Delivering an impeccable event experience: Destination Concepts, Inc.

As companies look for return on the money spent on meetings and events, delivered in the form of positive company exposure to employees and the market, the right partner is key to a successful event. Designing and producing an event can be a tough challenge as handling all the facets requires a considerable measure of time, energy and costs. So it’s strategic to hire the right DMC (Destination Management Company)to manage the process from design and development to operations to branding and messaging. Destination Concepts, inc. (DCi) is a DMC offering professional services that enable a smooth flow of the events starting from planning and design to final billing, fulfilling all of your event needs with creative strategy and service that goes above and beyond. 

Certified as a women-owned business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the company has firmly established itself as one of the nation’s premier DMC, event design/production and logistics companies. Since its inception in 1998, DCi has shown an unparalleled level of owner involvement, creativity and dedication which has helped it to stand out from the competition. It offers specialized expertise in every possible aspect of meeting services and logistics. The company has amassed and maintained a client list of hundreds of major Fortune 500 corporations, and its principals have a combined industry experience of over 40 years including the coordination and oversight of events ranging from 10 to20,000 persons in scope. DCi works with the aim of building relationships with clients and vendors to exceed its clients’ goals.

Pushing the limits

“Starting a company involves a huge leap of faith and confidence that you have something different to offer that people would want.” DCi’s first project began with a planning meeting the day the company started. The project was for a group of 800 and involved a progressive networking dinner. The client needed help to get this group of 800 people to network during a one night event which moved through numerous venues in the San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. DCi ensured that the guests did not sit with the same person at any time during the evening. To date, even though it’s certainly not the largest they have produced, the company still finds this to be one of the most complicated events to design and produce, and it successfully kick started an almost 20-year career of providing unique and engaging experiences for its clients.

Providing diversified services for changing market demands

“The hospitality industry is full of ups and downs. What is important is how you ride them.”With each rise and fall of the economy, clients’ needs have changed. So DCi has continued to evolve to meet their creative and logistics needs at every step of their way. DCi provides three divisions to deliver all the required services with high standards and quality: Destination Management, Event Design/Production and Logistics Management. Services unique to DCi are an in-house Design Team, décor inventory and the ability to maintain our signature creativity and standards in destinations across the US.  

DCi acts as an extension of each client and provides services across the spectrum to create an engaging experience for a range of meetings (incentive, corporate and more), product launches, road shows, conferences, tradeshows and expos. It helps an organization in arranging for site selection, transportation coordination, custom built décor, lighting design, photography and video services, entertainment sourcing and management, off site event production, staffing services, amenities and VIP services. By giving its clients consistent high level service and creative concepts, the company has been able to retain a wealth of loyal clients that see DCi as a true partner. “It is very fulfilling to be at the point where we can focus on fine tuning what DCi is as a company, focusing on what make us be the partner clients are looking for. Our team is inspired every day knowing that we bring a client’s dream or vision into reality. That is the ultimate thrill of what we do.”

Knowing the team behind DCi, CEO Brynne Frost & VP, Sales Marketing Ana Reilly 

Brynne and Ana formed DCi with the goal of bringing the focus back to building relationships with clients and vendors, fulfilling client goals and finding creative ways to never have to say no. They carry on the DCi motto of “building relationships, builds success” which was a concept of Linda Wagner, another owner/founder who has since retired. Brynne is the driving force behind DCi’s core strategy and company vision, she assures the exceptional execution of events produced by a seamless team. Through her philosophy and her unwillingness to take no for an answer, she has developed a reputation for her ability to make the impossible possible and has sold and managed some of the most innovative experiences in the business. Ana directs the teams responsible for the creative development of client projects. She is focused on working with each client in defining event objectives to best embody corporate messaging and most effectively deliver the impact envisioned. Examples of what the DCi team has accomplished under their leadership includes the closing of an entire city block for a street party with only three weeks’ notice, and the securing of approval from Washington DC for a VIP grand entry via fighter jet onto a San Diego military base.

“DCi is a rarity. We’ve been around for almost twenty years and are a multi-million-dollar business, but we still have the culture of a family owned business. We have the best of both worlds.”