Prepare Your Bid

Different events have different bid processes, so it is important to understand the requirements specific to the event that you wish to host. Most event custodians – that is the association or organisation that has ongoing responsibility for the conference or congress – will issue a Call for Bids and/or detailed bid/hosting requirements.

As a first step, review the bid requirements and note key criteria that you will need to address.

This often includes:

• financial obligations assigned to the successful host

• the proposed General Chair and key members of the Local Organising Committee

• suitable proposed venue(s)

• suitable accommodation for delegates and speakers

The bid guidelines usually provide information on the decision-making process, including the deadline by which you will need to submit or present your bid.

Work backwards from the submission deadline to identify clear milestones, which may include dates by which you will need to:

 • identify & approach peers to work with you on the bid and confirm their involvement in the case your bid is successful

• request venue proposals via BESydney’s Suppliers, allowing one-week for suppliers to respond

• request letters of support from partner organisations (e.g. Relevant research groups, industry partners, etc.)

• develop a bid document or presentation and address the key criteria outlined in the bidding guidelines

• organise a time to present to decisionmakers (which may be done in person or virtually).   

The primary resource required for bidding is the time of people working on the proposal. This is often a volunteer contribution of time made in the interest of bringing a significant event – and its international community – to Sydney.

However, it is important to consider real financial obligations related to hosting the event. This may include:

• hosting fees to be paid to the event custodian

• access to funds to pay venue deposits

• financial arrangements in the case the conference makes a profit/loss

• hosting / attending planning meetings (incl. interstate or overseas)

• administrative and IT support

• communications and marketing materials to support your bid 

 At the bidding stage, you should also:  

• secure in-principle commitment from a local organisation that can underwrite any financial obligations assigned to the host, should your bid succeed

• identify opportunities for funding that could support your event, should your bid succeed

• prepare a draft conference budget to understand the financial viability of hosting the event 

There are many benefits to working with a Bid Committee to prepare your proposal. As well as sharing the mental and administrative workload, working with a Bid Committee can ensure your proposal represents different perspectives and the breadth of your field. As such, it is important to include people with diverse expertise, experience, approaches, viewpoints, and people at different stages of their career. 

If the decision-making body has not issued a standard template that must be used for all submissions, you might find it useful to download our Bid Template to help you prepare your bid. Our template is provided in Microsoft PowerPoint, which can be saved as a PDF bid document, or adapted and used for a bid presentation.  

In addition to having clear responses to the key criteria, it is important to identify and articulate a compelling narrative for why Sydney is best placed to host the event. It is useful to consider:

• local strengths related to your field or industry that will benefit or interest international delegates (think about people, places and projects) 

• local gaps or challenges related to your field or industry that could be addressed or tackled in collaboration with your international peers

• unique selling points (USPs) that make Sydney stand out against any known domestic / international competitors.

BESydney has a broad network of suppliers that provide venue, accommodation and event services which you can explore via our online Supplier Search.   

Decision-makers often require bid proposals to include a preliminary budget. The bid budget is helpful to understand the financial implications of venue selection, proposed registration fees and to estimate sponsorship requirements. 

Relationships and connections can be highly instrumental in winning a bid. Find opportunities to engage international peers and decisionmakers in the lead up to the bid decision.  

It is useful to consider:

• what relationships do you or the Bid Committee have through your networks that can be leveraged to advocate for the bid to host in Sydney?

• are there other upcoming conferences or industry meetings at which you can advocate for Sydney as the host city?

• are there people within your network who will attend significant international events at which they can highlight the local sector and the benefits of hosting in Sydney?