Procurement plays an essential role in marketing and promotion, as it ensures that the process is transparent and streamlined to realise each and every activity. Undoubtedly, procurement is a major contributor to marketing and other departments in the organisation and is involved in most processes that go on through the daily workday.
At Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives), the nature of the procurement work done is different compared to other procurement departments in most organisations. Since the corporation is fully service-based, the department doesn’t just buy the required materials; everything it does is customised.
So, what exactly does procurement entail for MMPRC?
In general, the tasks of its procurement department include customs clearance, freight forwarding and logistics tasks as per requirements. It also involves activities related internal consumption material, such as repair and maintenance, as well as procuring stationery and office supplies.
Procurement for marketing activities is also a major component of the department’s tasks. While campaigns are decided by marketing, procurement takes over the board approvals and the processes for activities to begin as per organisation policies. The department is tasked with the production of promotional materials distributed at fairs and events for brand visibility. Managing promotional materials, such as stock keeping, distribution and warehousing is also an important task.
For fairs, roadshows and events, the procurement department is responsible for ticketing, including ticketing for FAM trip participants, as well as venue hiring for roadshows in different markets across the world as per marketing requirements.
In addition, it hires PR agencies to represent MMPRC in various markets around the world, including for FAM trips and roadshows. This includes hiring parties, evaluation, tender, awarding, and signing contracts. It also hires parties for stand constructions for fairs too, which is a similar process to hiring PR agencies.
Procurement is an instrumental component of MMPRC’s operations, aiding other departments in carrying out their work and achieving their targets. The combined efforts by MMPRC led to its attainment of the title of World’s Leading Tourist Board in 2022, a historic first for the nation.
