Successful Meetings - February 2009 - (Page 50)

CVB Focus SEAL OF By Corrie Dosh, corrie.dosh@nielsen.com Photography by Moshe Zusman APPROVAL bers. Since then, 68 bureaus, called Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) by DMAI, have obtained the distinction—31 in 2008, including one in Lille, France. “This application cycle marks an important milestone for the program,” Michael Gehrisch, president and CEO of DMAI, based in Washington DC, said in a release about the latest additions to DMAP. “With the accreditation of the Lille Convention Bureau, DMAP accredited DMOs can now be found throughout North America, Canada, and Europe.” To become accredited, a DMO must DMAI’S ACCREDITATION PROGRAM FOR CVBS ENTERS ITS SECOND YEAR AND GAINS IMPORTANCE IN THE TOUGH ECONOMY H eading into a budgetary approval meeting is never fun, but when Don Welsh, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association met late last year with city leaders to discuss 2009 funding, he had an arsenal of metrics and industry benchmarks to back him up. Indianapolis is certified through Destination Marketing Association International’s (DMAI) Accreditation Program (DMAP), which debuted in 2007 as a way to align procedures and service levels among convention and visitors bureaus and other association mem- READER R I • Accredited CVBs are audited for operational excellence • CVBs use the standardized metrics to win approval for annual budgets • Sixty-eight destination management organizations are accredited in North America and Europe 50 I SM I February 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - February 2009

Successful Meetings - February 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update: Meetings Associations Band Together
Education
Planner Spotlight
Technology Talk
Food & Beverage
Making Cents of It All
Meanwhile, Back at Headquarters
Seal of Approval
Come Sail Away
Making Tracks
Places & Spaces
Florida’s East Coast
Aruba
Maui
3 Days in Philadelphia

Successful Meetings - February 2009