The
DMC Collective

One week today, the whole industry lands in Las Vegas. ✈️

IMEX America kicks off 13 October, and this year`s theme is "Design Matters" — basically, how do we keep events feeling human when AI is doing more of the heavy lifting?

New education tracks on accessibility and neuro-inclusion, a wellness zone with actual physicians on hand, and (fun one) a session on the Sphere and the Golden Knights as case studies in spectacle done right.

Heading out? Let us know 👋 …

A 1914 cinema is about to become one of San Sebastián`s most talked-about hotels. 🎬

Palacio Bellas Artes is opening this year — all the original Art Deco bones, reimagined as a proper boutique stay in one of the world`s best food cities.

And "best food cities" isn`t us being dramatic — San Sebastián has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per person on the planet.

Booking a trip here any time soon? Link in bio 🔗 …

Would you rather have €1,000 in your bank account, or a trip you`ll talk about for years? 💭

Turns out most people`s brains answer that question very differently to how they think they will. New research shows non-cash rewards boost performance by 22% on average — even among people who said they`d prefer the cash.

Cash gets spent on bills. Trips become stories. That`s not us being soppy — that`s genuinely how people`s brains file the two away.

Rethinking how you reward your top performers this year? Link in bio 🔗 …

Imagine holding your next leadership offsite inside an actual medieval castle. 🏰

Rocca di Angera has been standing guard over Lake Maggiore since the 11th century — and yes, you really can hold your conference there.

Battlements instead of blinds. A lake view instead of a car park. We won`t pretend every meeting needs this kind of drama, but some absolutely do.

Fancy giving your next event a castle instead of a conference room? Link in bio 🔗

thedmccollective.com/italy-event-venues/lake-maggiore/rocca-di-angera-lake-maggiore/

#LakeMaggiore #CorporateEvents #MICE #UniqueVenues #DestinationManagementCompany …

78.9% of meeting planners name safety and security as their No. 1 planning priority. Not budget. Not the venue. Safety, first. 🔒

It shapes everything before a single activity gets booked: which cities make the shortlist, which don`t, and which destinations we recommend without hesitation.

It`s also exactly why local, on-the-ground expertise matters more than a spreadsheet of options ever could.
Planning your next event with safety front and centre? …

A working paper factory. A vegan tasting menu. A conference room called the White Lab. 🧪

Mangfallblau, on the Gmund Papier premises at Lake Tegernsee, isn`t dressed up as a venue — it`s a real factory that happens to host some of the most memorable meetings we run. Factory tours included, if your agenda has room for one.

Not every offsite needs a ballroom. Link in bio 🔗 …

75% of event planners are now using AI to search venues and build RFPs. 🤖

That`s not a future trend — that`s most of the industry, right now. The tools have changed. What still separates a good venue decision from a bad one hasn`t.

Local knowledge, real relationships, someone who`s actually stood in the room. That part was never going to be automated.

How`s AI changing your sourcing process? Tell us below 👇 …

Cristallo, Cortina d`Ampezzo is reopening as Mandarin Oriental`s first-ever Alpine resort. ⛰️

Fresh off hosting the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the Dolomites just got its most significant luxury opening in years — and it`s arriving right as the region`s global spotlight is brightest.

Early 2027. Worth planning around, not just watching. Link in bio 🔗 …

A lakeside hotel beneath the grassy slopes of Turracher Höhe. Quiet, unhurried, exactly the kind of place nobody scrolls past without stopping. 🏔️

But here`s the thing the view doesn`t tell you: 56% of incentive planners say younger qualifiers will decline a trip if the destination clashes with their personal values. 41% think this generation increasingly sees incentive travel as an entitlement, not a reward.

And yet 47% say group incentive travel isn`t losing relevance at all.

The lens isn`t the destination. It`s whether a place like this was chosen because it means something to the people going, or because it looked good on a shortlist.

Sunday thought: what makes a reward actually feel like one? Tell us below 👇 …

No flight required. No jet lag. No excuse. 🏖️

Sylt doesn`t need a ten-hour flight to feel exclusive — golden dunes, that quiet North Sea light, and a reputation as Germany`s most understated luxury escape. Sit here for five minutes and your inbox stops mattering.

This is short-haul luxury at its most literal: some of your team could practically drive there.

Tag someone who needs this bench in their life. Link in bio 🔗 …