Choosing a DMC means choosing who you trust with your event when you are not in the room. Barcelona has plenty on offer: local agencies, offices of international groups, PCOs that also do incentives and travel agencies with a MICE department. The proposals look similar on the surface and differ in what you cannot see: who will be on site, how the unexpected is handled and what lies behind each line of the budget. This guide sets out how we would assess it if we were on the other side of the table.
What does a DMC do in Barcelona?
A DMC designs, contracts and delivers the services in the destination. In a typical programme it takes care of:
- Proposing and negotiating hotels and room blocks.
- Sourcing venues for meetings, dinners and activities, and managing their terms.
- Organising transfers, coaches, guides and airport assistance.
- Designing activities, tours, team building and gala dinners.
- Coordinating technical production, decoration, catering and staff.
- Handling permits, security and contingency plans.
- Being on site throughout the programme, with a team that solves problems in real time.
Not every supplier does everything. This table clarifies who does what. We go into more detail in PCO, DMC or event agency.
| Type of supplier | Focus | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| DMC | Destination services: logistics, suppliers, activities, local production | Incentives, conventions and groups travelling from elsewhere |
| PCO (professional conference organiser) | Congress secretariat, registration, abstracts, sponsorship, congress venue | Association and scientific congresses |
| Event agency | Creative concept, staging, brand experience | Launches, galas, conventions with a strong narrative |
| Corporate travel agency | Flights, individual accommodation, travel policy | Recurring business travel, not events |
| Hotel or venue events department | The venue's own services | Simple meetings in a single space |
In practice, many suppliers in Barcelona combine roles. What matters is that the one you choose covers your whole programme without leaving gaps between suppliers. You can see how we approach it in our DMC in Barcelona service.
15 questions to ask when choosing a DMC
Ask each candidate these questions and request written answers. Vague answers are an answer in themselves.
- What events similar to mine have you delivered in Barcelona in the last three years? Ask for the client's name, format, number of attendees and original photos. If they cannot name the client for confidentiality reasons, ask at least for the sector and a reference contact.
- Who will be my point of contact and who will be on site? The salesperson who pitches is not always the person who delivers. Ask for the names and roles of the team that will be at the event.
- Which parts of the service do you deliver with your own team and which do you subcontract? Technical production, transport, hosts and catering are usually subcontracted. What matters is knowing who is accountable.
- How do you structure the budget? Ask for unit prices, units, VAT and management fees shown separately. Ask whether the prices include supplier commissions.
- Which VAT scheme do you apply? Agencies that act in their own name and use third-party services to organise the trip may invoice under the special scheme for travel agencies. It affects how VAT appears on the invoice and whether your company can reclaim it. Ask before, not after.
- What guarantees and insurance do you hold? A current public liability certificate and, if they sell package travel, proof of the mandatory guarantee (more on this below).
- What is your payment schedule? A milestone-based schedule linked to the payments the DMC has to make to hotels and venues is normal. 100% upfront with no justification is not.
- Which cancellation and attendee reduction terms do you pass on from suppliers? The DMC should show you those of each hotel and venue, not invent tougher ones of its own.
- How do you handle a serious incident? Ask for a real example: a transport strike, rain at an outdoor dinner, a speaker who does not arrive.
- How well do you know the venues you are proposing? They should know the set-up times, sound limits, loading access and restrictions of each venue. Ask when they last worked there.
- How do you handle my attendees' personal data? You need a GDPR-compliant data processing agreement, and to know which suppliers receive data (hotels, transport, insurance).
- Which languages does the on-site team work in? Essential if your attendees come from specific markets, for example delegations from China, Germany or France.
- What sustainability criteria do you apply? Local suppliers, transport, waste, food. Ask for concrete measures, not general statements. We cover this in sustainable events in Barcelona.
- How quickly do you respond and how will communication work? Response time, tools, follow-up meetings and an emergency channel during the event.
- What verifiable reviews and references do you have? Public reviews on Google or other platforms, and two clients you can call.
Red flags
These are the situations that, in our experience, signal trouble ahead:
- A price far below the rest with no explanation. It usually means items are missing, a service has been downgraded or extras will appear later.
- Case studies with no names, no original photos or with stock images. If a supplier cannot show its work, you cannot assess it.
- "Our partners" at every venue. Many hotels and venues work with any agency. A DMC that presents every venue as exclusive may be overselling.
- No insurance certificate, or evasive answers when you ask for it.
- The salesperson does not know who will attend the event.
- A fixed budget with no breakdown. A price per person without line items makes it impossible to compare or adjust.
- Slow responses already at proposal stage. If they are slow to answer now, they will be slower during the event.
- Their own cancellation terms are tougher than the suppliers' terms.
- A rush to get paid before showing you hotel or venue contracts.
Guarantees, licences and insurance: what to require in Catalonia
Travel agency activity. According to the Generalitat de Catalunya, since 1 April 2017 travel agency activity has been fully liberalised: it requires no authorisation and no documentation needs to be filed with the tourism authority. That is why there is no point asking for a "licence number" as used to be the case.
