The RFP process is becoming harder, not easier – a subject almost everyone in the room recognised instantly at our most recent Pulse session. It was designed to bring clarity and confidence to choosing the right event partner, but more often it’s creating confusion, rework and frustration on all sides. Everyone agreed – the traditional process simply isn’t keeping pace with what modern events now demand.
This isn’t about capability, effort or intention. The issue is structural. Today’s events carry far more strategic weight than they used to: they’re expected to drive organisational change, build culture, influence behaviour, generate revenue and strengthen brand direction. Yet RFPs are often issued before internal teams have fully aligned on what the event needs to achieve, who it’s really for, and how success will be measured.
When that clarity isn’t in place, agencies are asked to deliver big creative ideas on tight timelines without a solid strategic target. Agencies/creative teams invest huge amounts of time developing thoughtful concepts, and clients review them with genuine care – yet proposals often still feel slightly off-track. Not because the ideas are weak, but because everyone is trying to answer different versions of the same question. When we align early, the friction disappears: feedback becomes focused, priorities stay consistent, budgets work harder and decision-making accelerates – so the creative lands exactly where it needs to.
One thing is clear: this is a shared challenge, and it’s solvable.
So what can we do differently?
The most effective shift is simple: alignment before creativity.
Before inviting ideas or issuing an RFP, hold a focused alignment conversation with the key decision-makers. Define why the event matters, what change in behaviour must it create, who is the priority audience, what does success look like – and how will it be measured. This doesn’t require weeks of recurring meetings or 100-page briefs. It requires clarity upfront.
In our recent blog around ‘Top Tips for Building Your 2026 Events Strategy’, Bethany Murphy from SentinelOne, put it perfectly: “When alignment is done right, the results speak for themselves – messaging lands with clarity, teams feel ownership, and the experience reflects the best of the brand.”
Once alignment exists, everything downstream becomes smoother and more strategic. RFPs become shorter and sharper. Instead of inviting fifteen agencies to guess, teams can confidently invite three to solve. Stakeholders can compare thinking rather than aesthetics. Feedback becomes directional instead of contradictory. Timelines stabilise and budgets land where they’re meant to, not where they end up by default.
And the impact is real
When teams align first:
- Creative becomes more original and more relevant, because it has a clear purpose.
- Decision-making becomes faster and more confident.
- Delivery becomes smoother, calmer and more predictable.
- Events become significantly more likely to achieve their intended impact.
At emc3, we build this alignment phase into the start of every major event because it transforms everything that follows. It turns the RFP from a maze into a map. It gives clarity instead of assumption. And it enables creativity to land with meaning and power.
It’s about keeping up with the pace of the industry. It’s a realisation that came directly from open, honest conversation at a recent Pulse event, the sequence needs to change.
If you’re gearing up for a flagship event, leadership summit or internal gathering, early alignment is what turns ambition into momentum. Our strategy workshop unites stakeholders around a shared understanding of purpose, sharpens the brief and builds clarity before creativity begins – so every idea lands with intent, and every decision drives progress.
Strategy first. Creativity second. Impact always.