................................... 31

1. Assign the RFP ............................................................................................................................................ 32

2. Create a Proposal ........................................................................................................................................ 32

3. Submit your proposal to the Planner ........................................................................................................... 41

4. Turn down a RFP ......................................................................................................................................... 41

5. Withdraw a Proposal .................................................................................................................................... 41

6. Forward an RFP .......................................................................................................................................... 42

7. Print .............................................................................................................................................................. 44

F. Review and Record a Request for Information ................................................................................................... 45

G. Reports ............................................................................................................................................................... 47


A. Getting Started This Quick Start Guide will help Venues to create, edit and preview profile listings on the Cvent Supplier Network. You will also be able to respond to any RFPs you receive. 1. Find your venue or service’s profile. Because the Cvent Supplier Network has over 100,000 venues and services, your venue is most likely already listed for you. In order to make sure, use the following steps:

a. Go to www.cvent.com b. Click on Venue Search in the middle of the screen c. Search for your venue/service by choosing your metro area and entering in any other optional search

criteria d. Click Find Venues

e. Once you find your venue, click on the venue name and view the information.

2. Review your venue/service information to make sure it is accurate. 3. Cvent has been working hard to establish relationships with both domestic and international hotel chains.

Most hotel chains have already been set up with a centralized account on the Cvent system. Please call or email Supplier Support at 866-318-4357 option 2 or [email protected] to learn about how to access your property’s information in the account and make any necessary changes. If you work for an independent hotel or management group, please call or email us to ensure you are set up appropriately.


mailto:[email protected]

B. Administration Once your profile has been moved into your Cvent account, you can log into your account to make edits to your profile (if necessary), as well as respond to RFPs.

To Login to your Cvent account:

1. Go to www.cvent.com 2. Click on Client Log-In in the upper right corner 3. Enter your account information:

a. Account Number b. Username c. Password

Click the Administration tab at the top of the screen.

The Administration section allows you to enter in information about your key contact. It is important to fill in this information after logging into your account for the first time, as it will prepopulate the contact information in any proposals you create, which saves you time later.

Click on Account Settings at the

top of the screen to edit your contact information.



User Profile Click Edit to edit the User Profile. The contact information that is entered into the user profile will be used to prepopulate the contact information in your proposals, so that you do not have to enter it in each time.

NOTE: Once you have entered the information about your organization or yourself, you do not need to go back to this section unless the information changes.

Click Save to update the

information.


RFP Settings (Administration > Account Settings > RFP Settings) Change the settings for forwarding RFPs. Choose if users can forward RFPs to only venues in your account, chain, or in the entire Supplier Network. Also choose options for CVBs who forward your RFPs.

Account Users (Administration > Account Users) The next section at the top, Account Users, allows you to setup different users, user groups, and user roles. Some people may be only able to access the venue information, while others should only have access to RFPs, etc.

1. Click on Administration (green tab) 2. Click on Account Users


On the left you will have three section links to help you manage the users in your account. The Users section is where user names are created and managed. The User Groups section allows you to set up visibility and what each user can see in the account. User Roles allow you to set up permissions for the items in the account.

Step 1: Add a User Group to set up visibility 1. Click on Account Users at the top. 2. Click on User Groups on the left

3. Click Add User Group. 4. Enter the user group name. 5. Choose if the users in this group can see “all existing items” in this account. 6. Click Save.

Associate Users to this User Group (if users have already been created) 1. Click on Account Users. 2. Click on User Groups on the left. 3. Click on the name of the user group users should be added to. 4. Click on Associated Users on the left. 5. Check the box next to the name of the user that should be in this user group and have this visibility. 6. Click Save.

Insert the User Group Name such as Accounting Department, Travel Agency, Interns, etc. Which existing events/surveys/RFPs will be visible to this user group? All existing items– all in the

system will be visible to this user group

No existing items - all in

the system will be hidden to this user group

Only the items that are visible to the selected user groups – all that is currently

visible for the groups checked will be visible to this user group also



Step 2: Create User Roles The User Roles section allows you to set up permissions for each type of person who will be using the account. The permissions are rights to the account and determine if you have full, read only, or no access to the areas that are visible to you.

In many accounts, you may have roles for sales managers, reporting associates, marketing managers, etc. Users with an Administrator role will always be able to do everything in the account.

