The Quad-City Times - News, Sports and more from the Quad Cities region or Iowa and Illinois

You are not logged in.
Login

Log in to qctimes.com
Email:
Password:
Remember my information.
Register
Quadsville
Site Help

Convention/Visitors Bureau earns 'Seal of Approval'

Font Size:

By Jennifer DeWitt | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 |

The Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau received confirmation Wednesday that it has earned international accreditation, or what is described as “the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” from the tourism industry.

The bureau has been accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, an international accreditation program developed by the Washington, D.C.-based Destination Marketing Association International. It is a four-year accreditation for destination marketing organizations.

“We are very pleased to be recognized in the destination marketing community for providing outstanding services in accordance with international standards and benchmarks in this field,” said Joe Taylor, the president and chief executive officer of the bureau.

“One of the values of the accreditation is third-party endorsement. This is not our bureau, (not) a member of ours saying we meet and exceed standards. This is our industry saying it.”

The bureau joins an elite group that has achieved the accreditation — only 40 other destination marketing organizations in the world have the accreditation. In Iowa and Illinois, only the Des Moines convention and visitors bureau and the Greater Woodfield convention and visitors bureau in Chicago have received it.

In making the bureau’s application, the staff of the Quad-City agency spent nearly a year documenting how it does business. It was the first time the bureau applied for the accreditation, which was created in the last couple years.

The accreditation standards cover a wide variety of topics including governance, finance, management, human resources, technology, visitor services, group services, sales, communications, membership, brand management, destination development, marketing, research/market intelligence, innovation, and stakeholder relationships.

To the average person, the achievement shows that the bureau is “meeting and exceeding industry standards,” Taylor said. To the elected officials and others who support the bureau’s efforts, “it shows that their investments — whether public or private — are well placed, well used, tended to properly and accounted for properly.”

Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.