The initials DMC, in case anyone is wondering, come from the name "Destination Management Company". As it indicates, it is a company that specialises in one destination, or at least it should be. There are many DMCs in Spain, new or old, local or national, bilingual or multilingual, etc etc.
How do you know if a company or an outgoing agency, or specifically the Event Planner, should have the services of a DMC or better try to organise the whole stay of your group personally?
To find out, let's proceed to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a DMC for our event.
Let's start with the disadvantages. Or more than disadvantages, I would say warnings and advice to take into account when choosing a DMC to avoid the following:
- DMCs work with their suppliers on the basis of commissions or special prices to which they can add the margin they consider appropriate. There may be a significant price difference between them depending on the margin they have set. It is therefore not impossible for someone to make a proposal with a higher price than they could get by contacting the supplier directly. We recommend, in case you do not have a reliable DMC, to contact at least 3 agencies in order to compare prices and content.
- DMCs, particularly those specializing in one destination, may have a better relationship with one team than another, or better pricing conditions with a particular supplier or any other interest in bringing more clients to a space for whatever reason. As a result, your suggestions may sometimes lack objectivity. So again, our advice is to ask for several proposals.
- As we indicated before, the income of these agencies comes from the commissions or margins they add to the services contracted through them. Therefore, it is natural that they try to intermediate in absolutely everything that has to do with the event: hotel, transport, activities, excursions, celebrations, gifts, entertainment and much more.
- Many DMCs, generally located in the main cities, aim to cover the whole of the national territory, so they are not really specialised in destinations where they do not have an office or professionals of local origin. It is important to make sure you contact specialized agencies located in the region where you plan to take the group.
We have already listed some of the many advantages of a DMC:
- The undoubted saving of time since with a simple request specifying the services for which assistance is required, the Event Planner can receive ideas, options, prices of everything in one document and in an average of 24 hours, 48 at most.
- The DMC's mastery of the destination offers multiple advantages: the opportunity to discover and get to know special and exclusive sites that are difficult to access, a more or less objective evaluation of the sites and suppliers, a very wide network of contacts, the design of a personalised event and therefore the security of being able to enjoy the destination in the best possible way.
- A DMC guarantees 24-hour support and contact, and ensures that the programme is perfectly adhered to, from the group's arrival to its departure.
- Thanks to their experience with the different places and groups they have worked with previously, a DMC has the capacity to optimise all resources, both material and human, during the group's stay at the destination.
- A local team is used to handling unexpected, last minute requests, as well as to handling a crisis situation thanks to their know-how and the enormous amount of contacts mentioned above, which will serve to offer valid and quick solutions.
- Many DMCs have an international and multilingual team, which greatly facilitates communication between the client and the various suppliers. A single contact who speaks your language for anything to do with the group's stay and all the services contracted.
- For some time now, DMCs have offered the possibility of saving the full amount of VAT on services that companies have contracted with them. Therefore, contracting their services may be even more economical than dispensing with them and organising the event directly with the various suppliers.
- And the list of advantages goes on and on.
In short, we firmly believe that choosing a good local DMC, with experience, references, a dynamic and multilingual team, makes the task of the Event Planner infinitely easier and reduces the stress involved in planning and organising a MICE event, whatever the destination. In other words, it is a guarantee of success.
Event Planner Spain
