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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOmniplan Consulting, LLC Proposal - Strategic Special Event Planning Strategic Special Event Planning Proposal Omniplan Consulting, LLC, (Omniplan) is a strategy-based, problem-solving consulting firm operating out of Grand Junction, Colorado. The firm was incorporated in 2005, though it operated as a different legal entity beginning in 1996. Omniplan is entirely owned and operated by Ms. Kathleen Reed. Omniplan specializes in helping businesses achieve their objectives when they either are facing new challenges or wish to complete a new endeavor and do not know what to do. Ms. Reed's unique strengths include the ability to adapt to ambiguous, uncertain situations; identify and prioritize tasks to be completed and goals to be met; and develop unique, client-specific, cohesive strategic and tactical plans to address the situation at hand. Omniplan and Ms. Reed have completed a wide variety of projects involving the development of new programs and strategies, as evidenced in Attachment 1. In addition to developing strategies or new programs, Ms. Reed occasionally also assists in the new programs' implementation. Several past projects required developing a deliverable while working with multiple stakeholders that occasionally originally had conflicting requirements. With time and patience, Ms. Reed has been able to find common ground upon which all stakeholders could agree. Omniplan's suggested strategies, programs, and changes have been welcomed and implemented because each provides a simplified path for users to follow when previously there had been confusion. Throughout a project, Ms. Reed is willing to work with the quantity of client involvement that each client prefers. Although the vast majority of her work is conducted at Omniplan's office, if a specific project would benefit from it, Ms. Reed may occasionally be found working side-by-side with a client in the client's office. Ms. Reed is very willing to teach clients necessary skills and techniques so that they may become independent of her services if they so desire. Throughout the process, Ms. Reed will conduct her work in a manner that maintains her status as a consultant. Ms. Reed's formal training includes a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Environmental Management, both from Duke University. This training is regularly refreshed by Ms. Reed's teaching at both Colorado Christian University (CCU) and Colorado Mesa University (CMU); a list of subjects taught at these two universities may be found in Attachment 2. Omniplan Consulting and Ms. Reed will not have any confidentiality conflicts with other clients during the expected timeframe in which the Strategic Planning Consulting Services project would be completed. As mentioned previously, a list of past clients may be viewed in Attachment 1. Two slight logistical conflicts include courses Ms. Reed has already agreed to teach. These include one five-week entrepreneurship course for CCU and a semester-long regulatory compliance course for CMU during the Spring of 2013. 2 REFERENCES Three clients whose projects involved skills needed to complete the Strategic Planning project have enthusiastically agreed to serve as references. These individuals are as follows. • Ken Burns, CEO, E-Waste Recyclers of Colorado. (970) 986-4002 or (970) 200-4828 This client requested the development of a strategic marketing plan to help E-Waste Recyclers of Colorado develop and become the dominant recycler of electronic waste on the Western Slope of Colorado. While completing this plan, Ms. Reed taught Mr. Burns decision-making, prioritization, and risk management methodologies to enhance his managerial skills. • Larry Robison, VP, Six Dimensions Enterprise Solutions. (303) 814-0255 Mr. Robison will be able to speak regarding two, separate projects. The most recent project, completed for CCU when Mr. Robison was Director of Strategic Marketing, involved developing a new system for identifying and targeting prospective students for specific degree programs at CCU's Western Colorado Center (WCC) in Grand Junction. This system is being duplicated at other CCU centers. Completion of this project required that Ms. Reed work under the direction of multiple stakeholders, coordinate her efforts with those of multiple CCU employees, rely on her own initiative, and adhere to a specific timeline and budget. An earlier project involved creating and planning a "Community Welcome" event for CCU's WCC. Just as the previous project involved developing a model that could be replicated elsewhere, the WCC Community Welcome event was also the first of such events and served as a model for other CCU centers' Community Welcome events. This project required that Ms. Reed work under the direction of multiple stakeholders; utilize resourcefulness, strong leadership, and communication skills; adhere to a budget and a specific timeline; while also being self-motivated, self-directed, and highly organized. • Dr. Russ Walker, Department Head, Physical and Environmental Sciences, Colorado Mesa University. (970) 248-1162 Dr. Walker requested that Omniplan investigate the future need for a new degree program within CMU's Physical and Environmental Sciences department. This project was completed on time, within budget, and with almost no oversight by Dr. Walker. PROJECT METHODOLOGY AND SKILLS Please note that this section describes a methodology that is proprietary to Omniplan Consulting. This methodology is not to be shared with or utilized by the Town of Vail, the Commission on Special Events (the Commission), or any individual or company working for either the Town of Vail or 3 the Commission if an individual or consulting firm other than Omniplan is selected to complete this project. General Approach Omniplan expects to work closely with the Commission while completing this project. No time frame for the project was indicated in the Request for Qualifications; Omniplan is assuming a one-year period, beginning in January, 2013. If the Commission would like the project to begin sooner, Omniplan would be willing to discuss this