Create User Roles 1. Click Account Users at the top. 2. Click User Roles on the left. 3. Click Add User Role to create a user role, and follow the steps.

1. Enter the User Role Details

2. Set Administrative Rights

3. Set Venues and Services Management Rights



Step 3: Add Users (If users have not been created)

1. Click Account Users at the top of the screen 2. Click on Users under the section links on the left 3. Click Add User to create a new user

4. Click Save.

User Information: Enter the

username and select the user group this user should be included in. Complete the Personal information and general information. This information will prepopulate when you are responding to RFPs. Enter the password that the user needs to log in. They will also need to know the account number and their username.


Step 4: Set up Venue and Service Visibility for this User

1. Click the Venue and Service Visibility tab at the top of the user details.

2. Click Edit 3. Click Add Venue or Add Service at the bottom

4. Click on the chains that are available in your account


5. Select the brands. 6. Click Next. 7. Select the Metro area using the dropdown. 8. Check the box next to the properties. 9. Click Add.

10. Click Save. 3. Customer Support If you have any questions about how to use Cvent, use the Customer Support section to contact Customer Care download documentation, sign up for training classes, and view the site maintenance schedule. Online help is also available by clicking Help at the top right of the screen.


C. Edit/Add your Venue Profile As mentioned before, your venue’s profile information is probably already located in the Cvent Supplier Network. Since it has now been moved into your account, you have access to update the information whenever necessary. If your venue’s profile was not listed, you can also add in a new venue. Please note – some features listed are only available based on the type of marketing package you have with Cvent. If you are interested in adding these features to your venue’s profile, please contact Cvent Sales at 866.318.4358. To Edit/Add your venue’s profile, click the RFPs tab at the top of the screen.

Click on Venues to edit/create a venue profile.


After clicking on Venues at the top, all venues in your account will be listed, click on the Venue name to view the information or click on the quick icon to the right to go into a particular section.

To edit the Venue information (name, address, etc.) click next to the venue name.

To delete a venue, click next to the venue name. A venue can only be deleted when its status is Pending.

To edit the Contacts for a venue, click to the right of the venue.

To edit the Meeting Rooms for a venue, click to the right of the venue.

To edit the Images for a venue, click to the right of the venue.

To edit the Promotions for a venue, click to the right of the venue. If you need to create a new venue, click the Add Venue button. The screens will be the same as if you were editing a venue. After clicking on the venue name or any of the quick icons, you will see Section Links on the left. These are the different sections of your profile and will help you to further customize your listing. If you are adding in a new venue, these will appear after you save the first screen.


1. Overview The Overview contains the basic information about your venue. Click Edit to make any changes.

Venue Details

Enter information about the Venue. It is recommended to add is much information as possible as to entice event planners with your property.

Be sure your zip/postal code is correct so that your venue appears in the correct Metro Area.


Click into the Facility Information tab to enter information about the number of rooms, rates, etc. For dimensions, be sure to indicate the unit of measure

Third Party Ratings

Select the ratings that the venue has received from these third party companies


Click into the Amenities tab to enter information about your amenities. Make sure all amenities that are selected match your venue’s amenities.


Click into the Listing Options tab to enter your ad text (if you are a 3 or 4 Diamond listing) as well as your main image, listing image, and listing text. The main image is the image that appears on your venue profile. The listing image and the listing text is the image and the text that appear underneath the name of your venue in the search results.

Main Image – Click Browse

to upload an image. Recommended size is 265 pixels wide (or smaller), any height. Listing Image –

Recommended size is 100 x 66 pixels Listing Text - Enter a short

description that will appear in the search results listings for the Cvent Supplier Network.

Click Save to save any

changes.


2. Meeting Rooms Enter information about any meeting rooms that are part of the venue.

To edit the meeting rooms that are listed, click next to the meeting room name.

To add more meeting rooms, click Add Meeting Room.


Edit your meeting room information. The more information that you can provide about you meeting rooms, the more planners will know if you can accommodate their needs.

Capacity Details Enter how many people can be accommodated in each of the room layouts. Layout views can be seen in the diagram on the right. The U-Shaped, Banquet Rounds, Cocktail Rounds, 10x10 exhibits, Theater, Classroom, and Board Room layouts appear in the meeting space capacity chart. After clicking Save, there will be a button to Copy Meeting Room. If you have rooms with similar information, this will allow you to make an exact copy of this room and change any necessary information.

