Project Overview
The Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) is seeking a qualified agency to provide design services and website support for Open House Dublin 2026, Ireland’s largest architecture festival.
Open House Dublin is part of the international Open House Worldwide network and gives the public free access to buildings, places, tours, talks, exhibitions, and city experiences across Dublin. Entering its third decade, the festival has grown into a major cultural event with strong public engagement and visually distinctive annual campaigns.
IAF wants one agency to handle both creative campaign design and technical website delivery, creating a unified experience across print, digital, and live festival platforms.
Scope of Work (Requirements)
The selected agency will deliver a combined creative and technical service package, including:
1. Visual Identity & Art Direction
- Collaborate with IAF to develop and refine the 2026 festival visual identity
- Align the campaign with the IAF brand system
- Manage art direction for campaign imagery
- Photography direction (where required)
- Image selection, retouching, and integration of still/motion assets
2. Marketing & Communications Assets
The agency will create a full suite of promotional materials, including:
Campaign Marketing
- Save-the-date graphics
- Email invite assets
- Social media content (approx. 8–10 assets)
- Meta advertising suite:
- 3 campaign concepts
- A/B test variants for each concept
- Outdoor marketing assets (digipanels, metropoles)
- Up to 3 print ad placements
Festival Materials
- Festival pocket guide
- Signage and wayfinding
- Merchandise (posters, tote bags, bunting, etc.)
- Participant/supporter toolkit:
- Social tiles
- Email signatures
- Banners
Reporting & Legacy
- Post-event wrap report/publication
- Associated social media assets
3. Website Maintenance & Development
The Open House Dublin website was refreshed in 2025, so no major redesign is expected. The main requirement is:
- Apply the 2026 visual identity to the website
- Update booking systems
- Improve map integration
- Ongoing maintenance, testing, and performance monitoring
- Fast-response technical support during the live event period
A critical support window runs through September–October 2026, covering pre-launch, live festival dates, and immediate post-event operations.
4. Delivery Expectations
The selected agency must demonstrate:
- Strong branding and art direction skills
- Website maintenance and live-event support experience
- Ability to work in fast-paced deadline-driven campaigns
- Experience with cultural, arts, or event-based projects
5. Multimedia, SEO, Accessibility & Security
The website should also include:
- Video hosting capability
- Interactive maps
- Virtual tours
- SEO and website speed optimization
- Compliance with AODA and WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards
- Security measures such as:
- HTTPS
- Secure login
- Data encryption
6. Content Migration, Training & Support
The selected agency will also be responsible for:
- Migrating content from the current website
- Testing and quality assurance
- Staff training on the CMS
- Documentation and handover
- Optional post-launch hosting, support, and maintenance
Key Dates
- Tender Issued: April 9, 2026
- Proposal Submission Deadline: May 7, 2026 (17:30)
- Shortlisted Interviews: Week commencing May 18, 2026
- Project Activity Begins: June 2026
- Campaign Rollout: August 2026
- Live Campaign Period: September–October 2026
- Festival Dates: October 10–18, 2026
Budget
The total available budget is €40,000 (including VAT).
This includes:
- Art direction
- Design services
- Production of assets
- Website development updates
- Website maintenance and support
Why This Is a Great Opportunity, and for Whom
This is an excellent opportunity for creative agencies, cultural marketing studios, design-led digital firms, and event campaign specialists.
What makes this project attractive:
- Recognized national cultural festival
- Strong design-first brief with visible public campaign assets
- Ongoing website/live event support revenue potential
- Multi-year relationship potential (2026 with optional extensions through 2028)
- Great portfolio value in arts, architecture, and civic culture sectors
It is especially well suited for agencies with experience in:
- Festival branding
- Event campaigns
- Public arts communications
- Website support during live events
- Integrated creative + digital execution
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