Ticketing Provider &

Event Management System Request for Proposals (RFP)

Release Date: March 19, 2018

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. RFP OVERVIEW PAGE 3

II. RFP PROCESS PAGE 3

III. ABOUT BCM PAGE 4

IV. SCOPE OF WORK – BRISTOL RHYTHM & ROOTS REUNION (MUSIC FESTIVAL) PAGE 5

V. SCOPE OF WORK – OTHER BIRTHPLACE OF COUNTRY MUSIC EVENTS PAGE 6

VI. SCOPE OF WORK – MARKETING PAGE 7

VII. SCOPE OF WORK – REPORTING PAGE 7

VIII. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS PAGE 8

IX. RFP LAYOUT AND INSTRUCTIONS PAGE 8-10

X. BCM CONTACT INFORMATION PAGE 10

APPENDIX A. BCM OVERVIEW (MISSION, VISION, LEGACY)

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Request for Proposals (RFP)

I. RFP OVERVIEW The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) has initiated a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to identify a vendor qualified in providing a ticketing and event management system for the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival (Festival) and other concerts at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Museum) and offsite. BCM is looking to contract with a vendor who can provide the Festival the following solutions: online and in-person ticket fulfillment, onsite ticketing support during the three day festival, vendor management, artist contracts, and volunteer management systems. Additionally, the vendor will also need to provide a ticketing system for concerts and special events held at the Museum and offsite throughout the year. This RFP will assist BCM in the selection of a qualified vendor with whom BCM will enter into a professional service agreement for the delivery of these systems. Please reference Appendix A to learn more about Birthplace of Country Music.

II. RFP PROCESS

RFP Issued Monday, March 19, 2018

All Questions Due Monday, April 2, 2018 Please send questions to bids@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.

Conference Call Thursday, April 5, 2018 BCM will schedule a conference call with each vendor who submitted questions by April 3. Calls will be directly with BCM and the perspective company.

RFP Due Tuesday, April 19, 2018 by 12:00 p.m. (NOON) Proposals may be mailed or hand-delivered to the Birthplace of Country Music Administrative Office during regular business hours. Any proposal received later than April 19th at 12:00 p.m. (noon), whether delivered in person or mailed, shall be disqualified.

RFP Review Proposals will be evaluated and BCM will narrow down the submissions and select the top two (2) to three (3) companies to proceed to the next round of the selection process. The selected companies will be asked to attend an in-person presentation.

Proposal Presentations & Final Evaluations Week of May 7, 2018 (Tentative Date) Please note all travel expenses to and from Bristol for the RFP Review meeting will need to be covered by the company submitting the RFP. BCM will not be responsible for travel expenses.

Selection of Ticketing Provider June 22, 2018 The selected vendor will be notified. Along with this, all other candidates will be notified.

Services will begin with Ticketing Provider October 2018

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III. ABOUT BCM

The Birthplace of Country Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to perpetuate, promote, and celebrate Bristol’s rich musical heritage; to educate and engage audiences worldwide regarding the history, impact and legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions from which we derive our name; and to create recognition, opportunities, and economic benefit for our local and regional communities.

BCM accomplishes this mission through its three primary branches (Museum, Festival, and Radio), special projects and events, and a multitude of community and educational outreach programs. A brief description of the three primary entities follows:

Birthplace of Country Music Museum – The Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, opened on August 1, 2014. The Museum is 24,000 sq. ft. on two levels. In addition to core exhibits the Museum also houses a large space for special exhibits, a performance theater, the radio station, a learning center and The Museum Store. The Core Exhibits are highly interactive and feature a number of video experiences as well as various artifacts relating to the 1927 Bristol Sessions and other aspects of Bristol’s musical legacy. The Museum has received numerous awards including the highest awards in its state organizations, and has been recognized for Leadership in History by the American Association of State and Local History.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion – The annual music Festival began in 2001 and has been a part of BCM since December, 2012. A 2015 Economic Impact Study showed that visitors to the Festival from outside the region had a $16.1 million impact on the region. The Festival generally hosts over 130 bands on 20 stages in downtown Bristol during the third weekend in September. Attendance has grown to approximately 45,000. Among its many accolades the Festival has been named as one of Rolling Stone’s “Top 20 Tours and Festivals”, and has won a Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festival and Events Association.

