European Cities Marketing (ECM) and Destinations International (DI) – two leading destination marketing and development associations – have extended their transatlantic collaboration in response to the radical changes in function of destination marketing organisations (DMOs) across both continents.
At the annual ECM Summer School held this year in Dresden, ECM president Dieter Hardt-Stremayr explained the challenge facing his members of transitioning from destination marketing to destination development.
“It’s about [attracting] business, about attracting citizens and students. It’s about [destination] management and development. Convention and tourism marketing is by far not enough and therefore we need to change what we do”, he said.
The ECM Summer School provides essential training for DMO and ambassador executives.
Around 50 executives were added to over 2,000 graduates of the programme. It’s a generation that will find itself increasingly integrated with other economic and academic agencies using business and professional events to encourage corporate and association business, inward investment, talent acquisition… and the transition to knowledge-based societies.
To learn more about the curriculum and opportunities to participate click here.
ECM’s report “The Future of DMOs: The ECM Manifest” is here.
Coming soon… should Ministries of Science rather than Tourism be the driving force behind the meetings and business events industry? “Why not?”, asks Vienna Convention Bureau Director Christian Mutschlechner.
