April connectED Contracts Unlocked: Strengthening Agreements Through Smarter RFP Language – A Collaborative, Real-World Contracting Lab for Event Professionals

Contracting doesn’t begin with legal language, it begins with clarity. Large‑scale contracting conversations demand alignment and shared expectations long before documents hit the redline stage. This session brings planners and supplier partners together to explore how strategic, well‑defined RFP language influences negotiation efficiency, risk allocation, and the strength of final agreements.

Featuring perspectives from hotels, planners, A/V, production, and speaker management, this collaborative program examines how different stakeholders interpret the same clauses, and where expectations most often break down. Through open dialogue and real‑world examples submitted by participants, attendees will gain practical insight into crafting clearer scope language, reducing ambiguity, and setting the stage for stronger, more equitable partnerships.

Designed for event professionals at every stage of their career, this session provides actionable techniques that improve clarity, strengthen collaboration, and build more resilient agreements that support both business objectives and event success. This is not a legal lecture, it’s a working session focused on real conversations and real solutions.

Key Takeaways: 

• Strengthen RFP language to reduce downstream contracting challenges
• Improve clarity around scope, deliverables, and expectations
• Anticipate areas of risk across partners and apply language that mitigates them
• Navigate clause interpretation across hotels, planners, production, and A/V partners
• Apply practical, immediately usable language to future agreements

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Recognize how early‑stage RFP language directly impacts contract outcomes
• Identify common breakdowns in expectations across suppliers
• Strengthen clarity around deliverables and risk allocation
• Gain confidence negotiating without needing to “speak legal”
• Apply stronger language to support more efficient, collaborative negotiations

Why Attend:

• Gain insight from cross‑industry experts on today’s contracting realities
• Learn actionable strategies you can apply to your next RFP or agreement
• Build confidence navigating complex negotiations with clarity and alignment
• Engage in small‑group collaboration using real‑world clauses
• Leave with a post‑session compilation of shared best practices

Speakers

Mike Ferreira – Meetings Made Easy, Founder, CEO,  Industry Expert & Contracting Strategist

Industry Champions Representing:

• • • • Hotel Sales
      • Meeting Planning
      • A/V & Production
      • Speaker Management

Agenda

• 1:00 PM – Registration Desk Open / Check‑In
• 2:00 PM – Welcome Remarks
• 2:15 PM – Part I: Strategic Fireside Discussion with Mike Ferreira
• 3:00 PM – Break
• 3:30 PM – Part II: Collaborative Contracting Lab
• 4:30 PM – Part III: Session Wrap-Up, Small Group Takeaways
• 4:45 PM – Closing Remarks
• 5:00 – 6:30 PM – Reception

Who Should Attend

Meeting and event planners, corporate and association professionals, senior‑level event leaders, conference managers, and supplier partners involved in sourcing, contracting, or operational delivery.

Registrants will be given the opportunity to submit anonymized clauses, RFP snippets, or real‑world challenges prior to the event to shape the live discussion and ensure the session reflects what planners are navigating right now.

Continuing Education 

The PCMA Capital Chapter is a CMP Preferred Provider.  To ensure that you receive proper credit for attending this event, please be sure that you have opened a free account at (https://eic.learningbuilder.com/account/login) with the Events Industry Council BEFORE the event.

Thank You to Our Partners

Event Partners

Annual Partners

Purse Donation Drive – Benefiting Martha’s Table

Join us in supporting Martha’s Table, a Washington, DC–based nonprofit dedicated to supporting children, families, and neighbors with access to healthy food, quality education, and family support services. We invite attendees to donate new or gently used purses, which will be shared with women and families served by Martha’s Table. A purse can be a simple but powerful way to provide dignity, confidence, and everyday essentials to someone in need. Purpose Purses: Celebrating Strength, Honoring Progress – Martha’s Table