Professional in Destination Management (PDM) Courses
October 1-2, 2019, in Sacramento
More educational opportunities for destination marketers in October in Sacramento! DMA West is partnering with Destinations International to bring you two pre-Education Summit courses, which are part of the Professional in Destination Management (PDM) certification program. Make the most of your time in Sacramento and attend one or both of the two pre-conference educational offerings—Fundamentals of Sales (October 1) and Governance & Finance (October 2). Each course includes a group breakfast, break and luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento.
See course overviews below. Register today
Pre-conference Session
Tuesday | October 1, 2019 | Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Professional in Destination Management (PDM) Course: Fundamentals of Sales
7:30am – 8:30am
Group Breakfast for PDM Course: Fundamentals of Sales
8:30am – 3:30pm
PDM Course: Fundamentals of Sales
Instructors: Kristin McGrath, CDME, Vice President of Convention Sales, Services & Sports, Visit Albuquerque and Wes Rhea, CTA, CDME, CEO, Visit Stockton
Beyond marketing, sales is a vital activity for most destination organizations. It’s not enough to simply do marketing. Destinations need to differentiate the role of both marketing and sales, as well as understand how they work together, this course will go beyond an introductory sales discussion to look at what these differences are and why sales are essential. For those with some experience or for those new to destination organization or DMO sales (0 to 3 years of experience). This is the perfect course to get you what you need to know to start selling. Some of the key topics covered include:
- Hotel Sales vs. Destination/DMO Sales
- Understanding Your Product
- Sales 101: Prospecting
- RFPs and Responding to RFPs
- Get to Know Third-party Planners and the Independent Planner
- Planning FAMs/Destination Previews
- Site Inspections
- Working the Tradeshow Floor
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Group Luncheon for PDM Course: Fundamentals of Sales
Pre-conference Session
Wednesday | October 2, 2019 | Hyatt Regency Sacramento
Professional in Destination Management (PDM) Course: Governance & Finance
Partnership Program | DMA West and Destinations International
7:30am – 8:30am
Group Breakfast for PDM Course: Governance & Finance
8:30am – 3:30pm
PDM Course: Governance & Finance
Instructors: Jack Johnson, Chief Advocacy Officer, Destinations International and Melyssa Laughlin, CDME, President & CEO, Visit Vacaville
There has likely been no time in the history of destination organizations where quality governance and finance have been as important as with the contemporary destination organization. With governmental funding often in flux, and financial models changing, successful destination organizations must adhere to quality business practices, including implementing sound governance structures and adaptive, sound financial models. Without a solid institutional and financial base, other aspects of the destination organization will likely fail. Building and sustaining a credible destination organization depends largely on the structures in place to select and manage a board as well as industry partners and external stakeholders. Destination organization leaders that understand how and when to engage with their various stakeholders are able to enhance the reach of the destination organization through these partnerships. Finance goes hand in hand with sound governance. Often considered a “non-revenue” generating activity, much like a skeleton, financial policies and practices are the main support structure of the destination organization body. Both financial and non-finance destination organization staff need to understand how budgets are created, how audits are conducted and a general overview of each organization’s practices in order to understand the decision-making process in each division. This course will help the participant understand both governance as and finance as essential aspects of destination organization management.
In addition to an overview of key terminology, upon completion of this course participants should be able to:
- Review the need for establishing a sound governance structure and financial practice and review practices in these areas
- Review Codes of Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policies to determine what your DO requires
- Learn to incorporate governance and finance into the organization's strategic planning process
- Understand good board relationship management
- Discuss stakeholder management and industry partnerships
- Support the establishment of financial policies and procedures
- Discuss financial policies and procedures and the audit process
- Understand the annual budgeting process and how this ties back to the strategic plan
- Review revenue collection issues, insurance, contingency funding, capital equipment replacement policies and special issues
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Group Luncheon for PDM Course: Governance & Finance