15 questions to ask a DMC before you hire them.
Questions that reveal a destination management company’s local knowledge, operating team, supplier relationships and response to changes.
By Jyper · 7 October 2026
A good interview moves beyond “Do you have local expertise?” Ask questions that make the DMC show how it will make decisions for your particular program.
Fit and local judgment
- What would you change in this brief, and why? Listen for a specific constraint and a better option.
- Which recent program is closest to ours in size and scope? Ask what the team learned.
- Which parts of this destination do you cover directly? Clarify offices, partners and subcontractors.
- Which proposed experience would you remove if the budget tightened? Good judgment includes saying no.
- What seasonal, access or timing issue have we overlooked? Ask for its effect on the plan.
People and delivery
- Who writes the proposal, and who runs the program? Meet the operations lead before signing.
- Who is our decision maker on site, and who covers for them? Get names and an escalation path.
- Which suppliers are you proposing, and are they on hold? Separate a relationship from a booking.
- How do you handle a missed flight, venue cancellation or weather change? Ask for a recent example.
- How will we track changes after approval? Look for one version of the itinerary, budget and guest list.
Commercial and verification
- Which prices are confirmed, estimated or subject to currency changes? Ask for validity dates.
- What is outside the quoted scope? Include service hours, taxes, gratuities and overtime.
- What licenses and insurance apply to this program? Check documents where relevant.
- Can we speak to a recent comparable client? Ask the client what changed and how the team responded.
- What are the deposit, cancellation and change terms? Ask what happens at each milestone.
ADMEI’s accreditation standards provide a useful reference for questions about business standing, insurance, contracts and client communication. They are accreditation requirements, not universal rules for every DMC in every country.
You do not need a perfect answer to every question. You need answers that are specific, consistent with the proposal and given by the people who will carry the work.
Explore the DMC directoryDirectory entries are source-backed research, not endorsements.
The DMC selection series
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Read the guideHow to check a DMC’s local expertise
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