The Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) has established three new, initiative-driven committees focused on the areas of advocacy, technology, and social responsibility.

These areas of strategic interests were indentified within DMAI's recent Futures Study, published by the Destination & Travel Foundation. Since the report was published in July 2008, the industry has pledged more than US$4 million dollars to the Destination Excellence campaign to support activities to advance the destination marketing industry in these three key areas.

"These committees are the backbone for having candid discussion, creating best practices and recommendations, and developing tools on behalf of the association and industry," said Dan Fenton, DMAI Board Chair and President and CEO of Team San Jose.

The Advocacy Committee will consider partnerships and resources to help communicate the value of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to their customers and stakeholders. Members of this group have already provided several tools to help DMOs with stakeholder communication. Examples include a grassroots video shared by Visit Denver; a study of visitor taxes and their impact on the local community from the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau; and a case study on transparency, media scrutiny, and public funding from the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Incorporated.

In the area of technology, the group will focus on identifying and providing solutions for DMOs to enhance the level of sophistication, intuitiveness, and interaction that drive customer attention. "empowerMINT.com is a huge part of this initiative and has several volunteers working on its advancement," Fenton said. "However, the Technology Committee will also identify other technology solutions such as CRM, mobile marketing, and social media to enhance the success of our members."

The social responsibility group will look for industry opportunities to provide solutions that combine a rewarding travel experience with sustainable economic development and opportunities to be more inclusive, ultimately driving more diversity into our industry workforce.

"DMAI members and industry partners have actively responded to the call for volunteers," said Michael D. Gehrisch, President & CEO of DMAI. "Approximately 30 individuals have volunteered for each committee."

The Technology and Social Responsibility committees had initial meetings via conference call in December; the Advocacy Committee will have a conference call in January. Additional meetings will take place throughout 2010.