Destination Management Executive (CDME)

Introduction:

The course DME is the tourism industry’s highest individual educational achievement. The DME program provides the skills to prepare senior executives to thrive in a constantly changing environment. The program's focus is on vision, leadership, productivity, and implementing business strategies. Start or continue your professional journey, advance your career, and enhance your industry knowledge, skills, and professional credibility.
A destination management executive maintains in-depth local knowledge of the area or region they represent, specifically with regard to the local coordination and implementation of everything from program and event logistics to event activities.

Targeted Groups:

• Senior executives in the industry.
• Individuals seeking to enhance their leadership skills.
• Professionals looking to advance their careers.
• Those who wish to improve their industry knowledge and skills.
• Individuals aiming to boost their professional credibility in the sector.

Course Objectives:
At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Describe and apply standard professional practices across the.
• CDME-International Standards domains on the test and the job.
• Use test-taking tips and relaxation techniques during the exam.
• Develop a personal study path for taking the DME test.
• Feel far more comfortable ahead of and in preparation for sitting for the DME exam.

Targeted Competencies:

• Destination Positioning and Branding | Destination Organization Financial Management.
• Destination Advocacy and Community Relations.
• Destination Leadership.
• Destination Marketing and Sales.
• Strategic Issues In Destination Management.

Course Content:
Unit 1: Strategic Issues In Destination Management

• Understand what it means to be a destination marketer, manager and leader.
• Understand global and national constraints, opportunities and trends affecting destination marketing and management.
• Learn the key factors and new initiatives that make destination marketing professionals and organizations successful.
• Discern the destination visioning and strategic planning process and how the community and
• industry become stakeholders in branding and tourism development.
• Know the latest thinking and solutions to current destination issues and challenges such as branding, funding, performance accountability, community relations/advocacy, industry partnerships and visitor relationship management.

Unit 2: Destination Marketing and Sales

• Become exposed to the “vanguard” thinking in convention and leisure travel marketing through relationship/database, social media and partnership/regional promotion.
• Learn about alternate approaches to destination marketing strategies and promotional/sales planning.
• Learn a systematic, step-by-step approach to preparing marketing strategies.
• Understand research and evaluation sources and techniques needed for effective destination
• marketing programs.
• Acquire knowledge of new trends and learn the success stories in domestic, regional and international convention and leisure marketing.

Unit 3: Destination Leadership

• Discuss the essence of leadership and the qualities needed to excel, both for your organization and within the community.
• Review the factors that contribute to organizational success, including organizational values, and company culture.
• Adopt key leadership concepts and discuss the importance of emotional intelligence
• Demonstrate the implications of not following best practices in financial leadership, and review the benefits of doing a comprehensive organizational assessment.
• Highlight essential communications tools including the business plan, annual report, stakeholder meetings, and others.
• Discuss key human resources practices such as salary studies, handbook development, job descriptions and performance evaluations.
• Understand how to find the right board member, the benefits of solid board governance, and effective ways to communicate with your board.
• Consider the importance of crisis communications and how you can ensure your DMO is prepared.

Unit 4: Destination Advocacy and Community Relations

• Achieve a new appreciation of visitor industry and government relations as it affects destination marketing leadership.
• Understand the need and process in preparing an advocacy and local communications strategy.
• Know the key principles and practices in strengthening the partnership among government, visitor industry, community and destination organization leadership.
• Ascertain success factors in the governance of a visitor destination.
• Understand key stakeholder needs and destination organization best practices.
• Obtain the latest thinking and solutions to current destination organization challenges in the visitor industry, media, resident and government relations.

Unit 5: Destination Positioning and Branding | Destination Organization Financial Management

• Understand the process of creating a destination brand
• Know the difference between positioning and branding
• Know how to develop a brand promise
• Understand how to interpret financial statements
• Understand how to measure financial accountability for a destination organization