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Mike Lancaster, Conference Co-ordination of CAT Publications 06/03/2008 [4]

The perils of going direct to DMCs

The March edition of M&IT hit my desk on a bad day. Most of the day to that point involved resolving issues with so-called sector-leading destination management companies (DMCs).

The article on page 13 (News) covering the presentation by Hugo Slimbrook of Ovation at the International Meetings & Incentives Conference (IMIC) in Athens did little to assuage my mood. He reportedly expressed the view that clients will increasingly cut out the middleman, working directly with DMCs (surely middlemen themselves). I wish the clients who tread that tricky path the very best of luck.

First, the proliferation of DMCs across the globe is relentless and, inevitably, creativity and quality of delivery varies enormously. Second, the fact that a DMC is well established appears, at times, to go hand-in-hand with unseemly high prices as deluded senior managers overestimate the added value they provide.

Successful agencies will work with carefully selected and proven DMCs in the very best interests of their clients - that's how they keep their clients. It's almost impossible for a client with a relatively small number of events to make an informed selection of a foreign DMC.

Hopefully, DMCs that encourage clients to work with them directly will not have a place with agencies - let alone the unwary client.

Stephanie Carrington, Indeprod of Campaign PR 07/03/2008

Less-than-ethical companies – in any line of business – will unfortunately always be with us and DMCs are no exception. But there’s no reason to tar them all with the same brush and it’s certainly true that ‘successful agencies will work with carefully selected and proven DMCs in the very best interests of their clients’.

Sometimes the use of a DMC is financially prohibitive or otherwise inappropriate. But accidents do happen, even during the most carefully managed trips. Say a client loses a passport, has money stolen, leaves his credit cards at home or suddenly becomes unwell. In these situations, the local DMC is invaluable. They know how to contact the local embassy, the simplest way to access cash, and where the nearest – and best – doctor is. They are familiar with the social and economic structures of the country in a way that no visitor can be.

There is also a CSR aspect to this: agencies that opt to use a local destination management company are directly supporting and contributing to the local economy through employment opportunities within local businesses.

Stephanie Carrington
Marcomms Manager
Indeprod

Huw Edmunds of iS Events 09/03/2008

I started to write a response to this thread. I hope I am joined by fellow onsite operational colleagues when I say that this person is not living on my planet.

If a client loses his passport - I can deal with it. I do not need a DMC.

I do not need a DMC to conact the embassy. I have a phone and am a skilled travel professional.

I have access to cash (?)

Doctors - funnily enough the hotel probably know the closest and best doctor. (having trained as one the best one may be unavailable!)

Arghhhhhhhh


Huw Edmunds
Events Director
iS Events

Terry Epton, CITE, DMCP of USA Hosts 13/03/2008

To the end user, both the agency and the DMC should not be seen as middlemen, but rather expert consultants who specialize in different parts of the bigger puzzle. Some client’s prefer to break out pieces and manage them separately. They feel comfortable booking their own hotel, but work with an agency to book air, perhaps manage AV, F&B, Registration, Speakers, etc. They may or may not contract with the agency for ground services, off site events, recreational activities, tours and the like.

I run a DMC company with multiple offices and a long time reputation for delivering exceptional transportation and event services. We work often with Agencies, Incentive Travel Companies and other meeting planning companies. We however are just as often contacted by corporations to provide the same types of services for in-house planners to meet their goals for their travel programs. Under both scenarios, they are our customers and we competitively offer and provide services that make the difference in the final product. What we do, that no one else can do, is bring our specialized knowledge of the destination that only locals experts can have.

We have long standing relationships with the supplier community, with the hotels, attractions, restaurants, transportation companies, the local authorities, etc. We manage our own destinations. There are a lot of right ways to get something done and it is often with us, the DMC working hand-in-glove with an Incentive Company, Agency or other planning company, but is also often with us being contracted by in-house planners from a company to deliver a destination experience. I cannot speak to the DMC that was referred to as “having a deluded impression of the value they provide”. I do know the resources our company brings to the success of a travel program is usually under compensated. I am sure that either an agency or an in-house planner coming to a destination and trying to deliver an exceptional, multifaceted program that chooses to eliminate the local experts is setting himself or herself up for a difficult project. I’m not sure what the risks on any project might be, but working with out a safety net is asking for trouble. The right DMC is an insurance policy on a well-run program. I’m not a middleman. I’m an expert at delivering exceptional programs in my destinations. When something goes wrong is when our value is most obvious. We lend our many years of experience and our long time local relationships to our customers, who may be an agency, and Incentive Company or a corporate end user. Whichever the case, we support our customer and their goals. I have never questioned or stooped to criticize their position or credibility regarding the business at hand. Trust in the logic that the local savvy your DMC brings is of great value.

