Permission to be annoyed?
Alex Hewitt
Chief Executive Officer, event management expert & head of strategy for AOK Events
Earlier this week our brilliant venue finding team were given the opportunity to respond to an RFP from a large American drinks manufacturer. The Client was looking for an agency who could offer an experienced, knowledgeable and creative team to oversee their venue programme for 2018. I knew that AOK Events were just the team that they were looking for, using the wefindvenues platform.
We completed the tender, demonstrated our 17 years’ experience, guaranteed to negotiate amazing rates (all of which would be passed back) and offered a small rebate too, based on annual spend. But then we hit a stumbling block. The Client said that they would not consider our tender unless we agreed to pay all of the venue invoices on their behalf. For no handling fee. With 45 days payment terms.
Am I alone in thinking that this is an absolute outrage? We can of course afford to bankroll them, but why on earth should we? Surely it’s time for a revolution, not evolution and we all say that enough is enough. We have declined to pitch out of principal but I’m angry and I wonder who else agrees with me and whether anyone has any good ideas for our industry to stand up, unite and say that we are not prepared to be a bank to a company that has the GDP of a country the size of Luxembourg. Thoughts please…
Global Brand Experience Director | Growth Leader | Dot Connector
7 年Hi Alex, Great post. This is unfortunately not an isolated incident. Large companies like the one you allude to seem to think that it is such an honour to work for them and as such agencies and companies like us should take on additional burdens such as these as a standard protocol without question or charge. Frankly it's outrageous and you turning down this pitch on principal is the only way such activities can be stamped out. Unfortunately there is probably another company somewhere that want to please so much that they will take on this burden and these big company won't learn it's lesson. I hope that isn't the case and this company are told no wherever they go. Cheers Jules