Meeting Room Details

If you would like to upload an image of the room, click the Browse button next to Image. All meeting room images should be 300 pixels wide (or smaller), height does not matter. Additional Amenities

Check the boxes next to the items that are available in this room. The Room Description, Image and Additional Amenities sections will show on listings that have been upgraded. To upgrade your listing, contact Cvent Sales.


3. Image Gallery Add images of the venue to generate more interest from prospective planners. These will be displayed when someone clicks on the Image Gallery link on this venue’s profile. Each venue gets to add five images. If you would like more images, please contact Cvent Sales.

Enter the Image Name. Image Group: Select where this

image should appear as part of the image gallery. Click Browse to find the image to

upload. Recommended Image Sizes for the Image Gallery: 380 pixels

wide (or smaller), height does not matter. All images should be less than 150kb and .jpg or .gif format. Click Save to add this image or Save and Add to add more images.

Click Add Image to add in

images to the image gallery.

Click next to the image name to edit the image. Click Set Order to change the

order of the images.


4. Places of Interest Click on Add Place of Interest to add information about local attractions near this venue.

Attraction / Facility Name

Enter information about the attraction, including type, distance from venue, an image, website, or description. Images for Places of Interest should be 100 pixels wide x 75 pixels high.

Click Add Place of Interest to add in a place. Click Set Order to change the order in

which they appear.

Click next to the interest name to edit the already listed places of interest.

Address Information

Enter the address of this place of interest.


5. Promotions Enter the details of any special promotions or packages that are being offered by the venue, such as discounted prices for dates that need to be filled during off-peak times, special getaways, etc. If you would like to have promotions displayed for your venue, please contact Cvent Sales.

Click Add Promotion to add any

promotion information. You may also set the order in which the promotions are displayed.

Click next to the promotion name to edit the existing promotions.

Promotion Details

Enter the details about the promotion.

If your promotions are date specific, click Add to add in

date ranges.

You may also include attachments with your

promotions by clicking “browse”, and then “upload file”.


6. Contacts Use the Contacts section link to enter in people who should receive email notifications when a new RFP has been received by this venue. It is very important that this section is kept up to date since this determines who receives notifications when your venue has received an RFP.

Click Add Contact to add a contact.

Enter contact information about someone who should receive requests about the venue. Please enter phone numbers in XXX-XXX-XXXX format.

RFP Options

Check the box if the following apply to this contact: Send an email to this

contact when a new RFP is submitted for this venue

Include a link to the PDF file of the RFP.

Send an email to this contact when a new RFI is submitted for this venue

Display this contact in the Cvent Supplier Network


7. Documents The Documents section allows you to save documents that are related to this venue. This may include sales kits, brochures, menus, floor plans, etc. These documents will also show up on your profile page on the Cvent Supplier Network if you select the first checkbox. If you are interested in having documents appear in your profile, please contact Cvent Sales.

Click Add Document to add a document.

Enter the document name. Click Browse to find the file on

your computer. Select the Document file type. Save.


8. Venue Administration The Administration section for this venue allows you to submit your venue to Cvent (if it is a new venue not in the Supplier Network), delete a venue as well as copy your venue. You can also setup default values to be placed in any proposals created through this venue.

Proposal Default Values

The proposal default values will appear in any proposals you create in response to RFPs submitted to this venue. Click Edit Default Values to edit the default values.

Venue Status

This venue’s current status will vary based on where the venue is in the process. If the venue is already listed on the Supplier Network, the venue will be Approved.

If this is a new venue, it will be Pending. There will be a Submit to Cvent for Listing button which

will allow Cvent to approve your venue. You can also copy your venue by clicking the Copy Venue button.

Default Values

Enter any default values that will be used in your Proposals. Taxes – choose a tax category,

amount, and if the tax is a percentage or a set amount Proposal description – this

default text will appear in your proposal. You can include information about your venue; thank them for their interest, etc. Estimated Costs – Enter your

total F&B Minim, tax, and service charge. If you have costs that are applicable to every proposal, enter each item and amounts in the boxes. Click Add Item to add as

many items as needed. Click Save.


