Call for Submissions: Marketing, Public Relations and Community Engagement for AFA art house

Overview

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) invites proposals from qualified marketing and/or consulting agencies to support AFA art house in downtown Calgary. The successful agency will help increase awareness, attract group visits, build local partnerships and support the development and retention of an engaged audience.

The AFA is a public agency and a provincial corporation of the Government of Alberta with a mandate to support and contribute to the development of the arts in Alberta. AFA art house is an art gallery and multi-purpose event space that is dedicated to exhibiting the work of Alberta artists, including artwork from the AFA Art Collection. The AFA art house is also intended to support the revitalization of Downtown Calgary.

The gallery opened on September 10, 2025, supported by a partnership with the City of Calgary and Aspen Properties.

AFA art house is located on the second floor of The Edison, 150 9 Avenue SW, Calgary. The gallery is currently open Tuesday to Friday, noon to 4 p.m. It is free to visit.

Purpose and goals

The purpose of this project is to hire an organization with an intimate understanding of Calgary’s arts community and the local Downtown market that can both generate awareness and turn that awareness into meaningful visits and partnerships. The outcome is to support the AFA art house brand as a cultural destination, a platform for Alberta artists and a complement to other arts organizations.

• Increase visits, with a focus on organized groups and program-related attendance.
• Build awareness among people who live, work, study or visit downtown Calgary.
• Develop relationships with schools, businesses, tourism organizations, hotels, restaurants, community groups and arts organizations.
• Position AFA art house as a cultural destination for Alberta art, learning and community connection.
• Curate B2B partnerships on behalf of the AFA, and support AFA Board and staff in developing them into longer term relationships.
• Measure results and use evidence to improve outcomes during the span of the contract.

Scope of work

The successful agency will work as a strategic partner. The work is not a telemarketing contract and should not focus on producing unqualified contact lists. The agency must combine research, planning, public relations, outreach, partnership development and measurement.

Research and audience understanding

• Review available attendance information, past activities, current communications and local market conditions.
• Identify barriers and opportunities for group visits.
• Describe the needs, interests and decision process of priority audiences.
• Recommend practical ways to reach and motivate each priority audience.

Strategy and campaign delivery

• Create an integrated marketing and communications plan with activities, timing, costs, responsibilities 
  and measures of success.
• Develop and support the AFA to deliver public relations, audience development and local promotion.
• Support event promotion and other activities that can lead to visits.
• Build relationships with community, education, tourism, corporate and arts partners.
• Coordinate all public communications with the AFA project lead before release.

Outreach and handoff to AFA staff

• Contact priority organizations and assess genuine interest in visits or partnerships.
• Keep clear records of contacts, consent, discussions, next steps and outcomes.
• Create simple templates and tools as appropriate that AFA staff can continue using after the contract.
• Work with AFA staff, who will confirm and host group visits and manage long-term relationships.

Required deliverables

• Audience and strategy report, due within 30 days of the contract start. It must identify priority groups, barriers, opportunities and recommended actions.
• A marketing and communications plan. It must include activities, schedule, estimated costs, 
  responsibilities and measures of success.
• Campaign implementation and partnership delivery. This includes approved public relations, outreach, event promotion and partnership activities as described in the approved marketing plan.
• Monthly progress report. It must summarize completed work, campaign results, organizations 
  contacted, qualified opportunities provided to AFA, a reconciliation of direct media/advertising buys against the approved campaign budget, and next steps.
• Final report. It must summarize activities, results, lessons, current contacts and recommendations for future work. 

Measures of success

Proponents should recommend realistic targets and explain how results will be measured. Final measures will be confirmed with the successful agency. Measures may include:

• Attendance linked to campaigns, events or partner activity.
• Group visit inquiries, bookings and completed visits.
• Qualified contacts and partnerships developed and provided to AFA.
• Advertising reach, engagement and actions that show intent to visit.
• Use of outreach tools by AFA staff and partners.
• Work completed on time and within the approved budget.