Olga Xanthou-Kondo of Premier Destination Management Co Ltd 28/03/2008

Well Premier is a destination management company that is dedicated to one destination and only - Cyprus.

As such, we are constantly on the ball, can negotiate the best prices, are always up-to-date on any changes in the industry, the status and performance of all the local suppliers. This is the security we offer to our customers. Better than any contract!

In a world that is increasingly leaning towards specialization and outsourcing, our opinion is that the trio fo corporate client, events organizers and loca DMCs will prove to be the best bet.

Nobody knows a croporation's needs more than the company itself, nobody can ever know a destination more than the local DMC and the events organizers job is to find the perfect match at the best price in order to satisfy the client. We see ourselves as an events organizer's extension in our destintion working in partnership to serve the client.

We firmly believe that this is the formula for the future. That is why we work with our clients as a team, supporting each other for the benefit of all three parties. We know exactly who is responsible for what and complement each other seamlessly in order to deliver the best results.

It is important to protect each other and appreciate the time that we all invest in order to deliver a program, a proposal, an inspection, a holiday visit, an exhibition. At the end of the day It is all about people and if we all communicate correct will have the expected results.

Thanks!


 

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Katherine Simmons 05/03/2008 [2]

Quick poll - Olympic fair pricing

Visit London and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games is to create a framework for a fair pricing charter in time for the 2012 Games. Organisers and suppliers who sign up to the charter will be promoted to the International Olympic Committee.

Is this the best way to ensure London makes the best of the opportunities from the Games? What are your thoughts on the charter? Will you be signing up?

Katherine Simmons
Deputy Editor

Tracy Hogan of AXA 07/03/2008

I would be very interested in signing up to the charter.

Tim Cocking of vca consultancy 07/03/2008

I think this charter is a joke. The Government which has turned this country into an over-taxed and rip off priced tourism will not get our support.


 

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Sue Gill YES – Your Event Solutions of CAT Publications 04/03/2008 [2]

Poor loo and attitudes

I was interested to read your article on Country House hotels (Off the beaten Track, M&IT, March). I held an event recently at Bosworth Hall in the East Midlands for 120 people. We hired mini-marquees in the grounds for exhibitions and a large marquee for the gala dinner.

It’s such a shame that a venue in a good location, with a good impression as you drive up, is such a disappointment when you then arrive.

My room had someone else’s remnants left in the loo and the bath water left in. (Not good after a busy day in London and two trains and a taxi to get there!) We found the team unhelpful and inflexible for what we felt a super piece of business with the clientele in attendance (ie future business leads).

The numbers reduced considerably a few weeks prior to the event and there was no reduction whatsoever in food & beverage bill (as if they had bought the chicken in weeks before!) We were dealing with revenue-led personnel who didn’t care what future business we held. We won’t be recommending Bosworth Hall in a hurry.

Now Stapleford Park is a different story... albeit I have seen too many changes in management over the last few years. It seems the house is settling down and with Amanda Maskell back in the sales seat, business at Stapleford always seems appreciated and valued. I love Stapleford Park; I am yet to find somewhere as perfect for an exclusive use venue in middle England.

07/03/2008

While country house hotels do attract certain meetings and events business, we are increasingly finding that our clients are looking for more contemporary or ‘on-brand’ venues.



Country house venues should raise their game; if their service standards are under scrutiny and drop even further, coupled with the current trend for on-brand and contemporary properties, agencies and clients will definitely be looking elsewhere.



Our recent experience is that response times from country house hotels to enquiries can be slow and we have experienced a rather laid-back attitude at some from the initial enquiry stage – indeed, some of the more prominent ones are surprisingly arrogant about enquiries.



We even found recently that when we followed up our enquiry for further information, we were told that the initial rates we were quoted were wrong and would be increased!

Tina Morris
AddingValue

admin Voller of CAT Publications 11/03/2008

After reading MIT's March Mystery Shopper Survey of country house hotels, I was shocked beyond belief at the results.

As an event organiser who has regularly booked all of the hotels on the list over the past four years I was surprised at the survey results for Bosworth Hall. There must be some mistake? Bosworth Hall has been ranked third in the call connection/transfer test! Did the surveyors have some other magic number for the hotel?

