Digital innovation challenges traditional trust-based relationships in destination management sector

As DMCs pivot towards digital channels amid industry consolidation, experts debate whether trust-based relationships remain king or if online visibility is the new game-changer in winning client business.

As destination management companies reassess how they win work, a debate has opened between long-standing practitioners who argue relationships remain central and newer voices who say digital channels and strategic marketing can break the stranglehold of established bu...

Pia Santamaria, co-founder of consultancy DMC Accelerator, is firmly in the latter camp. “They are relying on other people to build their business. I find it insane to think that if you attend this many lunches and dinners in a year, it will bring you this many contacts.” After months of interviewing agencies about how they pick DMCs, Santamaria contends the sector’s traditional emphasis on in-person networking and membership of consortiums no longer guarantees access to business, and leaves buyers confined to a narrow pool of familiar suppliers. According to DMC Accelerator, the firm she helped found, many smaller, independent operators with fresh ideas struggle to reach buyers who rely on preferred-vendor lists.

Opposing that view, industry veterans stress the tangible value of trust forged face to face. Benoit Sauvage, who set up Connect DMC nearly three decades ago to serve programmes in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, said long-term partnerships are built on shared operational experiences. “Trust is reinforced by shared experiences. Walking a site together, solving a challenge together, having honest conversations over time. People want to work with people they trust and like,” he told Skift Meetings.

The inertia of procurement practices presents a practical hurdle for newcomers. Industry groups and agencies commonly maintain preferred-provider rosters and formal ties to DMC networks, making it slow and costly for independents to gain traction. Annette Gregg, chief executive of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, which represents hundreds of DMCs worldwide, recalled that corporate planners often rely on a single agency and cannot realistically evaluate vendors outside established lists when managing large volumes of programmes. According to SITE, its membership exceeds 600 DMCs, underscoring how concentrated sourcing channels can be.

Consolidation among global networks intensifies the squeeze. The recent combination of two major operators into the Cohera consortium , following the merger of 360 Destination Group and CSI DMC , illustrates how roll-ups can further centralise market access, industry observers say. Cohera has described the move as enhancing global reach and capability, but critics point out it can make visibility and distribution harder for standalone firms.

Yet the supply side is adapting. Several DMCs report measurable gains after investing in digital discoverability. Daniela Bikoulis, director of Metropolitan DMC & Event Management in Greece, said increased visibility on websites and professional networks, particularly LinkedIn, has translated into new corporate and third-party enquiries from clients who had never met the team in person. “Requests come via our website and social media, particularly LinkedIn, from people who have not met us personally. More than ever, we are converting business from new accounts who found us online,” she said.

The vetting process has also evolved, according to the Association of Destination Management Executives, which represents a broad cross-section of suppliers. Val Delaney, the association’s executive vice-president, said virtual site tours, video meetings and online portfolios are now common tools that often suffice to move a prospective supplier forward to a request-for-proposal. “Relationships still matter, but relationships today are built in more ways than ever before,” she said, arguing that the most resilient DMCs combine professional credibility, online visibility and genuine relationship-building.

Practical considerations temper either extreme. Planners prioritise risk mitigation and operational reliability when sending participants overseas, which sustains demand for trusted local partners and consortium affiliations. At the same time, rising procurement sophistication and the proliferation of digital touchpoints open the door for well-branded, tech-savvy independents to win business more quickly than in the past. Trade associations and buyer communities , from SITE to specialist planner groups such as Club Ichi and ELX , remain important sources of vetted recommendations, reinforcing that endorsements and peer networks still influence decisions.

The resulting picture is neither a wholesale abandonment of relationship selling nor its unchallenged supremacy. Instead, industry data and practitioner testimony point to a blended model: established buyers continue to prize the confidence derived from shared experience and proven partners, while market entrants who invest in digital marketing, transparent online portfolios and virtual engagement tools can penetrate procurement processes faster than before.

For smaller DMCs, the strategic choice is clear. Build demonstrable operational capability and third-party endorsements to satisfy planners’ risk filters, and pair that with sustained digital outreach so your work can be discovered without relying solely on a seat at trade-show tables or membership in a consortium. According to consultants and associations in the field, those who can credibly offer both trustworthiness and discoverability are best placed to prosper in a market where relationships remain important but are no longer the only route to business.

Source: Noah Wire Services