Production Value Matters: The Business Event Podcast

How to Build Ethical and Effective RFPs That Vendors Actually Want to Answer

Aug 12, 2025

Discover the secrets to crafting RFPs that vendors truly want to engage with. Learn why withholding information backfires, and how sharing your objectives leads to successful partnerships. Explore a simple seven-part structure to enhance clarity and boost collaboration. Delve into the importance of budget transparency and why events should never be treated as commodities. Uncover legal and ethical pitfalls to avoid, ensuring your proposals are both effective and respectful of creative work.

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INSIGHT

RFP Mindset Shapes Outcomes

Most RFPs are written for control rather than collaboration, which undermines outcomes.
Treating vendors like interchangeable parts produces generic bids and misses real vision.

ADVICE

State Clear Event Objectives

Define clear event objectives and describe what success looks like in your own words.
Share these goals so vendors can align strategy and avoid guessing.

ADVICE

Describe Your Audience Precisely

Provide detailed audience information: size, makeup, locations, and roles.
Audience details determine camera counts, bandwidth, seating, sight lines, and technical needs.

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Is your RFP helping you find the right partner—or just the best guesser?

In this solo episode of Production Value Matters, host Matthew Byrne takes listeners behind the scenes of one of the most misunderstood—and misused—tools in event planning: the RFP. With decades of experience on the receiving end of these requests, Matthew unpacks why so many RFPs fall short and how to write ones that actually work. From budget transparency to submission ethics, this episode is a must-listen for anyone sending or responding to RFPs.

You’ll learn why withholding information doesn’t create leverage—it creates confusion—and how sharing your objectives and constraints sets the foundation for real, impactful collaboration. Matthew also outlines a simple, seven-part RFP structure that will help event professionals get better proposals, build better relationships, and ultimately deliver better events.

What You’ll Learn:

Why most RFPs are built for control, not collaboration
What to include in your RFP to get strategic responses
How to clearly define event objectives, audience, and technical needs
Why budget transparency saves time and money
What NOT to ask for in an RFP (like unpaid creative work)
How to avoid legal and ethical RFP pitfalls
A practical 7-section template for your next RFP
Why events aren’t commodities—and your RFP shouldn’t treat them like one

Matthew Byrne is the Founder of Byrne Production Services and host of the Production Value Matters podcast. With over 20 years of experience in large-scale AV and event production, Matthew helps event leaders bring strategy, technology, and storytelling together to create unforgettable experiences.

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