DMS Guidelines
The program provides a structure for continuing professional development and is offered to tourism and hospitality professionals. The Destination Management Specialist (DMS) educational certification serves as TACVB’s educational framework for working in the DMO/CVB industry and provides hands-on, actionable education for our members and future leaders in the industry.
$250 PROGRAM FEE
HOW DO YOU EARN IT? THE 3:2:1 MODEL:
- THREE CORE TRACKS – Leadership, Marketing, Sales or Advocacy
- TWO ELECTIVES
- ONE DESTINATION EXPERIENCE TOUR
- ONE DESTINATION MARKETING PRINCIPLES CLASS
RECERTIFICATION PROCESS
Recertification will be required of DMS participants every 5 years. Candidates must complete one Core Track and one Elective of their choosing. There will be a $75 recertification fee.
Requirements
Core Tracks
Core Tracks will be offered annually at the Winter Conference. They must provide at least 16 hours of in-depth education. DMS Participants must stay in the same track for its entirety and cannot flip between tracks at the Winter Conference. DMS Candidates must complete three of the 5 Core Tracks in order to complete the DMS Program. Attendance in the Core Tracks will be verified by sign-in/sign-out sheet that a Room Monitor will oversee.
- Leadership: The objective is to arm destination organization leaders with the practical and relevant professional development training they need to succeed. Takeaways and sample topics include:
- Board management and communications
- Emotional Intelligence and team growth
- Team motivation and coaching
- Marketing: The objective is to provide practical and relevant training for Marketing professionals in the tourism industry. Takeaways and sample topics include:
- Current tourism marketing trends
- Planning an effective marketing strategy
- Leveraging user-generated content
- Content development
- Influencers
- Sales: The objective is to provide practical and relevant training for professionals in the Conventions, Meetings, and Sports Sales space. Takeaways and sample topics include:
- Current Sales trends
- Metrics and KPIs that matter to stakeholders
- Developing a Sales Plan
- FAM Tours
- Advocacy/Communications: The objective is to provide destination professionals with advocacy training on a local, state, and national level. Takeaways and sample topics include:
- Transformative Community Engagement
- Building partner relationships locally
- Working with City Management, Council, Boards, etc.
- State and national advocacy and political topics that affect DMOs
Testing
After each Core Track, a short-answer test will be sent to all participants and must be completed within 6-weeks of attending the conference. The test will be reviewed by the DMS Committee. The short-answer test will be administered using the survey function on iDSS immediately after the Winter Conference. It will stay mostly the same year after year to ensure that the same key elements are being taught.
Electives
Electives will be offered at the Annual Conference and in other appropriate formats approved by the DMS Committee (i.e. special webinars). Topics for the electives will shift with industry trends but must provide actionable, quality education that is practical and hands-on. DMS Candidates must complete 2 elective courses in order to complete the DMS Program. Attendance in the electives will be verified by sign-in/sign-out sheet that a Room Monitor will oversee.
- Social Media Strategy
- Sales Analytics
- Services/Customer Service
- Tourism Law (email marketing/privacy, copyright)
- HR/Employment
- Finance/HOT Tax/Funding
- How-tos: photography, video
- Technology tips and tricks for tourism
- Crisis Management
- Grant writing/funding (i.e. Events Trust Fund)
- Sales Prospecting/proactive sales tips
- Networking 101 - how to best use your networking time at tradeshows
Destination Experience Tour
Destination Experience Tours will be offered at all TACVB conferences. The host destination will put together tours showcasing their destination as a case study or heritage tour. Tours must be at least 3 hours in length. DMS Candidates must complete one Destination Experience Tour in order to complete the DMS Program. Attendance in the tours will be verified by sign-in/sign-out sheet that a Room Monitor will oversee.
Destination Marketing Principles
The Destination Marketing Principles (formerly CVB 101) session will be offered at all TACVB conferences. This session is 3 hours long and serves as an introduction to the CVB/DMO industry. DMS Candidates must complete one Destination Marketing Principles session in order to complete the DMS Program. Attendance in the session will be verified by sign-in/sign-out sheet that a Room Monitor will oversee.
How to Register and Track your Credits
Registration
Candidates must register for the DMS Program and pay online prior to earning the certificate. Exception: If a candidate registers for and attends a Winter Conference, they may still register for the DMS program after the Conference as long as they take the test for their track and pass within the allotted time.
Tracking DMS Progress
Once a candidate has registered for the program, a DMS Committee member will be in touch within a couple of days notifying them that their account has been set up. Candidates then will be able to log in to their Member Compass and review their DMS progress under Continuing Education.
