Event Bids

So, you want to have an MES Regional or National event hosted in a particular area. The below goes over the details of how to submit bids to the appropriate National Officer(s) or the MES Board of Directors with your Bid Proposals.

For National MES Events

Point of contact: contracts@nca.modernenigmasociety.org, nca@nca.modernenigmasociety.org

Timeline:

The NCA office requests bids in the fall, two years before each event. For example, bids for our 2020 convention season were collected in August and September of 2018. Specific dates and points of contact will be emailed on the national and regional lists for MESCON and regional conventions. Each region has an option to have a regional event every three years, generally in the spring.

Request for Proposal: The ANCA Contrats will also publish a request for proposal (RFP) for each regional event and for MESCON at the beginning of the contract season. The RFP contains information the event location (hotel, event venue) needs in order to quote an accurate price.

Please remember, the ANCA Contracts will establish updated requirements for each region and MESCON, as the numbers may look different for each event.

Sample RFP:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_YIYdBnoDlVQPTrCqJbAsqXraNHmPaUi79hhareGf9g/edit?usp=sharing

Sending in the bid:

Send in your completed RFP and any other requested documents to your regional point of contact. If you are unsure who that person is, your regional coordinator can tell you. If you receive no response from either of those people, contact both of the following: contracts@nca.modernenigmasociety.org, nca@nca.modernenigmasociety.org.

For Regional MES Events (Regional Showcase)

Application

Q: How do I apply for a Regional Showcase?

A: Please see the Regional Showcase Application Form.

Q: Is there a deadline for Regional Showcase applications?

A: No, however the process of getting the Board Grant approved can take awhile if the Board has a particularly deep list of items that needs covering at their twice monthly meetings. The NCA’s Office highly encourages RS applications be submitted to the NCA no later than 2 months prior to the event, but sooner is always better to allow prime coordination of services, budget approval, and event promotion.

Q: Who can apply for a Regional Showcase?

A: Regional Showcases should be applied for by the RC and/or the RST. If a member or domain officer is putting together the application, they should send it to their RC or RST first and have them send it to the NCA for approval.

Q: What if more than one domain wants to host a RS?

A: The RC and/or RST will decide which event will be the RS.

Q: Do we need Event Insurance?

A: The NCA’s office does not require event insurance coverage for Regional Showcases.

Available Resources

Q: Can we get props from MES?

A: Yes you can! You need to account for the cost of shipping, which will vary based on the items requested, but as long as the shipping is covered, you can request the items we have in storage. Include this request in your application and it will be arranged by the NCA.

Q: What kind of Charity Auction support is available for Regional Showcase?

A: The NCA Staff has an auction software that can be used to manage pre-event auctions and silent auctions. If your RS would like to use this, please include this in your application so we can ensure our software is setup to assist. Talk to the RST about potential auction items available from their office. The NST does not provide auction items for RS.

Q: Does our charity selection need to be approved by the NCA’s office?

A: No. If the regional office has standards for approval they want to set, they can, but the NCA’s office will not do so. If the RS staff would like feedback from the ANCA Charity on their selection, they can provide it, but the assumption is the charity will be one important to the hosting organization, be that the local domain or region.

Event Sponsorship and VIP

Q: Do Regional Showcases qualify for Event Sponsorship?

A: No. Event Sponsorship is for events managed by the NCA’s Office and, while RS are supported by the office, they do not qualify.

Q: Do Regional Showcases qualify for VIP?

A: No. VIP is only awarded for items laid out in the VIP document.