Request for Proposals: Visitor Guide Printing

ShelbyKY Tourism is seeking a qualified commercial printing vendor to produce the 2027 ShelbyKY Visitor Guide. We are looking for a printer that can deliver exceptional color accuracy, reliable scheduling, and high-quality output that reflects the award-winning character of our destination.

Timeline

All questions should be submitted to mason@visitshelbyky.com by June 5, 2026, at 5 PM EDT. Questions will be answered as received and posted to https://bit.ly/shelbykyvgquestions.

Staff Contacts

For questions or more information about this RFP, contact: 

• Mason Warren, Vice President, mason@visitshelbyky.com or 502.633.6388 OR
• Janette Marson, President & CEO, janette@visitshelbyky.com or 502.633.6388

Shelby County, Kentucky, with a population of 50,000, is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region, between the state's two largest cities—Louisville and Lexington. ShelbyKY offers authentic Kentucky experiences, including bourbon heritage, equine culture, history, and outdoor recreation. ShelbyKY is Your Bourbon Destination® and the Saddlebred Capital of the World™. More information about ShelbyKY is available at visitshelbyky.com.

The tourism industry contributes significantly to the Shelby County economy, and we are committed to strategic, measured growth that preserves our community character while expanding our visitor base.

At ShelbyKY Tourism, we take pride in doing good—and award-winning—work well. Our visitor guides are among our most visible and tangible deliverables, distributed worldwide and used by visitors to plan their ShelbyKY experience. Recent accolades for ShelbyKY Tourism include more than a dozen awards from the Kentucky Travel Industry Association for excellence, including the 2025 Most Innovative award for our scratch-and-sniff visitor guide. The 2027 guide must uphold—and advance—that standard.

We are looking for a print production partner to produce the 2027 ShelbyKY Visitor Guide. The selected vendor will be responsible for printing, binding, packaging, and delivering the guide in accordance with the specifications outlined in Section 5. Print-ready files will be provided by ShelbyKY Tourism's design team. Our priorities are:

• Exceptional color quality and consistency throughout
• Accurate reproduction of brand colors and photography
• On-time delivery to support our spring 2027 distribution timeline
• Clear, transparent, and competitive pricing
• A reliable partner who communicates proactively and meets deadlines

ShelbyKY Tourism's ideal printing partner meets the qualifications outlined below. If your firm does not meet all qualifications, we still want to hear from you—and why you think you're a great fit:

• Demonstrated experience in printing tourism or visitor publications, destination guides, or similar marketing collateral
• Familiarity with gloss text stock, roll fold binding, and saddlestitch production
• Ability to deliver a complete print run within budget and on schedule
• Commitment to transparent and itemized pricing
• Strong proofing and quality control processes
• Capacity to handle inside delivery with boxed packaging

All bidders must price to the following specifications. If you have questions about any specification, please submit them during the question period (see Section 9).

Additional Print Specifications & Notes

• The 8-page roll fold cover attaches at the back and rolls inward; vendors should confirm familiarity with this binding configuration. A copy of the current ShelbyKY Visitor Guide is available upon request if a physical specimen is helpful for visualization.
• Bleeds are required throughout; files will be provided with bleeds and crop marks.
• Print-ready PDF files will be provided by ShelbyKY Tourism’s design vendor. No design work is included in this scope.
• ShelbyKY Tourism has placed print runs of between 35,000 and 45,000 guides in the last four fiscal years and does not anticipate any major deviation from that range.

The selected vendor's responsibilities include:

• Prepress
  • Preflight review of print-ready files provided by ShelbyKY Tourism
  • Notification of any file issues prior to production
  • Provision of a hard copy press proof prior to the final print run
• Printing
  • 4/4 process ink printing throughout, with bleeds, on specified stocks
  • Cover: 8-page roll fold on 100 lb. Gloss #3 Text (or similar)
  • Interior: 32 OR 36 pages on 70 lb. Gloss #3 Text (or similar)
• Binding
  • Saddlestitch binding with the 8-page roll fold cover rolling in from the back
• Packaging & Delivery
  • Box and prepare guides for inside delivery
  • Preferred pack rate: 100-200 guides per box; bundled in quantities of 25
  • Inside delivery to: ShelbyKY Tourism, 219 7th Street, Shelbyville, KY 40065
  • Vendor is responsible for coordinating delivery scheduling with ShelbyKY Tourism staff

Proposals must be submitted as a physical hardcopy (see Section 10 for submission instructions). Please keep your response concise and practical.

• Pricing
  • Itemized pricing based on the print specifications (§5) and page count and print runs outlined in the pricing table below
  • All pricing should include 3-sided tabbing of 3,000 guides
  • Setup, plate, and proofing fees listed separately
  • Inside delivery costs to Shelbyville, KY
  • Any additional costs the vendor anticipates
• Experience & Samples
  • Briefly describe your experience printing visitor guides, tourism publications, or comparable marketing collateral. Include at least three recent examples and provide a physical sample or press sheet for each.
• Production Capacity & Timeline
  • Estimated production timeline from file receipt to delivery
  • Current capacity and any anticipated constraints in fall 2026
• References
  • Three recent clients, including contact name, title, phone, and email. Tourism or hospitality clients preferred.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Questions

Submit all questions regarding this RFP by email to mason@visitshelbyky.com. Questions are due by COB on June 5, 2026. Answers will be posted to https://bit.ly/shelbykyvgquestions no later than COB on June 12, 2026. Questions will be answered as they are received. You are strongly encouraged to submit questions before the deadline and to review previously answered questions to avoid duplicate submissions. Please include "RFP – Visitor Guide Printing Question[s]" in the subject line.

Proposals

Submit all responses to this RFP by mail to the address listed below. Proposals should be postmarked by the deadline listed in §9.

ShelbyKY Tourism
Attn: Visitor Guide RFP Committee
219 7th Street
Shelbyville, KY 40065

Emailed, late, improperly formatted, or incomplete submissions will not be considered. 

ShelbyKY Tourism reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. Submissions should not be considered confidential or proprietary, and submitting a bid does not guarantee a contract will be awarded to any bidder. ShelbyKY Tourism is not responsible for any costs associated with the preparation of a response to this request for proposals. This Request for Proposal does not constitute a commitment to award a contract.