Working arrangements and responsibilities

• The contractor must provide its own facilities.
• Routine meetings will take place online. The contractor must be available to attend the Calgary gallery when requested.
• The contractor will need to coordinate with AFA staff. Additional contractors (sub-contractors) not 
  included in the proposal must be approved by the AFA in writing prior to contracting.
• The contractor will be required to attend and provide support to events held at AFA art house in 
  Calgary.
• The contractor will be required to meet with the AFA Board of Directors upon request.
• All public-facing content requires advance approval from the AFA project lead.
• The contractor must clearly identify itself as an external marketing partner and must not present itself as an AFA or Government of Alberta spokesperson.
• All contact records, relationship notes, research findings and materials created under the contract belong to the Government of Alberta and must be provided in usable, editable formats.

Privacy and information management

The AFA is a public body. Alberta privacy and access laws apply to the AFA and to service providers handling information on its behalf. The contractor must only collect, use, share and keep personal information that is needed and legally authorized for this work.

• The successful contractor must follow Alberta’s Protection of Privacy Act (POPA), Access to 
  Information Act (ATIA) and applicable guidance from the Office of the Information and Privacy 
  Commissioner of Alberta.
• “Personal Information” is defined by POPA as recorded information about an identifiable individual, 
  including:
  • the individual’s name, home or business address, home or business telephone number, home or 
    business email, address, or other contact information, except where the individual has provided the 
    information on behalf of the individual’s employer or principal in the individual’s capacity as an 
    employee or agent,
  • the individual’s race, national or ethnic origin, colour or religious or political beliefs or associations,
  • the individual’s age, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, marital status or family status,
  • an identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual,
  •  the individual’s fingerprints, other biometric information, blood type, genetic information or inheritable characteristics,
  • information about the individual’s health and health care history, including information about the individual’s physical or mental health,
  • information about the individual’s educational, financial, employment or criminal history, including criminal records where a pardon has been given,
  • anyone else’s opinions about the individual, and 
  • the individual’s personal views or opinions, except if they are about someone else;
  • Before collecting personal information, clearly define the business purpose, the information required and how it will be used.
• Collect the least amount of personal information needed to complete the approved work.
• Tell the AFA where personal information will be processed and stored, including the country or 
  province.
• Identify the person responsible for privacy within the agency and provide the agency’s privacy policy and relevant security certifications, if available.
• Use appropriate safeguards based on the sensitivity of the information.
• Do not use personal information for another purpose or share it with another party unless the AFA gives written approval and the use is legally permitted.
• Notify the AFA promptly of privacy incidents, access requests, legal demands or other requests 
  involving information held for this project.
• Allow the AFA to review or audit compliance with privacy, security and contract requirements.
• At the end of the contract, return all required records to the AFA and securely delete remaining copies as directed.

The successful contractor will be required to confirm detailed privacy, security, record management and breach-response duties in the final contract. The AFA may complete a Privacy Impact Assessment before or during the engagement.

Contract conditions

• The contract is expected to run for 12 months beginning prior to November 17, 2026 (subject to change).
• The total fixed price must not exceed $74,999, including agency fees, expenses, advertising purchases and applicable taxes.
• The AFA, as an entity of the provincial government, is exempt from paying GST. Do not include GST in your pricing.
• The proposal must include all expected costs for the full contract period. Additional costs will not be accepted unless approved in writing through the contract process.

What to include in the proposal

1. Table of contents.
2.  Agency profile and relevant experience, including up to three examples of similar work in audience development, community engagement, public relations or local marketing.
3. Names, roles, short biographies and availability of the resources (team) who will work on the project.
4. Project summary, including all deliverables, and service delivery approach.
5. Work plan and timeline for the full contract period.
6. Itemized fixed-price budget and proposed payment schedule.
7. Privacy and information-management response.
8. No more than three additional supporting items (optional).

Evaluation

Eligible proposals will be scored using the following criteria:

Schedule

Dates may change at the AFA’s sole discretion.

How to submit

Email the complete proposal to AFAContact@gov.ab.ca before the submission deadline. Submit one consolidated PDF where possible. Download links may be accepted by special request when a file cannot reasonably be included in the PDF.

Late submissions will not be accepted.

Hard copies may be mailed or delivered to:

Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Capital Arts Building
10708 - 105 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5H 0A1

Questions

Contact Aaron Talbot, Manager, Strategic Communications, at Aaron.Talbot@gov.ab.ca or 780-289-3781. For toll-free calling within Alberta, dial 310-0000 first