Radio Bristol – The station went live broadcasting from the Museum on August 27, 2015. Radio Bristol features a low power FM channel, three channels streaming different but related genres of music, and one channel streaming video. Streaming stations can be accessed online or using the Radio Bristol App on mobile devices. Radio Bristol is garnering attention from radio, cultural, and business organizations for its unique and innovative approach to history, music, and media. The station has listeners throughout the United States and in more than 140 countries.

Independently, each of these branches strives for excellence in bringing the arts to wide audiences. Together, the entities interact synergistically through collaboration, mutual support, and the ability to bring innovative thinking to important arts programming. For more information about BCM’s mission, vision, and legacy please see Appendix A.

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IV. SCOPE OF WORK – BRISTOL RHYTHM & ROOTS REUNION (MUSIC FESTIVAL) The following sections describe the various needs the ticketing provider should offer to support the Festival. TICKETING SYSTEM Selling and processing tickets (wristbands) to the Festival is a vital part of the event. The ticketing system needs to be able to process the following tasks:

Online ticket sales

In person ticket sales at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Process wristbands (possibly RFID bands)

Mail wristbands to customers who purchase online

Provide landing page for online ticket sales o Ability to capture customer information that includes name, mailing address, email address o Includes mailing and print at home delivery options o Process payment, accepts MasterCard, VISA, Discover, American Express using BCM processing

company. (In section 9, please include if BCM can use their own payment processing system, or if BCM will be required to use your credit card processing company.)

o Donations or Roundup options in payment process o Customer receives a purchase confirmation email – customizable o Customer receives a shipping confirmation email – customizable

Online/Phone Support during the year, including after-hours and weekends.

In-person support during Festival weekend. The Festival has six (6) ticket booths and eight (8) entry/exit points. The In-person support personnel will assist BCM with addressing any issues at the tickets booths or at any entry/exit point.

Provide easy to use sales equipment and scanners for six (6) ticket booths, and scanners for eight (8) entry/exit points during the Festival weekend.

Additional Information Tickets to the Festival go on sale in November before the Festival. Tickets remain on sale for 10 months, increasing ticket price throughout the year.

ARTIST CONTRACTS The Festival books approximately 150 bands annually. Contracts and riders are emailed to artists beginning in December of each year. The Artist Contracts portion of the system should provide the following tasks:

Maintain a master database that includes contact information for bands and booking agencies

Ability to input information to produce an artist offer sheet, artist performance contract, artist show advance document

Capability to add documents to the contract file

Process all documents to artists/booking agencies via email o Email template is customizable

All information exportable to excel

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VENDORS The Festival accepts approximately 100 food and craft vendors to sell their products on the footprint of the event each year. The vendor application process provides anyone wishing to participate in the Festival, the opportunity to apply online. Vendors can apply in January, February, and March. The application process closes at the end of March and vendors are notified of their acceptance or declination using this system. The Vendor Application needs to include the following:

Online Form that requests vendor information, contact information, and references.

Acknowledgement email that the application has been selected.

Information is gathered into an online viewable file

All vendor information is downloadable into an excel spreadsheet

Vendors can be notified within the system of acceptance or decline with a customizable email

Accepted vendors can pay fees online using MasterCard/VISA/American Express using our processing company.

VOLUNTEERS Volunteers are used in a variety of roles. During the Festival more than 800 volunteers are recruited to work shifts over the three days. The Volunteer Management System needs to include:

Online registration

Shift sign up capabilities

Confirmation email from system to volunteer, confirming volunteer shift.

System allows for extracting the volunteer information in numerous ways that provide management review and handling.

