How Partnering with DMOs Adds Value to Your Meeting

At this year’s IMEX, attendees weren’t just sporting sneakers for comfort—they were using them for creative activations, contests, branding, and as a personal style statement. This example highlights how branding and attendee engagement are evolving and the key role that Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) can play in adding value to meetings and events. In this article, we’ll explore the many ways partnering with DMOs can enhance your meeting and create unique opportunities for success.

Why Partner with DMOs?

Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) are crucial players in the event planning ecosystem. They help attract visitors to a location, promote local businesses, and contribute significantly to the economic impact of meetings and events. By collaborating with a DMO, meeting planners gain access to a wide array of resources, expertise, and local insights that can elevate the attendee experience and improve overall outcomes for their event.

DMOs are often deeply connected to their cities and regions, and their insider knowledge can help tailor events to take advantage of everything a destination has to offer. Whether it’s highlighting cultural landmarks, promoting local businesses, or offering logistical support, DMOs can be the difference between a good event and a great one.

Driving Attendance and Engagement

One of the most compelling reasons to partner with DMOs is their ability to boost attendance and engagement. DMOs are experts in promoting their destinations and have expansive networks and marketing resources at their disposal. This reach can help meeting planners promote their events to a broader audience, ensuring higher attendance and greater visibility.

Beyond promotion, DMOs can assist with creating memorable experiences by offering unique local attractions, cultural insights, and recommendations for activities that resonate with attendees. In today’s world, where people crave immersive and authentic experiences, these contributions from DMOs can enhance overall event satisfaction and increase attendee engagement.

For example, at IMEX, the use of sneakers wasn’t just a fashion trend—it was integrated into activities and contests that encouraged attendees to participate and engage more fully with the event. Similarly, DMOs can work with event planners to create engaging, destination-specific experiences that will resonate with attendees long after the event is over.

Creating Unique Branding Opportunities

Partnering with a DMO opens the door to unique branding opportunities that can set your event apart. At IMEX, attendees’ sneakers became more than just shoes—they turned into a creative canvas for branding and personal expression. In a similar way, DMOs can facilitate collaborations with local artists, influencers, and businesses to create custom experiences or branded items that reflect the local culture and add a personal touch to the event.

For example, a DMO might help a meeting planner partner with a local artisan to create custom swag or event merchandise, much like IMEX’s sneaker activations. These kinds of partnerships provide tangible reminders of the event while highlighting the destination itself, creating a stronger emotional connection between the attendee and the event.

Such partnerships help foster a sense of place and identity, adding a deeper level of meaning to the event and enhancing the overall branding experience for both attendees and sponsors.

Maximizing ROI and Economic Impact

DMOs also play a key role in maximizing the return on investment (ROI) for both meeting planners and the host destination. When you partner with a DMO, you tap into a wide range of services and resources that can save time and money. DMOs often have access to exclusive deals, discounts, and incentives from local vendors, transportation services, and venues, which can help meeting planners reduce costs while maintaining high-quality experiences.

Moreover, DMOs often have data and analytical tools that can help planners assess the success of their event. This includes tracking attendance, monitoring spending, and measuring the event’s overall economic impact on the destination. This kind of data is invaluable in making informed decisions for future events and demonstrating ROI to stakeholders.

Additionally, the positive economic impact of hosting meetings is not just about direct spending by attendees. When a meeting brings more visitors to a destination, it stimulates the local economy, benefiting hotels, restaurants, transportation services, and other businesses. DMOs excel at showcasing and maximizing this impact, making them essential partners in demonstrating the broader value of an event.

Building Long-Term Partnerships

A successful partnership with a DMO isn’t just about a single event—it’s the beginning of a long-term collaboration. DMOs can provide ongoing support and insights that help meeting planners refine their approach and deliver more successful events in the future. By fostering these long-term relationships, planners can benefit from the DMO’s growing knowledge of their event needs and objectives.

Beyond the logistical and marketing benefits, long-term partnerships with DMOs contribute to building stronger connections with the local community. These relationships not only support the growth of the event industry but also help strengthen the local economy and enhance the social fabric of the destination.

When planners work closely with DMOs, they can better align their events with local cultural and economic initiatives, creating positive, lasting impacts for both the event and the destination. These partnerships help ensure future success while reinforcing the sustainability and relevance of meetings in the destination.

Conclusion

Partnering with DMOs offers significant value for meeting planners, from driving attendance and engagement to creating unique branding opportunities and maximizing ROI. DMOs bring a wealth of knowledge, local expertise, and marketing power to the table, helping planners elevate their events and create memorable experiences for attendees.

By building long-term relationships with DMOs, planners not only enhance the immediate success of their meetings but also contribute to the local economy and community in meaningful ways. As the events industry continues to evolve, DMOs will remain invaluable partners in delivering impactful and memorable meetings.

Next time you’re planning an event, consider reaching out to a DMO to unlock the full potential of your destination and create an event that resonates with your attendees on a deeper level.

This article first appeared on Skift