DMC + Event Planner = A Successful Event!

As a Corporate Communications Analyst at OCC and having worked in the marketing and event planning world for five years, I have seen how DMCs can oftentimes spell the difference between event success and event flop.  If you’ve never tried, you should consider bringing a DMC on board if:

• The number of expected attendees to your event over 100x the number of dedicated staff members you have working on executing it
• Your event located in a new, unfamiliar region
• Your event contains numerous components, i.e. lodging, transportation, reception venues, leisure outings, décor, gifts, etc.

Photo courtesy of Culinary Crafts and DK Event Planning and Design

A destination management company (DMC) is an outsourced, professional services company that specializes in event planning and event logistics. The job of a DMC is to represent you and your company, handling vendor negotiations and taking on the role as the local expert in the region where your event is hosted. Because they can leverage their purchasing power through their existing connections, their involvement typically results in the best quality service in the most money-saving manner. DMCs can pack a 1-2 punch by minimizing stress and cost.

DMCs are usually sought out when a company has to execute a large-scale corporate event with limited in-house resources and in a different city. DMCs are not subject to doing hours of tedious research on venues, reading reviews, setting up vendor meetings and the like because they’ve already established strong working relationships with the top local vendors. They are bringing you the most trusted and well-regarded companies to fulfill certain requirements of your program. This saves your company money and time, so the in-house staff can focus on other aspects, such as program content and marketing promotion for the event. 

Photograph by Krista Rossow, courtesy of National Geographic

DMCs also add that local flavor to your event, making it truly unique. As the authority on all things local, DMCs know the ins and outs of the location/region, and can infuse ideas into your event that you may not have considered. Hiring a local DMC would open you up to the inner circle and network of your particular location, giving you more opportunities to add unique components to your program, further enhancing the event experience for your attendees. Case in point: a DMC my company worked with this past year put together a fantastic Mardi Gras-themed parade for our conference taking place in New Orleans, and needless to say, our 500 attendees were blown away. It’s this kind of experience that all event planners and corporations want their attendees to leave with – memories of a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Here are some steps to locate and procure the right DMC for your next event:

• Contact the local CVB (Convention & Visitors Bureau) for reviews and suggestions of DMCs.
• Review the top 2-3 DMCs in your meeting/event location/region and submit RFPs (requests for proposals) and set up in-person meetings.
• Thoroughly review the proposals and make sure all of your questions and expectations are answered and addressed prior to going to contract.

Happy event planning!

Michelle Truong is a graduate student in Northwestern University's Medill School studying Integrated Marketing Communications [IMC] and will be graduating in June 2013. Currently working in corporate communications at OCC, she is interested in brand strategy and consumer insights.  You can contact Michelle via email, connect with her on LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter at @belleshell. For more information on DMCs, visit the Association of Destination Management Executives International at ADME.

Back to School: 6 Lessons Universities Can Learn From Corporations

 

We hear all too often that corporate leaders need to be aware of the latest academic research. On the flip side, university administrators could learn a thing or two from their corporate counterparts?  What you ask? Well, I’m here to tell you.

Rapidly changing technology means that the treasure trove of tools available to higher learning institutions is enormous.  The problem is, university administrators and a lot of faculty members don’t know how to use it as part of a larger goal to turn out more engaged students. Corporations have found technology to be an essential differentiator in a time when Wall Street standouts are obsessed with big data and customer behaviors. But research to better understand what is happening with education technologies, even in private education, is slow moving and heavily focused on K-12 environments.

In addition, many places of higher learning are still using the push model to share information with student bodies.  Many of the integrated solutions that are most effective for corporate giants, could be game-changing on a university campus.  As a new generation of learners comes of age, universities must embrace data-driven, student focused approaches to drive change. How can century old institutions expect to understand this up and coming group of learners?  These students will be hard-wired to learn differently. Having grown up using cell phones and tablets, touch screens and instant communication devices they will be even more accustomed to instant gratification, and will likely find traditional teaching approaches stifling and stale.  So how do universities innovate change to prepare?

Here are a few takeaways that universities can learn from innovative corporations facing the same uncertain future:

   

• Gather Data

Nowadays, data is power.  Uhh…did someone say Google? Like any smart organization, institutions should stockpile data to understand student needs and behaviors. The more schools can know about students, how they learn, how they gather information, how they behave in their dorms, in classrooms, in places of leisure, the better.  Luckily, universities are well equipped to study their closest specimen, the students themselves. 

• Focus on the Customer…err I mean student.

Where is the customer-focused approach at the University level? Schools should treat students and parents, to some extent, as customers. The number one priority should be learning and corresponding social development of the students.  

• Use Technology to Personalize & Engage

Embrace technology to serve the student body.  Allow tools, widgets and online platforms to enhance the great work already being done. Build user experiences to allow students to engage in curriculum development. Crowd source campus planning or allow every student to personalize his/her registrar page.  The opportunities here are endless.  The point is: The time for pushing curriculum and programs down the throat of students is over. 

•  Be Transparent

Some of the most widely talked about corporations (Zappos, for instance) are making changes and sharing them internally with their workforce but also with the general public.  Universities should share strategic goals with faculty, staff and students and invite them to participate in the process. Let’s ignite the student population and energize the student groundswell to help craft the college experience.

•  Consider Free Content

Sites like Khan Academy prove that universal access is the wave of the future. Stanford is also experimenting with universal access by opening up select classes to anyone with a web connection. The publishing and music industry are experiencing similar trends, with their customers demanding free content, anytime, anywhere. 

•  Measure Results

Once you gather data and implement programs, make sure to follow up by measuring results. Establish clear metrics and track university successes and failures. This step is critical to any organism that seeks to continually improve.

• Provide Structure

Universities need to institutionalize the use of technologies to encourage growth and innovation.  Just like corporations are quickly developing frameworks for social, mobile and local, universities should be exploring ways to share ideas and feedback quickly.

Given these six strategies, any place of higher learning could be more effective in their ultimate goal of fostering engaged students and developing contributing members of our society. Together, they will help universities learn from private-sector successes and be more prepared for the wave of the future.

Lesley Albright is a strategic marketing consultant and graduate student in the Northwestern Medill IMC marketing program.  She has spent eight years in interactive strategy, advertising and public relations.  Lesley is passionate about digital education, global brand strategy and coalition building.
Follow Lesley on Twitter @LesIoRants or on LinkedIn