Recently, Global DMC Partners, the largest global network of Destination Management Companies (DMCs), launched their Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Education Initiative to foster awareness, education, and global implementation of data protection processes within their partnership of over 65 independently-owned DMCs.

The initiative launched with an internal educational online seminar to ensure network-wide awareness of the regulation and to provide recommended action items for DMCs to work towards compliancy. The GDPR Education Initiative includes plans for future educational webinars and a GDPR handbook to provide both DMCs and meeting planners with current implementation guidance on the regulation.

“We know GDPR is of primary concern for many of our clients and the overall meeting planning community. As a global organization, one of our priorities going into 2018 was to build awareness and highlight the urgency of GDPR throughout our DMC partnership to ensure readiness before May 25, 2018,” stated Catherine Chaulet, President of Global DMC Partners. “It is part of our ongoing focus to provide tools to both our DMCs and our clients to assist them in staying up-to-date on regulations and trends.”

“Our DMC Members are focused on reviewing their data collection and retention processes, identifying areas of improvement, and implementing new processes, no matter their location. They are also dedicated to making sure their local vendors are aware of GDPR and its implications. The next step is ongoing education and compliancy,” said Stacy Tischler, Senior Vice President of Operations at Global DMC Partners.

Global DMC Partners’ May 2018 Partners Meeting will provide the opportunity to collaborate on successful data protection processes that their individual DMCs have implemented since the launch of the initiative. In August, an interactive session at Global DMC Partners’ annual client conference, Connection 2018, will provide another forum for meeting professionals to discuss best practices.