Eli Gorin, vice president of global client relations for ABTS Convention Services (www.abtscs.com), a prominent Professional Congress Organizer (PCO) with a large presence on the international stage, provides the following tips for sussing out an international DMC:
Use a trusted source to find a trusted partner. We have many resources in our industry, including several e-mail lists and bulletin boards, to find people that you can trust to recommend a DMC or partner in an international location. It’s important to do the due diligence in finding the right provider, and following up with colleagues that may have used them is key. The best is reaching out to someone you know personally who has personal experience in the area you are doing your program. Next would be a secondary reference. I would always make sure that the experience has been recent. Six months or less would be ideal, and not really over one year since so much can change.
Try to get an understanding of the DMC’s client base. Have they worked with your particular client or company (other division) before? Have they worked with clients in the same industry as yours? Ask for references and follow up.
Understand the payment requirements, as well as payment methods. Do they require you to fully pre-pay? Do they take credit cards or do they accept only wire transfers? Payment is a trust issue (which is why checking references is extremely important) because trying to get your money back may be quite difficult if you end up working with a not-so-reputable company. Do they have a bank account in the U.S. or only locally in their country?
Constantly communicate via phone and follow up via e-mail. Just like most other transactions, it’s important that this be done. Talk things over on the phone (it helps to build up your relationship) and be sure to follow up so that you are both in agreement about what is needed. Try to be as clear and simple as possible when giving instructions if your counterpart is not fluent in English or you are not fluent in their local language. It can be very easy to misinterpret things, so clarity is key.