System allows for communicating, via email and text, with the entire volunteer base or with a select group

Check in and volunteer management on mobile devices (app)

V. SCOPE OF WORK – OTHER BIRTHPLACE OF COUNTRY MUSIC EVENTS The second area of ticketing is for all other events sponsored by the organization. These will include specialty concerts and weekly/monthly shows that are held at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum or offsite. The ticketing system needs to be able to process the following tasks:

Online ticket sales

In person ticket sales at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum

Provide landing page for online ticket sales o Ability to capture customer information that includes name, mailing address, email address o Includes mailing and print at home delivery options o Process payment, accepts MasterCard, VISA, Discover, American Express using BCM processing

company. (In section 9, please include if BCM can use their own payment processing system, or if BCM will be required to use your credit card processing company.)

o Donations or Roundup options in payment process o Customer receives a purchase confirmation email – customizable o Customer receives a shipping confirmation email – customizable

Provide two (2) scanners for ticket processing at events.

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VI. SCOPE OF WORK – MARKETING The BCM Marketing Team will utilize the ticketing system to gather patron data from ticket sales to incorporate into e-marketing and social media, as well as find ways to leverage the system to help the marketing team sell more tickets and improve patron retention rates. The following are key marketing features needed in a system:

Purchasing Process - Key elements needed for the purchasing process is to offer online ticket sales, that include no passwords or logins required to purchase a ticket. Also, incorporating key elements like emailing a receipt for purchase is important.

Mobile Friendliness - The mobile online site must be fully optimized and responsive.

Responsive Website - The online ticket site must be responsive.

Email marketing – An optional feature we are looking for is a ticketing system that offers CRM tools like email marketing platform, customer history tracking, social media integration, custom ticketing page, custom confirmation emails, etc.

VII. SCOPE OF WORK – REPORTING

It’s important to be able to pull reports quickly and easily. All reports should be viewable online and have sorting capabilities. Additionally, all reports should be exportable. The following is a list of reports the ticketing provider should provide:

TICKET SALES

Event Manifest

Gross Sales

Sales by Date Range ARTIST CONTRACTS

All details for Artists booked in a specific festival year

Artist contract details

Artist room list VENDORS

All details for accepted Vendors

Data from prior years

VOLUNTEERS

All Volunteers registered

All Volunteer assignments

Data from prior years MARKETING

Open rate of emails

Click through rate of emails

List of Bounce Emails

List of Opt Out Emails

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VIII. PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

All proposals should be received by April 19, 2018 by 12:00 p.m. (noon). Any questions about the RFP should be received by April 2, 2018.

Submit your proposals by mailing three (3) printed copies to the BCM office and emailing one digital copy to bids@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org. Mail copies to: Birthplace of Country Music Attn: Becky Littleton 416 State Street, Suite A Bristol, TN 37620

All proposals must include a statement of authorization to bid, signed by a principal of the responding company.

All proposals must use the proposal format outlined in this RFP. (See page 8-10)

Proof of Liability and Worker’s Comp – Provision of professional liability insurance will be required. Please include your limits of coverage.

Bidder status: bidder must disclose any relevant conflicts of interest and/or pending lawsuits.

Please note BCM reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for any reason at its sole discretion.

Evaluation – All RFP Proposals will be reviewed by a group of BCM staff members, BCM Board Members, and Festival Committee Members. When evaluating an emphasis will be placed on ticketing systems, and then evaluate additional features like vendor, volunteer, and artist management separately. The additional features are not required, but are encouraged to add to the RFP.

IX. RFP Layout and Instructions As part of your proposal, please address the following: A. Title Page

A title page of the proposal must include company’s name, website address, corporate address, and telephone number. Also include principal contact’s name and email address.

B. Table of Contents The proposal must include a table of contents.

C. Executive Summary Provide an executive summary of the ticketing system and approach your company plans to take to help BCM meet and exceed our ticketing needs.

D. Company Information o Description of company and core services o Organization capacity (staff size, location) o Resumes of key team members who will work on the account o Three professional references o Statement about company’s liability insurance and worker’s comp coverage.

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E. Ticketing Provider Requirements Please address how your company will address and meet the following ticketing system requirements:

o Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion o Festival Ticketing Solution

Provide overview of the following elements:

Online ticket purchase process

In-person ticket purchase process

Support throughout the year during business hours, afterhours, and on weekends.

