Your DMC has seen it all. Here’s why that matters.

Every destination management company (DMC) needs to know its destinations inside and out. But the best DMC partners know the planner’s mind just as well. The challenges that keep you up at night, the elements that matter, and the must-haves no event can succeed without.

At Cohera, we put that difference to work every day. It shows up in the question asked before a problem arrives, the alternative offered before anyone says “no,” and the logistics solved long before attendees land. That kind of foresight comes from event industry experience, and few people on our team have more perspective than Gabriela LeBlanc, Senior Director of Business Operations and Training, Events.

From theme park to the planning table

Gabriela grew up in Orlando, the “Hospitality Capital of the World,” and wanted nothing to do with the hospitality industry. Then came the quintessential first job at a theme park.

“Like many people who grow up in Orlando, my first job was at a theme park,” she says. “While working there, I became fascinated by the corporate events I saw taking place, particularly park buyouts where companies created memorable experiences for their attendees. That was when I realized I wanted to be part of creating those experiences.”

From there she worked her way through hotel and entertainment venue sales, then spent several years as a corporate meeting planner before the pandemic. Today she leads business operations and training for events at Cohera. Each seat added a new view of the job.

“Having experience on both the hospitality and client sides has been invaluable,” Gabriela says. “That perspective helps me anticipate client needs, ask the right questions, identify potential challenges, and find solutions before they even have to ask.”

Lessons from the planner’s seat

During her years in corporate event planning, Gabriela worked with multiple DMCs. She loved some of their approaches, and the ones that didn’t resonate shaped how she wanted to do things differently.

“One of the biggest lessons I learned is that challenges are opportunities to collaborate and find solutions together,” she says. Whether that means working internally, leaning on hotel and venue partners, or pulling in vendors, the best outcomes come from having the right people at the table.

Her approach also means never giving a client a flat “No, we can’t do that.” Gabriela explains that a true partner provides the why behind a limitation and offers alternatives that get as close to the client’s vision as possible.

Most of all, planners need calm, especially when things get chaotic.

“As a planner, there’s nothing worse than feeling like your partner is overwhelmed or ‘breaking down’ when a challenge arises,” she says. “You want a partner who stays calm, takes ownership, and helps you figure it out. That is the kind of partner I strive to be.”

How hotel sales and venue operations changed her perspective

Her years in hotel sales and venue operations reshaped what Gabriela looks for in a plan. They gave her a deeper understanding of the logistics behind bringing an event to life, including the dos and don’ts clients may not always know.

Hotel sales taught her to be upfront. “Clients don’t want to be sold on an idea only to find out later that it isn’t feasible or that there will be significant additional costs involved,” Gabriela says. Being proactive and transparent from the first conversation sets the right expectations.

Venue operations taught her the logistics behind the vision. When she puts on her hotel and venue operations hat, Gabriela thinks through load-in, loading dock and freight elevator restrictions, stairs and ramps, and whether an event is indoors or outdoors. Even whether a piece of furniture can handle outdoor conditions can shape execution. Knowing those details lets her explain why a plan may need to pivot before it becomes the client’s problem.

Both also built relationships. “I believe the strongest partnerships are the ones where the client can see that the DMC, hotel, venue, and vendors genuinely work together as a team,” she says.

The three-bus problem

One of Gabriela’s earliest lessons came from her time at a theme park. Her team was supporting a large corporate park buyout with multiple transportation touchpoints: attendees traveling from their hotel to the park, then a separate pickup and return at the end of the event.

“Because of my firsthand experience working at the park, I understood the logistical limitations around transportation, including the fact that only three buses could be accommodated at the designated theme park drop-off point at one time,” she says.

Using her local knowledge of travel times and traffic patterns, Gabriela staggered the transportation schedule and planned how each bus loaded. The goal was a seamless experience for attendees.

“We didn’t want them to feel rushed while boarding, but we also didn’t want them sitting on buses waiting to unload,” she says.

Her park experience paid off in other ways. Knowing its policies, including back-of-house permits, access requirements, and operating rules, streamlined communication with the park team. On the operational site visit, walking the client through the logistics with confidence showed the team had already thought through the challenges. The event was a success, with a thrilled client and attendees who had a smooth, enjoyable experience.

“It was a great reminder that experience from different sides of the industry can become one of your greatest assets,” Gabriela says. “Understanding how a venue operates allows you to anticipate challenges, create better solutions, and ultimately give your clients confidence that their event is in good hands.”

Thinking like a planner first, no matter where you sit

Planning doesn’t look the way it did before COVID. Today’s economic and political climate adds another layer to corporate event planning.

“Planners are being more intentional and strategic than ever about the companies they partner with, the people representing those companies, and the overall security and reputation considerations surrounding their events,” Gabriela says. Approvals can take longer, while timelines handed to partners get shorter.

“Understanding this has taught me the importance of patience, flexibility, and empathy,” she says. Planners are navigating many of the same uncertainties we are, and a good DMC partner makes their jobs easier.

Planners also want programs that stay fresh. After enough years, events can start to feel the same.

“We should be constantly thinking beyond the initial request, asking ourselves how we can take an idea one step further, add an unexpected element, or create something completely out of the box,” Gabriela says. That way, the planner doesn’t always have to be the one driving the next big idea.

For Gabriela, thinking like a planner first means asking more than “Can we do this?” It means asking, “What could impact the experience, and how can we address it before it becomes an issue?” Event management best practices start with safety: whether décor could block an emergency exit, how an item will be secured, whether the lighting is adequate. Then come weather contingencies and backup options.

“Ultimately, thinking like a planner first means staying one step ahead,” she says. “My goal is for the client to feel that we’ve already thought through the details, anticipated the questions, and have solutions ready before they ever have to ask.”

What to look for in a DMC partner

When choosing a DMC, look for a partner that is creative, trusted, and logistically sound, from the initial proposal through the final attendee departure. That means:

• A team with range. Diverse backgrounds mean a DMC can anticipate your needs instead of reacting to requests. That event planning expertise helps a team get your client, your vision, and your attendees.
• Solutions, not “no.” A partner that explains the why and offers alternatives.
• Calm ownership. Someone who stays steady when a challenge hits and helps you figure it out.
• Creativity beyond cookie-cutter. A partner that takes your idea one step further and keeps classic concepts feeling original.
• Relationships you can verify. Trusted ties with hotels, venues, and vendors.

“Besides telling you to book Cohera, my biggest piece of advice for meeting planners looking for a DMC partner who will genuinely make their lives easier is: don’t just look at the pretty pictures,” she says.

Speak with the DMC’s vendors, hotel partners, and venues, and ask how they communicate, how they handle challenges, and whether they are collaborative.

“One of the most powerful things in our industry is word of mouth,” Gabriela says. “This is a relationship-driven business, and people talk.”

From vendor to partner

“We are ultimately in the people business,” Gabriela says, and every touchpoint shapes how an attendee feels. That is what separates a vendor from a partner.

“At the end of the day, anyone can make a phone call to a vendor or pull together a familiar, cookie-cutter concept,” she says. “What truly differentiates a DMC is the ability to take the time to understand the client and their attendees and then translate that understanding into a customized, one-of-a-kind experience.”

Looking for a DMC partner who thinks like a planner first? We know just the people.