Long considered an organization that strictly targets meetings for
industry professionals, the International Association of Convention
& Visitor Bureaus set out to broaden its scope, and last July
introduced its rebranded identity as the Destination Marketing
Association International (DMAI).
Organization officials hope the new brand will offer multiple
benefits. After extensive research, the association learned that
the terms “convention and visitors bureau” were “confusing, awkward
and had little or no recognition outside the travel industry.”
In addition to staying ahead of the curve, DMAI wanted a name
that reflects the purpose of its members, namely: that of marketing
destinations. The association also wanted a brand that would be
more inclusive of international destination marketing
organizations, as well as domestic organizations not specifically
targeting the meetings industry.
IACVB members were asked to vote, and overwhelmingly approved
the new name in July 2005. DMAI believes the name change has
already started to open new doors as 80 new members have signed up
since the change last year. This is nearly triple the previous
sign-up rate.
Of these new members, five have come from the international
community, bring the total number of countries represented by DMAI
up to 20.
Attracting foreign government tourist offices and expanding its
global reach is one of DMAI’s key goals this year. The association
will be opening its first international office in Brussels in early
2007. Plans are also on tap to investigate opening an Asia office
in the next few years.
One year after DMAI members approved their new name, they had
their first chance to convene under their new brand. From July
19-22, Austin, Texas, served as home of the DMAI Convention, which
was themed “In Tune With the Future” and capitalized on Austin’s
well-deserved reputation as music capital of the world.
By all accounts the convention was a big success, attracting
record-breaking attendance of 1,200 delegates representing 300
destinations. Ten international destinations, including Canada,
Australia, South Africa, Mexico and Korea were in attendance.
Tim Sander, bestselling author of The Likeability Factor,
keynoted the opening general session, and educational sessions
focused on such industry issues as crisis management, technology,
leadership, performance reporting internet marketing.
Destination Marketing Accreditation Program
The educational sessions are just the tip of the DMAI iceberg
however, as the association unrolled its plans to beta-test the new
Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). Convention and
Visitors Bureaus, as well as international DMOs, will soon have
their own accreditation program. DMAI officials state that the
accreditation program will ultimately “assure staff, volunteer
leadership and external stakeholders that the organization is &
performing at an acceptable level for the industry.
And while DMAI still continues to place a heavy focus on the
meetings and conventions industry, they are becoming more and more
focused on standard-setting for the marketing practices of domestic
and international destination marketing organizations.
In fact, DMAI officials are working closely with Yesawich,
Pepperdine, Brown and Russel (YPB&R), a leading travel industry
marketing, advertising and public relations agency, and will soon
unveil an 18-month plan to create awareness of DMOs as the
“official and trusted” information source for travelers.
The campaign will encourage visitors and industry professionals
to first consult with CVB and/or tourist office professionals
before turning to other less-trusted, and possibly more biased,
information sources.
For travel industry professionals seeking information an
destinations worldwide, DMAI offers a comprehensive member website
of travel information sources. The site provides a hotel search
engine, vacation package specials, a visitor experiences section
and a complete list of DMO home pages.
www.officialtravelguide.com
