Request for Quote Proposal

Route 66 Grant Project Manager (Marketing & Communication Services)

3/28/22 - Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) seeks proposals from qualified individuals to provide professional project management in implementing a 15-month statewide integrated marketing program to support the development of tourism, education, preservation, and promotion of the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026. The marketing program includes trade shows, FAM (familiarization) tours, sales missions, travel campaigns, use of print, website and digital advertisements, email, and social media platforms.

The project will be funded with a Route 66 Grant from DCEO to certified Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVB) along Route 66 for the promotion, preservation, and development of Route 66.

The proposed project includes an integrated, comprehensive marketing strategy plan to set the stage for an unforgettable road trip experience.

The statewide integrated marketing program is a partnership between Heritage Corridor Destinations (The First Hundred Miles of Route 66), Visit Springfield, Rivers and Route of Southwest Illinois, and the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. The CVBs have long worked collaboratively on programs that serve Illinois Route 66 travel, tourism, and hospitality community. To maximize the impact of available funds, the partners collaborated to develop a coordinated program that works at national and international levels to support the resurgence of the hospitality sector as it recovers from the damaging effects of the pandemic. These four partner organizations cover the entire 300 miles of Illinois Route 66.

The tasks of the project management may include, but are not limited to, (i) development of marketing plan to promote Illinois Route 66 nationally and internationally; (ii) creative/design services; (iii) advertising/media placements; (iv) coordination of registration and collateral for trade shows; (v) sales missions; (vii) receptive tour operator (RTO) campaigns and trainings; (viii) grant reporting and compliance processes; and (ix) coordination with fiscal agent of funds.

Questions

What is the estimated budget for this project?

That’s what we need the Project Manager to identify and itemize. In the grant application, we submitted the following estimates:

We would be interested in submitting our qualifications for the creative and media management portions of this RFP. (but not the management position) Would that be possible?

Thank you for your interest in the creative aspects of the RFP; however, we are looking for someone to coordinate all the components. Should this grant come through – we simply don’t have the staff in place to manage all the components including the creative.

Do you need media costs submitted for the placements?

Yes, we need to contact the media options for contracts – we’ve already developed a quick marketing plan and have initial costs from all of them – but no contracts yet.

Are the CVBs and IL Route 66 Scenic Byway willing to consider the development of a more efficient domestic/international marketing and tradeshow plan?

Yes, we are open to a revised plan; however, we have identified the creation of new tradeshow collateral, participation at IPW, and printing of Scenic Byway visitor guides/maps as priorities for the project.

Will the project manager sell at IPW or coordinate and schedule appointments for CVBs/IL RT.66 staff or both?

The Project Manager will coordinate and schedule the appointments for the CVB staff. 

How many staff from IL CVBs and IL Rt. 66 will be attending trade shows/IPW?

Minimum of two, possibly a third for IPW Tradeshow. Only one person for Media Marketplace.

Are all travel expenses included in the outlined budget below (IL CVB Staff, IL Rt. 66 Staff, Project Manager, etc.)?

IPW travel expenses are outlined in their own line item; however, travel for sales missions, RTO summits, and FAM tours are included in those line items. Travel for these activities will be coordinated by and billed to the Project Manager.

Which international markets is Rt.66 targeting for travel trade and consumers?

For this time period, we are considering Ireland, Germany, and United Kingdom

Which international markets does IL Rt. 66 have representation in?

We currently do not have representation in any of the above suggested markets.

Do Rt. 66 partners typically sponsor your FAM tours? How are they typically funded?

Possibly. However, these FAM tours would come out of this Route 66 Grant budget – from travel and meals, to attractions and lodging.

Is the plan in the RFP the sole marketing effort to support the 100th Anniversary for Rt 66?

The plan in the RFP is the initial seed for the collective marketing efforts of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, Heritage Corridor Destinations, Visit Springfield, and Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau for the 100th anniversary. We anticipate other agencies/organizations (Illinois Office of Tourism, Brand USA, The Road Ahead Initiative, etc) will collaborate on the promotion as we close in on the 100th Anniversary in 2026.