9. Preview Click on Preview to view your changes and how the venue will appear on the Supplier Network.



D. Add / Edit a Service Click Services at the top to add or edit Service information. Services can be any other type of event related need, such as catering, photographers, transportation, etc.

Services are set up the same way as venues. When you click on the Service name, you will have section links on the left side. Click on each one of the section links to edit/add information about your service.

Although the section links appear, not all features will be displayed in your service’s profile on the Supplier Network. If you are interested in having more information about your Service show, please contact Cvent Sales at 866.318.4358.

Click Add Service to add

in information about your service.


E. Manage RFPs Once your venue/service is listed on the Supplier Network, you can receive RFPs (requests for proposal) from event planners. Cvent allows you to easily manage and respond to these within your account. Click on the Manage RFPs section to view RFPs you have received.

An RFP may have a different proposal status based on where it is in the process: Awaiting Proposal – a proposal has not been created or sent Not Submitted – a proposal has been created but not sent Submitted Proposal – a proposal has been sent back to the event planner Awarded – the planner has awarded the bid to your venue Turned Down – you have rejected the RFP Declined – a proposal has been submitted to the planner, but they rejected your response Withdrawn – you have withdrawn your proposal Cancelled – the planner has cancelled the RFP No Response- your venue never submitted a proposal, and the planner has awarded the RFP to another venue After clicking on the RFP name, the RFP Details will appear. Depending on the type of proposal received, some sections may or may not be displayed.

To view the RFP, click

on the RFP name. To print the RFP,

click . Each RFP will also have a unique RFP Code (generated by Cvent).


1. Assign the RFP If someone in particular on your staff needs to respond to this RFP, you can assign the RFP to them. They can receive an email notification letting them know they need to respond to the RFP.

a. Click Assign at the top of the RFP. b. Enter the Assignment information, including the Assignee’s first name, last name, and email

address. Enter your (assignor’s email address). If the assignee is a user in the system or a

venue contact, you can easily add them by clicking the button. c. Make sure the “Allow planners to view and email the assigned associated with this RFP” box is

checked so that planners can follow up directly with the person assigned to their RFP. d. Click Save and Email to save the assignment and email the assignee.

2. Create a Proposal a. Click on the Create Proposal button at the top of the RFP. Enter the Proposal Details by going

through the steps of the wizard. The number of steps will vary based on the RFP you received. It is recommended to enter in as much information as possible, although the majority of the information will already be prepopulated for you.

b. Step 1: Enter your Proposal Details and Key Contact Data - Much of this information will be

already filled in for you based on your default values for the description and the user information (filled out after first logging in under the green Administration section.)



c. Click Next


d. Step 2: Enter your Event Availability – View the event information submitted by the planner as

well as the organization’s profile and any related event history. Enter in the dates you can hold the event (including alternate dates, if applicable), and the estimated total cost.

e. Click Next.


f. Step 3: Enter your Sleep Room Availability – Complete the information based on what you can accommodate for the dates requested.

Sleeping Rooms Availability

Enter room rates for each type of room requested. Enter any additional taxes. These may be prepopulated if entered into the default proposal values under Venues > Venue Administration.

Click Apply to All to apply rates to all dates.



Step 4: Enter your Meeting Room Availability – Complete the information based on what you can accommodate for the dates requested.

Meeting Room Requested / Availability – the

event agenda where rooms are needed should be listed.

Meeting Rooms Availability

Enter additional information to the meeting room agenda. You may

also use the icon to select one of your meeting rooms for that agenda item. Estimated costs may be

prepopuplated if entered into the default proposal values under Venues > Venue Administration.


g. Click Next.

Step 5: Additional Questions – If the planner has asked additional questions, please provide answers. Some questions may be required and must be completed before moving on to the next step. If you have answered an identical question on a past RFP, you will have the option to choose from previous responses.

Click Next.

Available A/V and other features

Select which amenities your venue’s meeting rooms contain. The requested meeting room amenities will be checked in the gray box on the left of each amenity.


Step 6: Additional Information – respond to any concessions or contractual requirements, as well as attach any additional files that should be sent back to the event planner, including menus, contracts, floor plans, etc.

