RFPs are like online dating. The WORST KIND of online dating. Imagine an online dating experience where all users have uniform information provided, one picture (and there's no telling how old it is...), a host of clinical, antiseptic statistics and data, and from that information, you have to select a date and commit to more than just one rendezvous. You have to commit to 6 months of dating.

This is what RFPs do. They take vendors and strip them of their individuality in the hopes of surfacing an illusion of an apples to apples comparison. Stripping creative firms of their creativity while presenting their capabilities and their work, is like trying out a new starting pitcher by asking him to write an article about Steve Carlton.

There has to be a better way. In this panel, business development professionals will speak to the RFP process and other options. Ways to circumnavigate an RFP will be discussed. Creative alternatives will be outlined and the strengths and weaknesses of RFPs will be analyzed. If you are building an RFP now, this is your intervention. If a project looms on the horizon, learn about your options. If you like a good war story, we'll be comparing scars like Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws.

Let's start architecting a better process. Let's provide a solution that maximizes creatives' capabilities and speaks to clients' requirements, all while building a project team that collaboratively launches an amazing result.