As a Destination Management Company, our job is to promote the power of motivational travel. Through the client experiences that we help to create, we see first-hand the transformative power that an incentives experience has on an individual. These reactions, connections and successes help us as DMCs to constantly reinvent our offerings, creating new options to surprise and delight delegates and make our destinations come alive with unique experiences.
At the DMC Network, we know how important it is to practice what we preach. A few years ago, we took a look at the incentive opportunities that we were offering our DMC partners. While we had a great offering at a local level, on a wider scale we were not taking advantage of our global reach. That’s where our involvement with SITE’s Global Conference came into play. Each year SITE hosts their Annual Global Conference in an exciting location and create a great destination immersion program, stellar education and an opportunity to network with fellow industry professionals from around the globe. We realized that this was the perfect opportunity for us to take advantage of an already great program, and benefit by having an increased presence of DMC Network professionals present also.
We then created an internal incentive program whereby our partners could qualify for registration, flights, hotel accommodations and also bringing a partner to the event through meeting the annual set program metrics.
This was a way for us to support our fellow DMC Network partners at a global level, and encourage groups to move with us from destination to destination.
The DMC Network’s Directors Club is now coming into its 4th year, and has helped us increase our sales and reward our top performers since we created this initiative. As SITE says – motivational travel truly does create business results.
Having recently returned from the 3rd Annual DMC Network Directors Club in Vancouver we took the opportunity to sit down with a few of our winners to hear how what this program meant to them:
‘For me, one of the most important parts of my job as Destination Management professional is confidence. I want to be confident that I am up-to-date on the latest industry knowledge and best-practice and I know that an Association like SITE offers the senior level of education that I need. I also build confidence through my industry connections. Being afforded the opportunity to spend time with like-minded colleagues from multiple industry disciplines at the beginning of the year is invaluable to me. The DMC Network Directors Club offered me this opportunity and truly set me up for success in 2020.’
Corinne Youngholm, General Sales Manager – Arrangements Unlimited, a DMC Network Company
‘A big motivating factor for me is the opportunity to bring my husband – I work really hard to make sure I qualify for a level where my ‘plus one’ is also invited! As many people in this industry can relate to – I am on the road a lot, and often talk about industry colleagues that my Husband has not had an opportunity to meet. By qualifying for our Directors Club, I get the opportunity to introduce him to my amazing industry friends and colleagues! During the day when we are in sessions, he has the opportunity to explore a little more of the destination. My partner is thrilled with the experience, and that makes it all the more special a win for me.’
Cindy Hartner, Director of Global Sales, DMC Network
‘In many way, championing our DMC Network partners is already a no brainer for me. When you trust your national and global partners like we do, and truly know them individually, you are excited to share business with them and carry on the continuity of happy clients!
That being said, the addition of the Director’s Club to the DMC Network’s offering truly did give me that added incentive to follow through with each and every client on their future destinations and DMC partner choices. Travel is something that truly motivates me, and Vancouver has been on my bucket list for many years. Being able to attend the SITE Global Conference in Vancouver was a particularly exciting experience for me. The motivational speakers and breakout content were well thought out and offered great take-aways that I was able to bring back to my team to include in the way we operate. It also helped me to learn about the location. Vancouver is now a destination that I would highly recommend to clients for future programs. I hadn’t realized what a user-friendly city it is, and how many options to experience the great outdoors there was so close to the city centre- there’s nothing like being on site and experiencing those communities yourself to help you truly understand the options a destination has to offer.’’
Shannon Rodriguez – National Director of Sales – Imprint Group, a DMC Network Affiliate
