Request for proposal: Event Management Services for the Expert Forum: REE & Battery Materials on 2-5 November in Turin, Italy

1. Background

EIT RawMaterials is a Knowledge & Innovation Community (KIC) established by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to strengthen innovation, education, and entrepreneurship across Europe's raw materials sector. Since its establishment in 2015, EIT RawMaterials has supported initiatives that contribute to a sustainable and resilient raw materials value chain. 

The Expert Forum: REE and Battery Materials is a flagship industry event bringing together stakeholders from across the European critical raw materials ecosystem. Participants include representatives from industry, policymakers, investors, researchers, innovators, technology providers, associations, and public institutions working across the rare earth elements, battery materials, mining, processing, refining, recycling, advanced materials, and manufacturing value chains. 

The Forum provides a platform for discussing Europe's strategic autonomy in critical raw materials, supply chain resilience, industrial competitiveness, innovation, investment, sustainability, circularity, skills development, and regulatory developments affecting the rare earth and battery materials sectors. 

The programme is expected to include keynote presentations, expert panel discussions, industry case studies, facilitated workshops, networking sessions, and stakeholder exchanges focused on strengthening European value chains for rare earth elements and battery materials. 

The 2026 edition will be held in Turin, Italy, from 2–5 November and is expected to welcome approximately 200 participants from across Europe and beyond. 

As an EU-funded initiative, EIT RawMaterials is committed to responsible and sustainable event practices. The selected agency is expected to reflect these principles in procurement, catering, production choices, waste management, and overall event delivery. 

2. Event Objectives

• Deliver a high-quality event experience for approximately 200 participants. 
• Ensure seamless on-site logistics, production, and operational delivery. 
• Facilitate discussions on rare earth elements, battery materials, circularity, recycling, refining, processing, innovation, and industrial competitiveness. 
• Provide professional stage, audiovisual, and technical production throughout the event. 
• Support stakeholder engagement, networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration across the European critical raw materials ecosystem. 
• Enable productive discussions that contribute to future EIT RawMaterials activities, partnerships, and industry initiatives. 

3. Scope of Work

The selected agency will be responsible for the following tasks: 

Venue & Logistics Coordination 

• Liaise with the selected venue and local suppliers regarding space allocation, floorplan development, event flow, catering arrangements, and operational requirements. 
• Develop detailed production schedules and event logistics plans. 
• Ensure accessibility compliance, contingency planning, and risk management. 
• Coordinate supplier access, loading schedules, setup, and dismantling activities. 
• Manage regular coordination meetings with venue stakeholders and report to the EIT RawMaterials project team. 
• Coordinate room layouts for plenary sessions, breakout discussions, networking areas, and working group activities. 

Participant & Registration Management 

• Set up and manage participant registration workflows, including confirmations, reminders, and helpdesk support. 
• Produce and manage participant badges and registration materials. 
• Manage onsite registration and participant check-in. 
• Prepare and distribute practical information packages for attendees, speakers, partners, and exhibitors. 
• Provide attendee support throughout the event. 
• Manage participant communications before and during the event. 

Programme Implementation Support 

• Coordinate speaker scheduling and programme logistics. 
• Manage speaker communications and briefing materials. 
• Coordinate rehearsals and technical checks. 
• Provide backstage management and speaker support. 
• Manage programme timing and transitions between sessions. 
• Coordinate moderators, panelists, keynote speakers, and workshop facilitators. 
• Support the implementation of panel discussions, keynote sessions, fireside conversations, and facilitated working group sessions. 
• Coordinate stakeholder workshop formats, including roundtables and World Café-style discussions where applicable. 

On-Site Operations 

• Provide a dedicated onsite event team for setup, event delivery, and dismantling. 
• Manage registration operations and participant assistance. 
• Coordinate room management and session support. 
• Coordinate exhibition, partner engagement, and networking areas. 
• Manage participant flow throughout the venue. 
• Oversee supplier coordination during the event. 
• Manage teardown, storage, and removal of event materials following the event. 
• Ensure smooth operational delivery across all programme areas during the three-day event. 

On-Site Materials & Production Implementation 

• Print, produce, and manage all physical event materials, including signage, banners, name badges, programmes, directional signage, and branding elements. 
• Coordinate transport, installation, and placement of event materials onsite. 
• Implement approved visual assets across screens and presentation systems. 
• Manage stage production, audiovisual equipment, lighting, sound systems, presentation management, and technical operations. 
• Coordinate technical suppliers and production crews. 
• Manage speaker presentations and session content delivery. 
• Facilitate onsite access and logistical support for photography and videography teams. 
• Ensure all production elements are installed, tested, and operational according to the event schedule. 
• Support branding implementation in plenary, networking, exhibition, and workshop areas. 

Financial Management & Reporting 

• Contract and manage approved subcontractors within the approved budget framework. 
• Maintain detailed budget tracking and provide regular financial updates to EIT RawMaterials. 
• Manage supplier invoicing and payment schedules. 
• Monitor project expenditure against approved budgets. 
• Deliver a post-event debrief meeting and final implementation report, including attendance statistics, stakeholder engagement metrics, operational learnings, and recommendations for future editions. 

4. Cooperation 

The agency will be engaged under a single-event contract covering the period from contract award through completion of post-event reporting in 2026. 

The contractor will be responsible for planning and managing project timelines to ensure all milestones and deliverables are achieved according to schedule. Regular coordination meetings with the EIT RawMaterials project team will be held throughout the planning and implementation period. 

The working language is English. All team members delivering the work are expected to have full professional proficiency in English. 

The contractor shall maintain comprehensive documentation covering all implemented activities and staff effort devoted to the project. Such documentation shall be made available to EIT RawMaterials upon request within three working days for audit or compliance purposes. 

5. Team Requirements 

The contractor is expected to provide the following key capabilities as part of the project team. Each team member should have a minimum of three years of relevant experience. Demonstrated experience delivering industrial conferences, stakeholder forums, innovation events, or policy-focused events in Italy is considered an asset. 

• Event Project Manager / Key Account Manager — overall coordination and primary point of contact for EIT RawMaterials. 
• Logistics Coordinator — venue liaison, catering coordination, supplier management, and operational planning. 
• On-Site Event Manager — management of event operations during setup and delivery. 
• Production & Technical Manager — stage production, audiovisual systems, lighting, presentation management, and technical delivery. 
• Production & Visual Assets Coordinator — event materials, signage, branding implementation, and onsite installation management. 

6. Budget 

There is a budget ceiling of €160,000 (VAT excluded) for the full scope of services. 

This ceiling is all-inclusive and covers the agency fee as well as all pass-through costs, including venue-related services, catering, production, audiovisual services, technical suppliers, branded materials, onsite staffing, subcontractors, and all other costs necessary for the successful delivery of the event. 

Tenders exceeding this ceiling will be excluded from further proceedings. 

7. Contact

Submit proposals to: communications@eitrawmaterials.eu