Do you live in a great destination location for events and meetings? Would you enjoy taking in-bound groups on a tour of your city, or on exciting excursions, or to elegant restaurants for dinner? As an expert in your city and someone who would love to show off your home town to others, you'd be a great fit at a Destination Management Company (DMC).
Every major city (and many smaller towns) has DMCs.
What is a DMC?
A DMC is, to put it simply, a company that specializes in the logistics of events, meetings, and incentive meetings with in-bound groups in their home town or city.
Here are just a few examples of what a DMC might manage for a client:
Transportation for all attendees from the airport to the hotel; and also from the hotel to their off-site excurstions later that week.
Decor for the evening events at the hotel or venue; DMCs manage the "party" side to event planning.
Local entertainment suggestions and booking for the evening events at the hotel or venue.
Tickets to the hottest show in town for an entire group.
City Tours
Excursions: including (but not limited to) golf, horseback riding, ATV tours, hot air balloon rides, whale watches, boat excursions, ski excursions, snowmobile tours, shopping tours, etc. etc. ETC!
DMCs manage every detail from a "local experts" perspective. For example, let's say Mary the Meeting Planner has been asked to host an event for 200 people in New York City. The problem? Mary has never been to New York!
So Mary very wisely hires a local DMC in NYC to help her plan the details of her event. Her contact at the DMC will guide her in some of the following details:
The better of the two airports to fly into; the traffic flow for certain times of they day; and whether the event planning hotel requires permits for the buses to drop people off.
Ideas on which Broadway shows to treat her VIPs to; what nights are dark on Broadway, which shows have received the best reviews.
Which restaurants to choose for the group's "dine-around" night, which ones need reservations, which ones have private rooms, and what the dress code is.
The best decor company in town for her huge evening event.
What day is best to take the group to see the Statue of Liberty; the DMC secures tickets, arranges transportation, and sends local escorts along with the group so nobody gets lost.
DMCs also often manage, as I briefly mentioned, the decor and entertainment for every size of meeting or event. If you have a true creative flair, a sense for creative design, and a great imagination, you would be a great fit as a planner at a DMC.
So where do I fit in?
Again, if you don't have any experience in event planning but know you'd like to break into the industry, this is a GREAT way to start!
Most DMCs offer two types of positions:
In-House Planners: just as with the client company or event planning companies, DMCs do hire full-time staff to handle their events. There are often assistant positions to get your feet wet and learn the ropes; and then as you advance you can be the sole contact for a client (the event planner), with whom you will work closely to create her dream event.
On-Site Event Managers: Just like with corporate events and meetings, you can work as an independent contractor for DMCs. This is a fantastic way to learn about events without any experience. You will help the DMC with any project on which they need staff.
One day you might be at the airport (you know those people you see holding the signs, especially for large groups coming in? Those are either transportation companies (discussed later) or DMC people).
You might be asked to give a tour of your city, if you have the right background.
You might be asked to escort Mary's group to the Statue of Liberty (or whatever major attraction is in your city). It's your city, so you know which ticket gate to go to, where the buses can drop the people off - all the things that out-of-towners might not know. (For more on freelance on-site event planning management,
click here).
On-site DMC staff are paid hourly, at a rate which varies between cities and regions of the country. Network to find the "going rate" for your area.
To find your local DMCs, simply look up "Destination Management Companies" in your area. You can also get a list from the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Call the DMC, ask to stop by for an informational interview, or how to apply to be on-site staff.
Do you live in a great destination location for events and meetings? Would you enjoy taking in-bound groups on a tour of your city, or on exciting excursions, or to elegant restaurants for dinner? As an expert in your city and someone who would love to show off your home town to others, you'd be a great fit at a Destination Management Company (DMC).
