An alliance of convention bureaux (CVBs) has launched a ‘toolkit’
it hopes will plug a contractual gap in the booking process for large meetings
and events.
Destination
Booking Agreement toolkit is the
brainchild of Destinations International and aims to establish
mutually agreeable terms for destinations and planners.
While planners typically sign contracts with venues, hotels, and
other suppliers for citywide events, they don't always have agreements with the
CVBs themselves.
The booking agreements are designed to fill the void and protect both the CVBs
and planners in the event of last-minute cancellations. The DBA toolkit allows
each CVB to customise the agreements to their respective destination's needs.
The DBA development was driven by members of Destination's International’s
Large Market Roundtable, which consists of 31 large-market DMOs.
"The need for CVBs and business events strategists to come
together to create best practices for destination booking agreement guidelines
has been an ongoing conversation for our industry," said Don
Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International.
"Destinations International’s Large Market Roundtable has
done great work to take the lead on this thought leadership that will
ultimately enhance our entire industry moving forward."
Junior Tauvaa, chief sales officer, Visit Anaheim, a member of the Large
Market Rountable, added: "DBAs allow destinations to clearly articulate
and itemize dates, rates, space and any incentives or concessions offered to
clients to secure their business."
Dustin Arnheim, senior VP of sales and services at Choose Chicago,
another CVB in the roundtable, pointed out the value to planners as well.
"It is imperative that our customers feel equally protected
within our agreements – from securing dates to making concessions legally
binding. I also see the DBA as an important communication tool. There continues
to be significant turnover in our industry. Capturing the destination
organization’s commitments in the DBA prevents anything from being lost or
misinterpreted when new staff come on board."
