Tried and Tested

One of the main challenges of being a Belgian is to know how to source the best chocolates in town. There is simply so much choice! Life is indeed like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get – unless you tasted them yourself!

It’s the same with destination services; there are so many specialists around that it is not always easy to find the right one if you do not know the destination well. I have the luxury of having operated in this field for the past 20 years, all over the globe, and I was privileged to work with some of the best in the industry. At the same time, and thanks to years of experience, I worked with the most inspired and innovative talents whilst I also got to know and respect some of their major competitors.

Do you want me to source a DMC for you?

Based on my years of experience, I will gladly help you to recommend a DMC in the destination that you are sourcing for a future project. But I have some conditions and allowed myself some priveleges:

• First of all, my service will be free of charge to you! I have no fee based contracts with any of the DMCs that I recommend.
  
• Secondly, let’s be serious, any DMC local services are part of a bigger plan or project. And therefor I will need to understand the bigger picture. Why is the client organising the event? What is the purpose of gathering their community? Who will partake in the event? Do not expect me to work on any project without giving me a fully detailed brief of the event nor the desired outcome for the client and participant.
  
• Thirdly, I have heard the phrase ‘I don’t have a budget’ too many times in my career and I have the luxury of being able to turn down any project that cannot give me a budget indication. When a corporate, association or institutional client have an engagement project in mind, they have an idea about the scope and size of the project and that includes a budget range within which they will or can operate. So, no budget, no can do… sorry! If you are knowledgeable third party intermediary and your client has not given you a budget, experience will tell you what amount will be planned for the ground services of the local agency.
  
• Finally, one of the big things in the world of event management today and tomorrow is event design. A DMC is one of the key stakeholders in the creation of a perfect event, be it for a meeting, a city wide conference or an exciting incentive programme. What the industry has been doing wrong in the past was not to get the DMC around the event design table from the start. If taking an event to a certain destination is important for the customer, and they are willing to spend a reasonable budget for this, so are unique solutions, intimate destination know how, and creative added value that a DMC can bring to the table.
  Involve your DMC from the start and get their creative juices flowing to create the most unique experiences for your delegates or participants. We know that for signing a contract it would be too early but a letter of intent would prove your ethical approach from the start. Because 80% of the value of input of a DMC happens before the arrival of the group. On top of it, you will save a lot of time and effort yourself too because for them, it’s operating on tried and tested products and services with which they have an intimate and long term relationship.

If you are looking for an RFP form now, let me assure you, there is none. Just drop me a note on hugo.slimbrouck@gmail.com, use the contact button below or give me a call on +32475755273, whichever suits you the best . After that I will contact you back to set up a briefing call to fully understand the scope of your project.

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