The planner asked for a DMC shortlist. You weren't on it.
Your ground team is strong and repeat clients trust you. But event planners, incentive agencies and tour operators now screen DMCs by asking an assistant and reading what's online. Little of your capability is written down where they can find it. This playbook shows what to publish and how to answer a brief faster.
The short versionMost DMCs lose B2B work at the screening stage: planners and agencies ask an AI assistant or search for a destination partner, and a DMC whose group sizes, venues and programme types aren't described in indexable detail isn't shortlisted. Publishing that capability, explaining how programmes are priced and acknowledging RFPs quickly closes most of the gap.
Why these three“For a 120-guest incentive, Larger regional DMC publishes venues, group capacity and past programmes…”
Leak 1Capability unwrittenGroup sizes, venues and suppliers: nowhere online.
Leak 2No pricing logicPlanners can't tell whether a budget fits.
Leak 3Slow RFP replyBrief acknowledged after the shortlist closed.
Start here
Tick anything that sounds like your week.
Eight things DMC owners and sales leads commonly describe. Select the ones that apply and we'll show what usually causes them, in the order we'd tackle it. Nothing is submitted.
Tick what applies3 of 8 selected
Why a capable DMC still misses the brief
Planners don't search for a DMC. They screen for proof.
An incentive agency or event planner with a new destination doesn't start with a phone call. They ask an assistant who handles groups there, check two or three websites for venues, capacity and similar programmes, and send the brief to the ones that looked capable. If your capability lives in sales decks and the founder's head, you're screened out before the RFP is written — even when you'd have been the best ground partner.
01
The shortlist drawn before the RFP
DMC for a 120-person incentive
1Larger regional DMCNamed first · cited
2Global network partnerNamed · directory
–Your DMCNot namedNo capability
Why don't event planners find our DMC online?
Planners now ask assistants and search engines who can handle a group in a destination. The answers draw on what's published: group sizes, venues, past programmes, memberships. A DMC with a three-page site and a contact form gives them nothing to recommend, so a larger competitor with detailed pages gets the brief.
02
The budget question met with “it depends”
incentive trip cost per person
Your page“Every programme is bespoke.”Tab closed
Answered pageTypical ranges by format · what moves cost · what a proposal includesQuoted by AI
Should a DMC publish indicative programme costs?
A planner holding a client budget needs to know whether you're in range before investing time in a brief. “Every programme is bespoke” is true and unhelpful. Typical per-person ranges for common formats, what moves the cost and what a proposal includes let them shortlist you with confidence.
03
The RFP that waited in someone's inbox
RFP: 120 pax incentive, 4 nights in Oct. Proposal by Friday?Email · Tue 6:12 pm
Thanks, we'll review and revert shortly.Thu · 4:30 pm
Shortlist has closed, but we'll keep you in mind.Fri · 9:05 am
Why do agency briefs to our DMC go cold?
Briefs arrive by email to whoever the planner knew, often with a short deadline. When that person is on a site visit or on leave, the agency moves on with the DMCs that acknowledged it. A shared queue, a same-day acknowledgement and an agreed proposal date matter more than how polished the proposal looks.
What we'd do about it
Five moves, in the order that pays.
Fix the leaks first, then grow. Scaling a funnel that loses enquiries just spends more to lose more.
Move
W1W2W3W4W5W6W7W8W9W10W11W12M3+
01Write down the capabilityPages for destinations covered, group sizes, venues and hotels, transport, languages, licences and memberships — the detail planners and assistants screen on.AI Search Optimisation
Weeks 1–4
02Build a page per programme typeIncentives, conferences, launches, group series and FIT, each with indicative ranges, what moves the cost and an anonymised example programme.Content Marketing
Weeks 2–6
03Give RFPs a reply clockOne shared RFP inbox, same-day acknowledgement, a named owner and an agreed proposal date — plus a short brief form so the details arrive complete.Marketing Automation
Weeks 3–6
04Fix your data across the webName, destinations and services consistent across directories, association listings, LinkedIn and partner sites, so assistants describe you correctly.AI Search Optimisation
Weeks 4–9
05Then reach new source marketsTargeted search and LinkedIn campaigns for agencies in the markets you want more of, plus trade-contact follow-up — once screening and reply speed work.SEM & Paid Ads
Month 3 onward
Social presence · where clients check you
Planners check your LinkedIn before they send the brief.
Agencies and planners check who runs your DMC, what you've delivered and whether you know the ground. Six things decide whether a profile visit becomes a brief.