possibility. All work completed by Omniplan is individualized for each client and will be for the Commission, as well. In order to do so, Ms. Reed will begin by developing a solid understanding of procedures and metrics that have previously been used by the Commission. While the project is being completed, Ms. Reed will plan to attend most, if not all, Commission and joint Commission/Vail Local Marketing District meetings. She will also need to discuss aspects of the project with Commission members and stakeholders. Doing so will enable Ms. Reed to learn what has worked, what has not, and this unique situation's specific parameters. It will also allow her to obtain feedback and decisions crucial for continuing the project. If necessary, based on the Commissions' feedback, Ms. Reed will modify her suggestions or find other possible solutions to problems. The periods in which the greatest amount of interaction with the Commission must be undertaken are likely to include the early phases of the project and times when key decisions must be made. It is expected that Ms. Reed will work more autonomously at other times. During the project, meetings will occur in Vail the vast majority of time. However, if the Commission prefers to save on travel expenses by using remote meeting technologies, Omniplan is very willing to do so. Project tasks will primarily be completed in Grand Junction while maintaining email and telephone contact. Optimization of the Special Events Calendar Several project tasks will facilitate the eventual optimization of the Special Events Calendar. It is unlikely that this optimization will be achieved during the project; instead, it will likely take years after completion of the project to achieve these results. Please be aware that an optimized calendar is a moving target, as events will wax and wane in both trendiness and attendance. The first step in optimizing this calendar involves precisely defining what an optimized calendar would entail. Omniplan Consulting regularly begins projects by more precisely defining the project goals. Many times clients come to Omniplan with either a general plan or goals they wish to achieve, but imprecision in those plans and goals contribute to the confusion and lack of clear direction they seek to resolve with the aid of Omniplan. 4 In this case, Ms. Reed will interact with the Commission, the Vail Town Council, the Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Council, and other stakeholders as appropriate to define what an optimized calendar would entail. This will involve defining goals in measurable terms and prioritizing these goals. In so doing, Omniplan will be able to ensure that the Commission's objectives align with the other entities' objectives, although there is no guarantee that the other entities will not later change their objectives. Because the Special Events Calendar will need to support the Vail brand, Omniplan will collaborate as necessary with all stakeholders in that brand name. It is assumed that these stakeholders meet periodically and that Ms. Reed will attend one or more such meetings. If not, Ms. Reed will either call such a meeting or hold individual discussions with those stakeholders. Omniplan will provide a decision methodology for selecting future special events. This will include a list of requisite and desirable objectives for special events. This list will be comprised of requirements of the Commission, the Vail Town Council, the Vail Local Marketing Advisory Council, and those necessary to support the Vail brand. This decision methodology will be somewhat similar to the Special Event Rating Grid already utilized by the Commission, but will further specify items already on the list and may add other items, such as increasing overnight visitation from domestic and international guests. This decision methodology will enable the Commission to more easily evaluate possible future events. If only one is proposed for a specific time slot, the Commission will be able to decide if it should accept that event or leave the time slot open. If multiple events bid for the same time slot, this methodology will help the Commission to more easily decide between the two. The methodology also encourages creative, "out of the box" thinking to develop options that meet the requisite criteria. This methodology has been used successfully for many years by government agencies and major corporations throughout the world. Omniplan has taught it to E-Waste Recyclers of Colorado, Greenenergy Solutions, and Bonsai Designs for use by their management. If needed, Ms. Reed could teach a prioritization technique to the Commission for addressing multiple demands. This technique also has been taught to and used successfully in government agencies and major corporations throughout the world. Metrics to Assess Special Events Omniplan also plans to develop a method by which the Commission can better measure the economic impact of each special event on the Vail community. Likewise, Omniplan will develop a metric or metrics to assess event attendance. Ms. Reed has developed metrics for measuring performance many times. She has done so for Bechtel National Inc, the EPA, and quite regularly when teaching classes. 5 Ms. Reed will need to learn more about how attendance and economic impacts are currently being measured before being able to suggesting improvements or new methodologies. The suggested method or methods may provide simple estimates or be more sophisticated and complex to obtain a more accurate measurement, depending upon the Commission's preferences. The Commission should keep in mind that Vail's economy without the occurrence of special events should be determined as a basis for comparison against special events' impacts. Strategic Planning Strategic plans will be developed at different phases of this project. The one-year strategic plan can be developed early in the project. The three- and five-year plans would best be finalized after the current special events calendar can be evaluated and an economic baseline be determined. Marketing: Tracking Efforts of Publicly-Funded Events, Monitoring Compliance, Assisting Event Producers in Complying