In person support during Festival, include the number of people from team that will attend Festival and what their roles will be at the event.

Credit Card processing - Describe if BCM can use their own merchant services system, or if BCM will be required to use your credit card processing company. If using your processor, please include rates and fees.

Wristband overview – Detail the type of wristbands your company provides.

Provider ticket scanners for 15 entry/exit points, plus 2 scanners for office.

Landing page configuration

o Artist Contracts Provide overview of artist management system

o Vendors

Provide overview of vendor management system

o Cashless Opportunities Provide overview of cashless capabilities and cost

o Birthplace of Country Music Events

o Event Ticketing Solution Provide overview of the following elements:

Online Ticket Purchase Process

In Person Ticket Purchase Process

Credit Card Processing - Describe if BCM can use their own merchant services system, or if BCM will be required to use your credit card processing company. If using your processor, please include rates and fees.

Ticket scanner for museum, to use to scan printed tickets or print at home tickets before event.

Landing page configuration

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F. Ticketing Provider Process o Briefly describe how your business would approach setting up a ticketing system with the

Birthplace of Country Music. Include meeting schedules, reporting, major milestones, and evaluations.

o Include schedule/timeline of deliverables, such as major milestones and beta testing timeline.

G. Volunteers

o Provide overview of volunteer management system

H. Marketing o Provide overview of the following elements:

Online Purchasing Process Mobile Options Responsive Landing Pages Email Marketing

I. Reporting o Provide an overview of the reports available through the ticketing and event management

system.

J. Cost and fees o Provide a schedule of fees for the ticketing requirements in Section E. o Provide a schedule of fees for any additional costs or fees.

K. Salesforce Integration

o Provide an overview of how your ticketing system or event management system will integrate with Salesforce. If there is not a Salesforce integration, please detail in this area.

L. Additional Ticketing or Event Management Features o Provide any additional features available through your ticketing system or event

management system that was not covered in RFP. Include any cost or fees.

X. Additional Information or Clarification Info: Birthplace of Country Music

416 State Street, Suite A Bristol, TN 37620 bids@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org Please no phone calls

Contacts: Becky Littleton, Director of Finance Kim Davis, Director of Marketing

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Appendix A BCM Mission, Vision & Legacy

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Our Mission

The Birthplace of Country Music seeks to perpetuate, promote, and celebrate Bristol’s rich musical heritage; to educate and engage audiences worldwide regarding the history, impact and legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions from which we derive our name; and to create recognition, opportunities, and economic benefit for our local and regional communities.

Our Vision

The Museum, Festival and Radio entities that comprise the Birthplace of Country Music organization are all successful, respected, popular, and acclaimed, and are having a significantly positive impact on Bristol and its surrounding region – both economically and in creating recognition of Bristol’s place in the history of music.

Our Legacy

In the summer of 1927, just two months after Charles Lindbergh made the first flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis, and during the season that Babe Ruth was blasting out 60 home runs for the Yankees, record producer Ralph Peer of the Victor Talking Machine Company was making music history in Bristol TN/VA. Between July 25 and August 5 of that year, Peer conducted recording sessions using the new Western Electric electronic microphone during which 19 performers (or groups of performers) recorded 76 songs. Those sessions – the now famous “Bristol Sessions” – are known as the “Big Bang” of modern country music, and were called by Johnny Cash “The most important event in the history of country music.”

The 1927 Bristol Sessions featured the first recordings of both Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family. Jimmy Rodgers is now referred to as the “Father of Country Music” and was the first person inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Carter Family, featuring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter, is now known as “The First Family of Country Music” and are also in the Hall of Fame. The 1927 Bristol Sessions not only initiated the careers of these superstar performers, but initiated the broad commercialization of country music. Many of the songs and stylings of those sessions still resonate and influence the music of today. For these reasons, in 1998 the United States Congress officially designated Bristol TN/VA as the “Birthplace of Country Music.”