If you are considering hiring a DMC, you might have questions about what they are and which services they provide. What exactly is a DMC? Is hiring a DMC worth it, and what does a DMC actually do? Is a DMC just a fancy name for an event planner? Keep reading to learn more about DMCs, and to see if a DMC is a good fit for you or your company.
A DMC, or Destination Management Company, provides services and resources such as event planning, coordination and design, transportation services, tours, entertainment, logistics, and more. A DMC can provide as many or as few services as needed, but their purpose is to organize, plan, and execute events and activities in a city, typically for out-of-town guests. DMCs can assist corporate event planners, or they act entirely on their own. Most importantly, they are experts of their city. It can be overwhelming to not only visit a new city but to plan events and experiences in that location, so DMCs are there to do the work for you. A DMC is basically a one-stop shop and can provide every service you can think of when visiting a new city; they exist to help clients discover and enjoy the best parts of their city and to create a seamless and memorable experience. Hiring a DMC is the absolute best way to see the culture and unique flavor of a city.
A common misconception about DMCs is that they exist solely to mark up services. Why hire someone to provide services in a new city when research is free? While you could, of course, conduct extensive research and hire event and logistics professionals in a new city based on that research, the value in a Destination Management Company is that they have vetted vendors and built lasting partnerships over the years. It takes a lot of time, effort, and energy to research the intricacies of a new city, and after hours of work, you still won’t have the insider knowledge that a DMC does. When you hire a DMC, you hire a whole staff of experts who know the city, its culture, and its professionals like the back of their hand. A San Antonio DMC, for example, has worked with vendors in San Antonio for years and has built up strong relationships. From the outside, every vendor looks pretty similar. Many vendors have great websites and a solid sales pitch. A DJ is a DJ, right? Not necessarily. That San Antonio DMC has worked with dozens of DJs over the years, and knows who will not only show up to the event on time, but arrive early. They know which DJ is amazing at both reading the crowd and emceeing. That San Antonio DMC has worked with enough DJs (and venues, and transportation companies, and photographers, and more) to know who the best of the best is, which is something that is impossible to learn with a few online searches. The value of a DMC is the insider knowledge that they have spent years discovering and cultivating. A good DMC not only knows their city, but the people who work in their city as well. They have problem-solved for years, know the ins and outs of every venue, and have incredible relationships with vendors and other local professionals. They know the local traffic patterns, the best places to host a dinner, and have the best entertainment on-call. Basically, if you want to experience the absolute best a city has to offer, hire a DMC.
In Texas, hiring a DMC can make or break an event or conference because every city in Texas is so different. Many visitors think that Texas is homogeneous, and that if you’ve visited one city in the Lone Star state, you’ve visited them all. That couldn’t be further from the truth. While major Texas cities all have a proudly Texan identity, each city has its own unique flavor. Texas DMCs can help you discover the one-of-a-kind culture and history that each city has to offer. And while there are both boutique and state-wide DMCs in Texas, it’s definitely beneficial to hire a Texas DMC that is based locally in the city you are visiting. A DMC based in Houston knows the ins and outs of their own city, but if they don’t have designated staff in Austin, they might not have the same insider information that a local Austin DMC would have. Throughout Texas, each city is so different, even though they exist in the same state. If you’re planning an event or conference in Texas, hire a local Texas DMC. It’s the absolute best way to discover what makes each city, from Austin to San Antonio to Dallas to Houston, totally unique.
In short, hiring a DMC is the best way to get a group to experience a city like a local. DMCs have done the research and have the knowledge and connections to produce incredible events in their city. Good DMCs are market experts and problem-solvers, and take the stress out of event planning, whether its for a group of 50 or a group of 2000. If you’re planning a meeting, conference, or event in a new city, a DMC will create an incredible, individualized experience that focuses on the absolute best a city has to offer.
