Thank you to Vice President of Global Sales Cindy Hartner for today's post!
“We’re there for you” isn’t simply a marketing tagline for the DMC Network. It’s a promise we stand behind, that speaks perfectly to how our DMC offices collaborate with clients, whether you’re an agency leader or in-house corporate planner.
I was honored to recently host one of our esteemed agency clients, former Vice President of Business Development Craig Seymour from Creative Group, to explore how the role of a DMC is evolving as business continues to roar back. Planners now are often looking for big, bold ideas and event solutions from their supplier partners.
Here are just a few insights from my conversation with Craig, that are relevant to anyone looking to better understand the unique talents and know-how that skilled DMC professionals consistently deliver.
Consistent, up-to-the-minute local expertise
During our conversation, Craig highlighted how his clients are increasingly interested in bespoke, never-been-seen-before event design elements that bring a true wow factor: and require an immense amount of local knowledge to source and soundly deliver.
If this sounds familiar, then I’ve got good news! A hallmark of the DMC Network is the independently operated nature of each of our partner offices.
This means that my role on the DMC Network HQ team is not to dictate what goes into each office’s proposal, when they work with someone from Creative Group — or one of the many other teams we engage with.
Instead, I trust that our DMCs know exactly what they’re doing, and are the proven destination experts who know what stands out most or is best suited for your event needs.
I then do all I can to make this huge amount of collective experience shine bright. This means our clients are confident they’ll benefit from the detailed and dedicated attention each of our DMC partners deliver, packed with genuinely local touches.
DMC Network members are known for getting our clients access to incredible VIP venues and entertainment, consulting on culturally appropriate décor and design, and other event components.
It’s this deep, incredibly personal local knowledge that differentiates our services from other DMC consortia.
Keeping budgets balanced
Let’s put an end to this myth: DMCs can play a major role in helping with budget savings, and are not budget-breakers.
Because they’re locally rooted in their source markets, our DMC partners are often tapped to help clients save time and heartache by sourcing the right solutions, in the most efficient, effective ways — often helping stretch budgets and delivering more for your dollars.
DMCs can bring unique negotiating power to the table, especially for program elements specific to the host destination.
We’re also wizards when it comes to finding alternative options, or sorting through options and discussing ways to help you save on shipping or import fees, too.
We pride ourselves, too, on being transparent with budgeting communications — something Creative Group and other clients have often complimented DMC Network partners on!
Trust your DMC partner to dazzle and delight
The real magic of DMCs though is most evident when you work with a DMC partner to align on an event vision and fiscal parameters to deliver a truly unique event experience.
Craig agreed during our discussion that the business of events — especially in challenging times, when budgets are tighter and the world can be a bit daunting — comes down to relationships.
It’s professionals not just working, but actually living in a destination, who have the proven expertise, trusted network, and oftentimes, decades of experience cultivating and growing those connections that make the difference and can deliver the best experiences.
If you want to stand out, engage, and delight attendees, then your DMC partner — and their network of relationships (especially DMCs that are part of a one-stop-shop like the DMC Network!) is just the place to begin.
I’m excited to jump into another year with all of our partners: let’s build better event experiences, together!
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