DMAP: Establishing Excellence Who’s accredited?
T
he Destination Marketing Association Inter- national’s (DMAI) Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), launched in 2007, establishes standards of perfor- mance for the destination marketing indus- try that serve as a benchmark for meeting and event planners to weigh a bureau’s ser- vices.
“A CVB that has acquired accreditation through DMAI has had to go through a very inten- sive presentation and examination of their policies, pro- cedures, mission and goals,” says Julie Warren of the Bloomington/ Monroe County CVB in Bloomington, IN. “This means that every aspect of the bureau has been scrutinized, from the way the orga- nization is managed to the service that it provides to its clients.” Resulting in a four-year accreditation, the program was designed for all destination marketing organizations (DMOs, also known as CVBs), regardless of organizational structure. The process of evalu- ating a bureau reveals its strengths and weaknesses in preparation for seeking accreditation, which requires stringent adherence to 54 mandatory standards. In addition, 33 voluntary standards are also in place.
“Just like any accreditation, it’s an honor to be recognized as 80
being the best of the best,” Warren says. “But it’s also about the process of analyzing your own organization, improving it and maintaining that level of excellence. Once you’re accredited, you have to live up to it.” The standards encompass governance, finance, management, human resources, technology, visitor services, group services, sales, communications, membership, brand management, destination development, research/ market intelligence, innovation and stakeholder rela-
tionships.
Accreditation of a CVB translates into reassurance for a planner that the bureau in question adheres to standards of excellence set in place by a recognized, professional industry association. “Being accredited means a CVB has accepted the standards of excellence put forth by DMAI and is going to perform at that level,” Warren says. “This happens in every department and in ev- ery experience we have with meeting planners, visitors or industry professionals. There are certain goals and experiences a bureau has to have in order to get accredited, so a meeting planner knows that this CVB recognizes the importance of their event and has worked on a similar project before, no matter the size or scope.”
MIDWEST MEETINGS WINTER 2011
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