9:41●●● 5G
yourdmc
YDYour DMCDestination management
Incentives, events & group travelGround team on call during programmesSend us a brief ↓
EnquireMessageCall
IncentiveEventsVenuesRFP
Site visit · by LeilaGala dinner set-upVenue options, mappedHow we price a programmeFeedback, unnamed clientGround team on day 2Excursion route testSupplier spotlightOur RFP turnaround
LinkedInCompany page plus posts by your planners and directors.Hire
InstagramVenues, set-ups and experiences agencies can show clients.Check
YouTubeSite-inspection films and destination overviews.Check
WhatsAppQuick agency questions once you're working together.Ask
FacebookSupplier and local network presence.Trust
A week that books, not just posts
Social Media Marketing Included in Zero to Hero (2 platforms) and Own The Answer (4 platforms).
TUESite visitA venue or route checked, what we found.
WEDPlanner postA brief solved, in a planner's words.
THUProgramme momentA set-up or experience, client unnamed.
FRIPricing logicWhat moves the cost of a programme.
DAILYRepliesMessages and brief requests answered same day.
What we'd watch
Your dashboard, minus the vanity metrics.
Six numbers that show whether the work is turning into confirmed programmes — each pulled from a system you already own. The audit fills in your baseline; every sprint after shows the trend.
B2B pipeline · weeklyYour dashboard after the free audit
Assistant shortlist presenceAI visibility checks
Baseline—
Briefs received by sourceCRM or shared inbox
Baseline—
Time to acknowledge an RFPShared inbox
Baseline—
RFP to confirmed programmeCRM
Baseline—
Capability page visitsWebsite analytics
Baseline—
New agency relationshipsCRM
Baseline—
Your numbers, not ours
What is the slow reply actually costing you?
Three inputs only you know. We don't know your business yet — so nothing here is a benchmark, just your own arithmetic.
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What you may be losing
$64,950a month in clients who book somewhere else — worked out from your three numbers above.
6 × 4.33 weeks× 1 in 2× $5,000
The fix is a shared queue and a reply clock. Same-day acknowledgement, one owner, a proposal date agreed — weeks 3 to 6 of the plan.
Free with any monthly plan from $499. Domain, hosting and paid tools are bought by you and stay in your name; shops and booking systems are quoted separately. The 48-hour clock starts once your plan is active and the launch checklist is done.
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Questions DMCs ask
Straight answers, no sales script.
Straight answers. If yours isn't here, a 30-minute call is the fastest route — no pitch, no deck.
Most of our work comes from repeat agencies. Why invest in search?
Repeat work is the best kind, but agencies change staff and new planners screen online before calling. If your capability isn't written down, the new planner at your oldest client may not find you. Publishing it protects existing relationships as much as it wins new ones.
Can we publish prices when every programme is bespoke?
You can publish ranges without a price list: typical per-person costs for common formats, what moves them and what a proposal includes. That lets a planner check fit before sending a brief.
Our clients won't let us name them. How do we show experience?
Anonymised case pages work well: the type of client, group size, format, destination and the logistics solved. Planners look for a similar programme, not a logo.
How do AI assistants decide which DMCs to name?
They draw on what's published across the web: your site, directories, association listings, articles and partner pages. Detailed, consistent capability makes you easier to name for the right briefs. We don't guarantee mentions.
Do you handle LinkedIn as well as search?
Yes, where it fits. For DMCs, LinkedIn is often where agency planners check who you are. We keep it consistent with your site and use it for targeted campaigns in source markets once the basics work.
How long before new agencies find us?
Reply-time fixes help immediately. Capability pages and data clean-up usually take a few months to show in search and assistant answers, and B2B sales cycles add more time. We don't guarantee rankings or briefs.
Does social media matter for a DMC?
Mainly LinkedIn and Instagram. Agencies check your company page and the people they'd work with on LinkedIn, and use Instagram to see real set-ups and venues they can show their clients. Posts by planners usually travel further than company posts. When clients won't be named, show the work and describe the programme instead.
Do we get a free website for our DMC?
Yes. Every monthly plan includes a free 5-page website for your DMC — fast, AI-readable and yours to keep. It goes live within 48 hours once your plan is active and the launch checklist is done. Your domain, hosting and any paid tools sit outside the offer and stay in your name; online shops and booking systems are quoted separately. What's included
Free · one business day
Tell us about your DMC. Get a plan back.
A strategist reads your brief and replies within one business day with what we'd fix first for your DMC, a timeline and the real cost.
Reply in 1 business dayFrom a strategist, not a bot
Ask an assistant for a DMC in your own destination.
We'll ask assistants and search engines who handles groups in your destination, review your capability and programme pages, and test how quickly an RFP gets acknowledged — then send you what we found.
Social presence · where clients check you
Planners check your LinkedIn before they send the brief.
Agencies and planners check who runs your DMC, what you've delivered and whether you know the ground. Six things decide whether a profile visit becomes a brief.
yourdmc
Is your profile ready to sell?
Tap what's already true.
Where your clients look
A week that books, not just posts
Social Media Marketing Included in Zero to Hero (2 platforms) and Own The Answer (4 platforms).