One of the first steps of any DMC should be the development of a good database for managing his contacts and promotion efforts.

If you enjoy computers and have small notions of programming, buy a standard database programme such as Access, Paradox, Act, Q&A  or similar ($ 200-$ 500 investment). These are generic programmes which allow you to custom tailor the database to your requirements and needs.

Working with a programme which is developed by you or for you has the advantage that your database is flexible and you can add new parameters as your needs and business grow. The disadvantage is that you must put many hours of personal work and efforts in to developing the system.

Ready-made databases written by computer experts unfamiliar with the MICE business are rarely suitable. They hardly cover your specific needs and many times one has to compromise with important inconveniences or lack of management information. These programmes have the advantage of requiring less work to set them up but they are a more expensive and inflexible. Your choice depends on your computer knowledge, time and budget. Whatever your choice might be, here are some recommended principles to follow for establishing a good database:

• Go back to your clients’ records as many years back as you can and gather all useful and up to date information.
• Separate those clients that you know can produce an incentive or meeting from those who are handling exclusively “tourism.”
• Categorise your contacts by the main subject of their business: Incentives, Meetings, Conferences, Tour Operating, Group Travel, Special Interest Groups and FIT (Foreign Individual Travel).
• Sub-divide them in: Contacts, Potentials, Prospects or Clients.
• Keep track of all useful information that can help you to develop targeted marketing actions such as:
  • Past production
  • Number of  materialised requests
  • Number of cancelled requests and the reason of cancellation
  • Key contacts in company
  • Sales call dates
  • Name of your sales person who established the contact
  • Mailing dates
  • Main industry clients such as: Automotive, Banking, Medical etc.
  • Where the lead is generated from
  • Number of offices, staff, turnover, years in business, memberships.

The core of the database should be your own clients even if not too many are in the MICE business. Your records will become bigger following your sales calls and by soliciting leads from your  National Tourist Bureaux, your national airline, or by specialised mailing lists or the lists of buyers at EIBTM, IMEX, MOTIVATION SHOW, CONFEX or other trade fairs.

In none of the listings, will you find the exact categories and fields you want. You will have to work on the records and bring them in the shape you want. This is a never ending process that you should trust only to yourself or someone in your office who loves computers.

It is best if one person centralises all input so certain important element are always computed in the same uniform way. For example you should avoid using once USA, another time U.S.A., and the next time United States. Also it is important that you decide on the language of your “database” especially for the cities and countries. Will you use the local names or the international English name? A bad mix will give you a hard time when trying to do selections.

Keep your data always updated. You will be surprised to see how many people move within a year from one company to the other, companies changing addresses or closing down. A good way to update your records is to include a questionnaire with your brochure mailing and ask the recipients to make any necessary corrections and fax them to you. It is a good way but... you should not expect a return bigger than 15%.

Ian Hipkins has written an extensive CITE thesis about the “Contact Management Process” on the techniques of developing and maintaining a dynamic and effective database and using modern “Contact Management” the reading of which is  recommended to all.

You can find a good example of a database set up by clicking at this link.

At the next issue: PROMOTION; Where you can find the clients

© Tasso Pappas CITE
Tasso Pappas is President of the SITE Greek Chapter and served as President of SITE Intl. in 2000. This article is an extract from his book “To be or not to be a DMC” which he wrote in 1996 as his thesis for the certification CITE (Certified Incentive Travel Executive). More information about Tasso Pappas you can find at http://sites.google.com/site/tassopappasconsultancy/
Contact: tassopappas@otenet.gr