RFP: 2024 Illinois Main Street State Conference
Illinois Main Street, a coordinating program of Main Street America, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and other partners, will host the 2024 Illinois Main Street Statewide Conference. The event seeks to provide outreach, education, and tools, as well as foster networking and innovation for communities working in downtown and commercial district economic development.
The host community will work with the Statewide Conference Direction Committee to set the registration price for the conference based on anticipated costs. The host community will be reimbursed up to $15,000 for expenses associated with the event. Illinois Main Street will handle the online registration process and fee collection. The host community will seek sponsorships or in-kind donations to assist with the planning and management of the event. The host community and Illinois Main Street / Main Street America will sign a Memorandum of Agreement.
The conference will begin with an informal Opening Celebration on the first day evening that can highlight local flavor and acquaint participants with the culture and resources of your town. Concurrent break-out sessions with a blend of downtown economic development, organization, community revitalization, local-government, small scale development, housing, and preservation topics, will begin on second day morning, followed by an optional all-conference Keynote Luncheon, afternoon break-out sessions, and an evening Awards Dinner. Third day will include concurrent break-out sessions, followed by a Closing Plenary Lunch Session and optional tours and/or workshops that will end by no later than 3:00 pm.
Proposals must include responses, however preliminary, to all questions posed in this RFP. The deadline for proposals is 5:00pm on Friday, June 14, 2024. All submissions and/or questions must be submitted electronically by email to Erik Reader, Director of Illinois Main Street at ereader@mainstreet.org.
Released: 5/15/24
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Illinois Main Street Statewide Conference
A. Contact Information
Please provide the following:
1. Applicants’ lead-agency/organization contact name, phone, address, and email.
2. Community’s local historic-preservation government contact information.
3. Community’s Main Street organization contact information.
B. Available Dates
Possible dates for the 2024 Statewide Conference:
1. Tuesday – Thursday, October 15-17
2. Tuesday – Thursday, October 22-24
3. Tuesday – Thursday, November 12-14 (Lt. Governor Preferred Dates)
If all required facilities are available for more than one set of dates, the Statewide Conference Direction Committee will work with your community to select the final dates.
1. Please propose one or more sets of dates.
2. Please list the festivals, citywide activities, and other events that are usually held in your community that will coincide with your proposed dates.
C. Fundraising and Community Support
The local conference host is expected to solicit sponsorships (i.e., grants, financial support, in-kind donations), local organizing expertise, and volunteer labor. Preference will be given to proposals offering firm commitments from identified sources. During the conference, there must be at least 15 local volunteers available at any one time who will assist with the running of the conference (i.e., registration assistance, room set up).
1. Describe why your community is the best location for the Illinois Main Street Conference. (250 words max) Be creative and sell your community’s unique features.
2. Please list the organizations and agencies that are anticipated to provide either monetary or non-monetary support (i.e., logistics, tours/events, volunteers).
D. Location and Lodging
1. Please list the community’s attractions, museums, restaurants, and retailers open in the evenings. Can or will they be open in the evenings during the conference?
2. Describe possible conference tours that will focus on historic preservation, small scale and other property development, or local historic landmarks or districts (examples: preservation successes, upper-story housing, walking tours highlighting adaptive-reuse projects). Include suggestions for guided tours, walking tours that may begin from conference site, bus tours, or mobile workshop locations. Include estimated travel times/distances and any anticipated costs for each.
3. Please provide the contact information and preliminary pricing for hotels, anticipating approximately 100 rooms per night for two nights. It is encouraged to provide accommodations at more than one hotel and that the conference room rate is the state lodging rate for your area. There should be a direct bill option for guests. If there are alternative lodging formats, please include them in your proposal. The conference attendance projection is 150-200 attendees.
E. Conference Facilities
Preference will be given to applicants who locate a majority of the conference and facilities within a designated Main Street or historic district. Conference venues may be located in or near the conference hotel in one location or in multiple buildings in close proximity so participants can quickly walk between them. All facilities should be ADA accessible.
1. Please describe the locations for the following activities:
§ Registration: area should be convenient to conference session locations. Rectangular tables and chairs for eight must be provided.
