The ICC is seeking to create a dynamic and engaging run-of-show or playbook for its Enhanced Citizenship Ceremonies that ensures a smooth flow, active audience engagement, and a lasting emotional impact for participants – both new citizens and community members. The desired experience should captivate the audience from start to finish and be organized and impactful even in transition moments.
Key Information
We collaborate with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to host citizenship ceremonies that transform the traditional bureaucratic proceedings into the memorable events they should be. We host approximately 60 of these per year. Our ceremonies take place at stunning iconic venues across Canada, like UBC Boathouse in Vancouver, Halifax’s Discovery Centre, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. These special events go beyond the formalities, incorporating engaging discussions where candidates can openly share their unique journeys to citizenship with each other and members of the community and enjoy some light refreshments.
Each ceremony features four special guests: an Indigenous Representative, a Performer, a Guest Speaker, and an Anthem Performer. A crucial element of our ceremonies is our commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples by fostering understanding, respect and collaboration with Indigenous communities. All our guests reflect the rich cultural diversity of Canada and add an extra celebratory touch to this significant milestone for soon-to-be new citizens.
ICC’s citizenship ceremonies last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. It is important to emphasize that, owing to our collaboration with IRCC in organizing these ceremonies, certain aspects of the ceremony are subject to restrictions and cannot be modified. We are particularly interested in hearing your ideas to enhance three specific sections:
- Welcoming the candidates and their guests from the moment they arrive.
- Enlivening the discussion portion lasting approximately 50 minutes, which currently features roundtable conversations.
- A post-ceremony reception, where we aim to infuse some fun.
Key Deliverables
- One (1) playbook draft
- One (1) MC script
- Three (3) potential rounds of revisions: two written revisions followed by a beta test before a final round of revisions.
Key Components
- Develop a compelling playbook that ensures a consistently meaningful emotional experience at all ceremonies, including techniques to increase the quality and consistency of contributions made by the new citizens themselves.
- Innovate the format for the run-of-show with surprise elements and foster audience interaction.
- Guarantee seamless transitions between different segments of the event for a cohesive and engaging experience.
- Integrate dynamic elements that keep the audience actively engaged.
- Demonstrate use of interactive elements, audience participation, or multimedia components.
- Devise creative strategies for using visuals, lighting, and audio to elevate the overall experience.
Budget and Timeline
The total allotted budget toward the enhancement of ceremonies is $7,500. Proposals must be submitted by April 1, 2024.
Timeline: The first draft is to be received by the end of May. We target finalizing the enhanced citizenship ceremony script for beta testing at the end of June before refining and finalizing the script for July. Subsequently, we plan to implement aspects of the new model progressively as we go.
The following payment plan will be implemented:
- Initial Deposit (25%): $1,875 upon contract signing to initiate the project.
- Milestone Payment (50%): $3,750 after completion and approval of the first playbook draft, ceremony script, and successful implementation of proposed enhancements.
- Final Payment (25%): $1,875 upon completion of all project deliverables, including revisions, approvals, and delivery of the finalized ceremony script.
Submission Guidelines
Given the integral role of community engagement in our ceremonies, previous examples of designing successful memorable experiences are vital. Experience working with Indigenous communities is an asset. The ICC Ceremonies team comprises five full-time staff members, with typically two staff members on-site during each ceremony. Today, they play the role of MC in addition to event and logistics planning. Budgets for ceremonies vary widely and we welcome big ideas, but if selected for this project, we may ask you to work within a specific budget.
We are seeking proposals that enhance our vision and are feasible for our team to implement effectively and reliably.
In your proposal, we kindly request that you provide the following:
- A portfolio showcasing your previous work, specifically highlighting projects aligned with our event requirements.
- A proposal limited to 1000 words, encompassing:
- Brief overview of your experience in designing memorable experiences.
- Your vision for the ceremonies.
- Any core questions your process would seek to answer.
- Some preliminary ideas for enhancing the overall experience or successful examples from other contexts that give us a sense of the direction you’re considering.
These elements will help us gauge your understanding of our objectives and assess how your unique skills and experiences align with our vision for dynamic and engaging citizenship ceremonies.