with Checklist It is assumed that a checklist exists to help event planners meet the Commission's objectives for marketing their events. If so and it is desired by the Commission, Omniplan could help repackage the marketing checklist so that it is easier for event producers to follow. Multiple checklists may be developed as necessary, each tailored to a different size or type of event. If the checklist requires that producers must interact with numerous government agencies, Omniplan could help to find a way to streamline the process. When assisting with this portion of the project, Ms. Reed will draw upon her theoretical knowledge of and practical experience in developing both systems for compliance and presenting those systems in such a manner that people want to use those systems. If any portion of this section of the project required daily availability to meet in person with the event producers, it may be best to award that portion of the project to a Vail-based firm. However, if this need could be handled remotely by using technologies such as telephones, computers, and FAX machines, than Omniplan could meet this need. This need for interacting with event producers is the portion of the project most likely to grow in scope; hence, it poses the greatest risk for causing the project budget to be exceeded. Budgetary/Schedule Adherence Omniplan will utilize general time- and project-management principles throughout this project. If the Commission is accustomed to specific project planning software, Omniplan will use that software to plan and track the project activities. Time and expenses will be documented in Quickbooks. 6 Ms. Reed has successfully used these techniques to complete all deliverables of multiple projects on time and within the stated budget. Such projects have been completed for CCU; CMU; Science Applications International Corporation; Bechtel National, Inc.; the Environmental Protection Agency; and The Dow Chemical Company. It is expected that this project will be completed on a time and materials basis. Omniplan typically charges $110 per hour for Ms. Reed's time for the first 90 hours (equaling approximately $10,000) of work completed. Once 90 hours has been completed, Omniplan will discount the hourly rate by approximately 15% to $95 per hour for remaining project work. In is not expected that significant materials will need to be purchased solely for the completion of this project; however, if these materials become necessary, their costs will be billed to the Commission. Travel will be billed at government mileage and Vail-specific per diem rates as of the time of travel. This project requires the development of numerous deliverables, some of which are not precisely defined. The lack of precision is only mentioned because this type of requested deliverable can grow in scope over the length of a project and cause a budget to be exceeded. Having stated that, Omniplan will work with the Commission to reprioritize items as necessary to ensure that the most important project components are completed if any changes to the project are requested by the Commission. 7 Attachment 1: Clients and Projects Bechtel National, Incorporated Researched and developed strategic marketing plan for the multi-billion dollar environmental remediation market in Florida. Created tracking system for market indicators. Chemical Bank and Trust Introduced new banking plan. Responsible for implementation troubleshooting and ensuring all employees were trained in the plan. New banking was most successful new plan launch in the bank's history. Cloud Cover Hats Developed business plan. Colorado Christian University 1. Aided in the development of and provided event planning services to support the first "Community Welcome Event," later replicated at other CCU centers. 2. Developed new marketing methodology to target potential students for specific degree programs offered at the Western Colorado Center and coordinated permanent staff efforts. This methodology will be used at other CCU campuses to build their programs. Colorado Mesa University Investigated potential demand for new degree program in the Physical and Environmental Sciences Department. The Dow Chemical Company Developed corporate methodology to track product process through EPA's Toxic Substances Compliance Act regulatory and certification program. This system was immediately utilized. E-Waste Recyclers of Colorado Developed strategic marketing plan; provided management with coaching services. Environmental Protection Agency 1. Developed methodology for creating effective inspector training programs and measuring their effects on compliance inspections. 2. Developed regulations to implement Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The Fuglie Family Revitalized estate closure after eight-year delay, provided guidance to family. 8 Greenenergy Systems, LLC Developed business plan, provided coaching, and prepared project proposals. Heirlooms of Tomorrow Prepared business for successful sale to new owners. Mesa County Air Quality Planning Committee Assistance developing programs to maintain compliance with Clean Air Act regulations. Planning assistance for interacting with Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, and the public. Science Applications International Corporation/Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Developed plan for Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project's Department of Energy employees and all contractor/subcontractor employees to comply with the Emergency Planning and Community Right To Know Act, and all related Federal, state, and local regulations. Numerous small businesses and potential start-ups Business Coaching 9 Attachment 2: Courses Taught Colorado Christian University Colorado Mesa University Advanced Interpersonal Relations Atmospheric Sciences Business Communication and Report Writing Environmental Regulatory Compliance Business Law Introduction to Environmental Sciences Leadership and Management Managerial Decision Making and Problem Solving Marketing Organizational Behavior Organizational Theory and Practice Probability and Statistics Project and Program Risk Management