Never in my experience has the phone been picked up before a good five minutes of letting it ring before then being constantly transferred from answerphone to answerphone.

The mystery shoppers must have been lucky that day, and I guess this just highlights that even with their high level of quality checking, many hotel's mistakes and problems can still unfortunately go unnoticed. Event organisers beware!

Adrienne Reed
FunRaising Events


 

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Richard Kidd of Yell Limited 21/02/2008 [1]

Junk Email

Why is it that every potential supplier thinks they have the right to bombard you with irrelevant emails. At one level we have to be open to new ideas and opportuntities but there are limits. I have never expressed any interest in hotels in the far east or anywhere outside the US and Europe yet they all seem determined to send me a stream of material. I am not a technical expert on training, in 15 years I have probably only bought chocolate commercially a couple of times and I have never hired an exhibition stand.

So much of my time is now taken up with blocking email from irrelevant sources and 'unsubscribing'(is there such a word?) from email lists that I find it hard sometimes to concentrate on getting any real work done. I checked my system and in the last year I estimate I must have blocked well over 1000 email addresses.

My pet hate are those companies that don't provide the facility to notify them that they have got the wrong man. Just occasionally I can track down a director of the email database company behind the list and there is a certain small pleasure in emailing him requesting I am removed from his list permanently. Whether it works I have no idea but it helps with the pain of trawling through so much dross.

I don't have a solution, in fact I cannot see the situation improving in the future. Sadly I suspect the intensity of email marketing will continue to increase over the next few years until the industries realise its limitations.

Anyway if you were, thanks for reading this - getting it off your chest is therapeutic even if it is at the expense of adding to your personal email mountain.

To post this mail I had to register on this site. I wonder how many additional emails that will generate before the end of the day?

Peter Turnbull of Corperactive Event Business 29/03/2008

I empathise with you Richard. It's only a matter of time before you receive email notification of your huge Nigerian Lottery win, an unmissable fake Rolex watch bargain or a bulk discount on Viagra.


 

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Susan Wright 13/02/2008 [0]

Atlantis - Royal Towers - Bahamas

Anybody out there operated an incentive to the Royal Towers of Atlantis Bahamas who can give me any tips. The place is huge!!!! I am hiring walkie talkies for my team....but I was just wondering whether anyone else has any tips to pass on to me before I travel in April.


 

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Katherine Simmons of CAT Publications 21/01/2008 [2]

Music in meetings – a quick poll

Do you use music in your meetings/events/awards to motivate or relax your audience?

Which songs work for you? And which tracks do you hate? I’d also like to find out which song gets your vote as the cheesiest tune of all time. Celine Dion? Tina Turner? Robbie Williams?
Over to you…

Katherine Simmons
Deputy Editor
M&IT

Mike Bell of Mike Bell 24/01/2008

Having helped produce innumerable awards shows, conferences, experiences and exhibitions I would suggest that any of the above, without some form of musical accompaniment, is a pretty flat affair.

I am, glad to admit, of being an age when ‘Simply the Best’ was THE track to play for an awards show/sales conference. But (even more gladly) we have moved on from those halcyon (Alan Partridge) days to a more refined set of expectations!

We now have bankers, hedge fund managers, salespeople, CEOs, whoever, walking into presentation spaces that appear, function and sound beautifully balanced. I now live in fear of the clients turning up, not only with the stick full of slides, but with their IPods and their own soundtracks to the event…

Lenn Millbower 01/02/2008

In Training With A Beat: The Teaching Power of Music (Stylus Publishing, 2000), I discuss the effective usage of music during events. Here are the five top styles of music to use during meetings.

Popular rock – Use to create excitement as attendees enter, to reenergize participants after focused and/or tedious segments.

Baroque – Use during the morning when the attendees are engaged in solo reflection or small group discussions. Bach’s music is ideally suited for this application. Stop using it when you sense that the meeting room dynamics require a brighter, hipper, happier mood.

Light Jazz – Use during the sleepy moments after lunch in the afternoon when the attendees are engaged in solo reflection or small group discussions.

Soundtracks – Use music related to your meeting theme to reinforce your message.

Dance music – Use as exit music so your attendee dance out of the meeting room.

If you select music with lyrics, remember to read and understand the meaning of the lyrics so that you do not undercut your intended message.

www.OffbeatTraining.com


 

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