MKTGT1030 Supplier Criteria and Selection Assignment

Assignment:    3 – Supplier Criteria and Selection  

Course:           MKTG 1030               

Instructor:        Morgan Westcott

Evaluation:      10% of final grade

You are continuing your planning for an escorted group tour; this is part 3: Supplier Criteria and Selection. Provide the following information in a report of 1500 to 3000 words. Please use charts, graphs or other imagery to help illustrate your points. You must cite a minimum of five reputable sources (e.g. NOT Wikipedia) in addition to company websites.  

First, do some research on industry partners your company would work with. These are DMOs, associations or other groups that will help you network and build your reputation.

Next, create a set of guidelines for choosing suppliers for your tour. Overall, you want criteria that align with your target market’s needs and wants while balancing what works for your company.  Consider the following and write down at least three clear guidelines to choosing suppliers that you and your staff can use to evaluate potential partners. Not all of these will apply for your company, pick guidelines that make sense for you:

Rating: consider rating systems for that part of the industry, and determine what standards you’d like to see (e.g. Canada Select 4- or 5-star rating; TripAdvisor 4 or 5 bubble rating).

Branding: think of the company or property name, logo, signature décor, and other elements … does this tie into what your target market is looking for?

Environmental program: if this is part of your USP, what standards will you be looking for?

Value add/something special: think about the supplier’s ability to provide a unique and special experience to your guests.

Business practices: you will need to work closely with these suppliers – how will you know that they’re a good company to work with? (hint: this could be years in operation, awards, or memberships).

Customer service track record or training: how will you know that your guests will be happy? What will you look for?

Marketing reach and partnership potential: does it matter how ‘instagrammable’ the business is? What about their social media channels and marketing promotions?

Other: go back to your target market – what is it that they want to see?

Finally, you must start to consider the pricing of each element. Assume you can negotiate 15% off of rack rates (the advertised rate on that company’s website), unless they already quote group pricing on their sites. Make a mental note of the costs as you put the tour together, this will come into play later. As a rule of thumb, the more expensive the components, the more expensive your tour will be!

By the end of this report, you should also provide at least one example of these suppliers in each of these areas:

Accommodation: hotel, lodge, Airbnb, campground, etc. – name the company and the exact property and describe how it aligns with your criteria.

Food & Beverage: restaurant, pub, lounge, nightclub, winery, brewery, distillery, etc. – name the company and the exact property and describe how it aligns with your criteria.

Recreation & Entertainment: activity, sightseeing, shopping, sport, experience – name the company and the exact location and activity and describe how it aligns with your criteria.

Transportation: ground transfer, air transfer, water transfer, etc. – name the company and the exact vehicle choice and describe how it aligns with your criteria.

Travel Services: other tour operators, guides, storytellers, etc. – name any human resources or ‘people’ components you might include in your tour offering (including guides), how these will be sourced, and how this aligns with your criteria.

Note that the more “legwork” you do at this stage, the easier it will be to pull together components for your tour.

Criterion 1: Three industry “partners” such as DMOs or industry associations are profiled.

Criterion 2: A minimum of three supplier guidelines are clearly articulated.

Criterion 3: At least one Accommodation example is provided and aligns with guidelines.

Criterion 4: At least one F&B example is provided and aligns with guidelines.

Criterion 5: At least one Transportation example is provided and aligns with guidelines.

Criterion 6: At least one Recreation & Entertainment example is provided and aligns with guidelines.

Criterion 7: At least one Travel Services example is provided and aligns with guidelines.

Criterion 8: Uses graphs, charts, and images to tell the story.

Criterion 9: Formatted to business standards (page #, headings, consistent font) Criterion 10: Spelling and grammar is correct.