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The beginning
Ground handlers or ground operators: The term was born during the 1960's. Starting a new business as a response to meeting and conventions planners'. They offered basic services operating in a single destination, such as:
1. Airport meet-and-greet.
2. Transportation.
3. Packaged tours.
4. Recreational activities for groups. -
DMC's name was coined in the U.S.
The term destination management was coined by Phil Lee, the founder of California Leisure Consultants, in 1972. The reason was to describe their role as logistics experts. Logistics is the procurement, maintenance and transportation of material, equipment, and people. -
Coming of age: Economic boom
During the economic boom in the 1980s, destination management companies (DMCs) flourished, expanding their role in the meeting, convention and incentive travel industry. The term DMCP appears, meaning Destination Management Certified Professional, individuals who have demonstrated the highest knowledge of best practices in the Destination Management industry. -
Period: to
Recession
During the late 1980s and early 1990s. More companies were competing for fewer dollars. Organization were forced to cut their meeting or recreation budgets. Suppliers like hotels, decorators and transportation companies began offering similar services. Some DMCs began traveling with their clients from destination to destination. -
Consolidation
In the 1990s we witnessed for the first time aggressive expansion and “corporatizing” of the destination management business through industrial investment and venture capital. Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, cooperative marketing agreements, and even franchise offerings changed the face of destination management. All of this created a dynamic competitive, and thriving industry where ibky the strongest survived. -
Financial crisis
The financial crisis of 2009 had another unprecedented effect on the meetings industry, and not just on DMCs. It was a “perfect storm” of economic, social and political scrutiny of corporate excess, namely travel and recognition events, leading to the sudden cancellation of thousands of meetings across the country. Many DMCs and event planning companies struggled to stay afloat, and some were forced to permanently close their doors. -
Globalization on the rise
Since the recession, the meetings industry has become much more complex, with procurement, risk management and financial oversight driving much of the purchasing process. Large meeting planning departments have been scaled down, and it has become more difficult for corporations to manage multiple suppliers across the country. Clients have said they prefer to work with locally owned and operated DMCs.