Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a professional event management company capable of planning, programming, marketing, managing, and delivering the Garden Town and Harvest Parade events on behalf of Stellenbosch Municipality for the 2026/2027 financial year. The appointed company should ensure the successful execution of these flagship events, which aim to promote Stellenbosch’s heritage, culture, agriculture, tourism, and community participation, while enhancing destination appeal and economic development.

Scope

The scope encompasses comprehensive management of two major events:

• Garden Town Stellenbosch: Planning, coordinating, and delivering a festival showcasing private and public gardens, botanical exhibitions, workshops, markets, guided tours, and a flower parade with community participation and a botanical market.
• Harvest Parade and Blessings of the Harvest: Managing the parade, ceremonial blessings, awards ceremony, entertainment, stakeholder engagement, marketing, logistics, safety, and post-event reporting.

The scope includes stakeholder management, marketing and promotion, event logistics, health and safety compliance, volunteer management, infrastructure planning, reporting, and post-event evaluations for both events.

Technical Requirements

• Event Planning & Management: Develop detailed project plans, manage event timelines, coordinate stakeholders, and oversee all phases from inception to close-out.
• Event Concept & Programming: Develop themes, branding, entertainment, community participation, and experiential activities aligned with event objectives.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Coordinate with municipal departments, regulatory authorities, tourism bodies, community groups, sponsors, and service providers.
• Marketing & Promotion: Design and implement marketing strategies, digital campaigns, content creation, promotional materials, and media engagement.
• Operations & Logistics: Manage infrastructure, route planning, signage, volunteer deployment, accessibility, and compliance with municipal bylaws.
• Safety & Environmental Compliance: Develop safety management plans, medical and emergency response plans, crowd control, and sustainability measures.
• Reporting & Evaluation: Provide financial reconciliation, stakeholder participation statistics, and post-event reports within specified timelines.

Skills Requirements

• Experience & Track Record: Proven success in managing large-scale public events, festivals, or tourism events, preferably within the local government context, with references for similar projects over the past five years.
• Project Team Competence: A dedicated team including a project manager, operations manager, marketing/public relations officer, logistics manager, and event coordinators, each with more than five years of relevant experience.
• Technical & Creative Skills: Strong event conceptualization, programming, stakeholder engagement, marketing, and logistical planning capabilities.
• Safety & Compliance Knowledge: Familiarity with municipal bylaws, health and safety legislation, environmental sustainability practices, and risk management.
• Communication & Reporting: Ability to produce detailed reports, manage stakeholder communications, and coordinate multi-stakeholder activities effectively.
• Technical Proficiency: Competence in project management tools, digital marketing, content creation, and event infrastructure management.