§ Opening Celebration (First evening): location must accommodate approximately 150 standing attendees and should be in a distinctive or historic venue, such as a private residence/loft, museum, library, historic building/site, etc.
§ Concurrent Sessions (Second day morning and afternoon and Third day afternoon): Three rooms/venues must each accommodate approximately 25-75 seated attendees with a clear view of a speaker and a projected presentation. They should be no more than 2 blocks from one another. The same three venues must be used for all concurrent sessions.
§ All-Conference Luncheon and Keynote (Possibly Second day): Location must accommodate approximately 150-200 attendees seated at tables with clear view of a speaker and a projected presentation. Lunch on your own also an option.
§ Awards Dinner (Second evening): Location must accommodate approximately 150-200 attendees seated at tables for a served, plated meal and with a clear view of a speaker and awards presentation. Risers may be needed, depending on the venue.
§ Closing Luncheon Plenary Session (Third day midday): location must accommodate a seated audience of approximately 100 with clear view of a speaker and a projected presentation.
2. Please provide websites of proposed locations for the Opening Celebration and Awards Dinner.
3. Please provide estimated rental fees for venues.
F. Food and Beverage
Please provide a summary of estimated costs for the following:
1. Opening Celebration for 150 (First evening): 2-hour hors d’oeuvres buffet (served or self-service), soda, water, wine, and beer.
2. Concurrent Sessions for 25-75 (Second day morning): Coffee, hot tea, water, juice, and breakfast-appropriate snacks, such as granola bars, fruit, small pastries, etc. If concurrent sessions are held at multiple locations, refreshments for 25 should be available at each location.
3. All-Conference Luncheon and Keynote for 150 (Second day midday): Buffet-style lunch with choices of salad, entrée, dessert, coffee, water, soda, iced tea.
4. Concurrent Sessions for 25-75 (Second day afternoon): Coffee, hot tea, water, soda, iced tea, and snacks, such as cookies, chips, a local favorite item, fruit, etc. If concurrent sessions are held at multiple locations, refreshments for 25 should be available at each location.
5. Awards Dinner for 150 (Second day evening): A served, plated meal that includes salad, entrée, and dessert. Coffee, water, and iced tea. Cost of the awards dinner will be defrayed by separate ticket sales. If applicable.
6. Concurrent Sessions for 75-100 (Third day morning): Coffee, hot tea, water, juice, and breakfast-appropriate snacks, such as granola bars, fruit, small pastries, etc. If concurrent sessions are held at multiple locations, refreshments for twenty-five should be available at each location.
7. Closing Luncheon Plenary Session (Third day noon) Lunch for 100: Boxed lunch containing sandwich/wrap, chips or similar, fruit or cookie, choice of soda or water. Price to be included with registration.
8. Tours (Third day afternoon): Bottled water for 25.
G. Additional Requirements
During the conference, staff may require access to a printer, photocopier, and small office supplies in close proximity to the conference site. Staff must have access to all conference locations by 12:00 p.m. on first day for set-up and on second and third mornings beginning at 7:00 a.m. The host must form a local conference organization made up of volunteers that will assist with planning, check-in, signage, tours, etc. A local conference chair must be identified.
1. Please provide estimated rental costs for the following AV equipment. The host must provide the equipment in all three Concurrent Session locations (Second day morning and afternoon and Third day morning and lunch), Second day All-Conference Luncheon location (if applicable), Second day Awards Dinner (If applicable), and Third day Closing Plenary lunch. There must be a technical person onsite to assist with the equipment as needed, as well as a photographer.
§ Appropriately scaled projection screen
§ Microphone and speaker system
§ Digital projector
§ Laptop
§ Extension cords and power supplies
§ Podium
2. Please provide a map of the proposed conference venues, lodging, parking, and restaurants.
3. Please provide an estimated per-person conference registration fee (to include closing lunch), estimated Awards Dinner ticket price, and estimated optional tour ticket price.
Conference schedule and details from 2023 may be viewed at www.ILMainStreet.org
Proposals must include responses, however preliminary, to all questions posed in this RFP. The deadline for proposals is 5:00pm on Friday, June 14, 2024. All submissions and/or questions must be submitted electronically by email to Erik Reader, Director of Illinois Main Street at ereader@mainstreet.org.