Whenever I hear of a local government choosing to put its contract for Destination Marketing up for bid, I have to suppress a giggle. OK...not a giggle. More like a chortle.
Oh, it always sounds real good on the surface. Transparency. Accountability. Competition. Stuff like that.
It's usually that somebody on Council has a bug up their butt about the DMO and uses the RFP process to make 'em sweat. Because, really, is any politician that cluesless to think that there are a bunch of DMOs hanging out around town, just waiting to bid on an RFP every three years?
And for those that think DMOs are just glorified ad agencies...you gotta think again. What separates DMOs from any other organization or business that might covet such a contract is a deep understanding of the destination and a database of meeting and event planners that just can't be duplicated without years of effort.
Thus, no matter how badly government may want to make a move, it can't...not without forfeiting a few years of serious productivity while the new "DMO" gets acclimated.
Instead of jerking DMOs around with this type of childish gamesmanship, a government that is unsatisfied with its DMO should sit down and work with it to become the impact agency the community deserves. Honestly...it's the only way.
Because, in the vast majority of these cases, you get what Gilbert AZ got...their DMO being the only bidder that met the minimumn requirements for the contract.
Uh-huh.
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