Click Next. After completing the Proposal Wizard, you will see two buttons – Submit Now or Review and Submit Later. Submit Now will allow you to submit your proposal to the planner. The planner will be able to see your information in their account. Review and Submit Later will take you back to the proposal details and allow you to make changes to the proposal before submitting to the planner. Changes to the proposal can be made at any time, even if after the proposal has been submitted.

Files to include: New files – to attach a new file, click Browse and find the file on your

computer. Click Attach. Existing Files – if files have been added to this venue, click Select Existing and select the file.

Click Attach.


3. Submit your proposal to the Planner

a. Click Proposal Administration under Section Links b. Click on Submit in the middle of the screen

c. Click on Confirm Proposal Submission.

By clicking Confirm Proposal Submission, an email will be sent to the event planner letting them know that you have responded to their RFP. They can then award or decline your proposal based on their needs. You will receive email notification of their response. 4. Turn down a RFP Should you need to turn down an RFP, you can quickly do the following:

a. Click on Manage RFPs b. Click on the name of the RFP c. At the top, click on Turn Down

d. Enter the reason this RFP is being turned down e. Click on Turn Down RFP

5. Withdraw a Proposal After a proposal has been submitted, you can always withdraw the proposal if you are no longer able to accommodate the request.

a. Click on Manage RFPs


b. Click on the Admin icon to the right of the proposal c. Click Withdraw d. Choose the Reason why you are withdrawing the proposal e. Click Withdraw Proposal. A notification will be sent to the event planner that your proposal has

been withdrawn.

6. Forward an RFP If you feel that another venue may be able to accommodate this RFP as well, you can forward the RFP to them based on your forwarding settings under the Administration tab.

a. Click Forward. b. Enter the forwarding details.

c. Choose the metro area the venue is located in. d. Select the Venue Type. e. Select the chain the RFP should be forwarded to. f. Select the brand the RFP should be forwarded to.

Click Add Venue to

choose other properties in your account to forward the RFP to.


g. Click Search. h. Click the check boxes next to the names of the properties you want to forward the FP to.

i. Click Forward RFP at the bottom to send the RFP to the venues listed above.


7. Print Download a .pdf version of the RFP for your records. This can be saved to your computer and/or printed.

a. Log into your Cvent account. b. Click the RFPs tab at the top of the page. c. Click Manage RFPs on the top navigation bar.

d. Click the icon in the Actions column for the RFP.

Note: A PDF file of the entire Proposal will be available to open or save.


8. F. Review and Record a Request for Information

Planners sometimes need to request information without sending an RFP. They can send a Request For Information, or an RFI, to Restaurants and Special Event Venues to find out more about their services. You will receive an email notification when an RFI is sent to your property. The email notification will include all of the details of the request for information.


To review and record the RFI:

1. Log into your Cvent account. 2. Click on the RFPs tab. 3. Clcik on Manage RFIs. 4. Click Edit. 5. Change Status to Closed. 6. Create Internal Note for personal records. 7. Click Save.


G. Reports Reports allow you to see details for each proposal sent and RFP received. You can view which RFPs you’ve won/lost, expected revenue, and how long it took to respond to event planners.

To Run a Report:

1. Click on the name of the report

2. Select the date type, date ranges, and RFPs that should appear on the report

3. Add any advanced filters that you would like to apply.

4. Click Run Report

To view a description of each report, click next to the report name.


Steps to run Reports:

1. Log into your Cvent account. 2. Click the RFPs tab at the top of the page. 3. Click Reports at the top. 4. Click on the name of the Report that you wish to run. 5. Update the Report Criteria. 6. Click Run Report.

Search the RFPs by the Received, Response or the Decision date of the RFPs.

Select the dates of your choice by using the blue calendar button.

Select the RFPs you would like to include on the report on by moving them from the left box over to the right via the arrows in the center. Run reports on all the RFPs in your account by leaving all RFPs in the Available Box

Utilize the Advanced Filters section to narrow down your report results to RFPs that fit the criteria you are looking for.


Reports can be searched, exported, and printed by using the toolbar at the top. For more information on reports, click the Help link at the top of your screen. Notes:

Reports may differ in look and formatting; however the top navigation bar will remain consistent for all reports.

For few pages in the reports the width may be more than the standard (A4 Size), please select the landscape print option while taking the print out of the reports.

Navigate through pages of your report using the top navigation bar. You can also export your reports into various formats, or print from this screen.