Package travel guarantee. What is mandatory, according to the Generalitat's Canal Empresa, is that anyone who organises or sells package travel holds a guarantee that, in the event of insolvency, covers delivery of the trip and refund of payments. There are two options:
- A guarantee of 5% of annual package travel turnover, with a minimum of €100,000.
- Insurance that covers each package trip individually.
The business proves this with a responsible declaration and the authorities enter it in the Registre de Turisme de Catalunya. The obligation applies to businesses established in Catalonia and to those selling at a distance to Catalan consumers. If your DMC sells you accommodation together with other services, ask how it is covered.
Public liability insurance. Ask for the current certificate, the sum insured and whether it covers risk activities (sport, watersports, building structures). Check that critical subcontractors (transport, marquees, pyrotechnics) have their own insurance.
Cancellation insurance. It is not mandatory, but for large events it is worth considering. Ask what it covers: illness of key speakers, force majeure, low attendance.
Permits. Events on public roads, beaches, parks or with outdoor sound need municipal authorisation. The DMC should know which ones and how far ahead to apply.
This section is for information only. For specific legal questions, consult your advisers.
What should your RFP include?
A good RFP (request for proposal) saves weeks. The more specific it is, the more comparable the proposals will be. This is the structure we recommend:
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Company and objective | Who you are, why you are holding the event, what it must achieve (train, reward, launch, align) |
| Dates | Preferred and alternative dates. If they are flexible, say so: it helps avoid trade fair weeks |
| Attendees | Estimated and minimum numbers, profile, nationalities, languages, partners |
| Accommodation | Category, number of rooms per night, singles or doubles, preferred area |
| Programme | Plenary sessions, breakout rooms, lunches, dinners, activities, free time |
| Production | AV needs, set design, interpreting, streaming, event app |
| Transport | Arrivals and departures, local transfers, accessibility needs |
| Budget | Indicative range and what it includes (flights or not, VAT or not) |
| Requirements | Sustainability, security, procurement policy, data protection, insurance |
| Response format | Common budget template, maximum length, submission date |
| Criteria and timeline | How you will evaluate and when you will decide |
Tip: share the budget range. Without it, each DMC proposes in a different bracket and the proposals cannot be compared.
Proposal scorecard
Use a weighted matrix. The weights are indicative: adjust them to your event. Score each criterion from 1 to 5 and multiply by the weight.
| Criterion | What to look at | Suggested weight |
|---|---|---|
| Proven local experience | Verifiable Barcelona case studies of similar format and size | 20% |
| Quality of the proposal | Fit with objectives, useful creativity, realistic programme | 20% |
| Team and delivery | Who will be on site, staff ratio, contingency plan | 15% |
| Budget transparency | Breakdown, unit prices, separate fees, clear VAT | 15% |
| Value for money | What you get for each euro, not just the total | 10% |
| Guarantees and compliance | Insurance, package travel guarantee, GDPR, contracts | 10% |
| Responsiveness and communication | Speed, clarity, flexibility during the process | 5% |
| Sustainability | Concrete, measurable measures | 5% |
If two proposals end up very close, ask for a meeting with the team that would deliver the event. It usually breaks the tie.
Contract clauses worth reviewing
- Scope and deliverables: exactly what is included and what is charged separately.
- Payment schedule linked to milestones and to supplier payments.
- Cancellation and attendee reduction: scales by date, and how hotel and venue terms are passed on.
- Numbers cut-off date: when the final invoiced number is fixed.
- Tax changes: what happens if VAT or the tourist tax goes up before the event.
- Force majeure: definition and how costs already incurred are shared.
- Liability and insurance: limits and cover.
- Data protection: data processing agreement.
- Intellectual property of the creative concept, content, photos and videos.
- Currency, if the client invoices outside the eurozone.
Extra questions by type of event
The 15 questions work for any programme. Depending on the format, add these:
| Format | Additional question | What you are looking for in the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Incentive travel | What experiences can you offer that cannot be booked online? | Private access, exclusive time slots, local hosts |
| Convention | How do you handle a plenary, breakout rooms and a dinner on the same day? | Changeover times, transport, plan B |
| Congress | Do you work with a PCO or provide the congress secretariat yourselves? | Clarity on who handles registration, abstracts and sponsorship |
| Event during a trade fair | Which venues do you have secured during MWC or ISE weeks? | Real options, not "we'll look into it" |
| International delegations | Which team members speak the group's language and know its customs? | Named people, experience with that market |
| Gala dinner | What time and sound limits does the venue have? | Real knowledge of the venue |
How to get the most from the site inspection
Before signing, visit the shortlisted hotels and venues with the DMC team that will deliver the event. A well-prepared visit prevents most surprises:
- Walk the attendee's full journey: coach arrival, registration, plenary, break, lunch, departure.
- Ask to see the rooms with a set-up similar to yours, or at least the floor plans with dimensions.
- Ask the venue manager about set-up times, sound limits and mandatory services. Compare their answer with the DMC's.
- Try the food if the dinner matters: many venues offer a menu tasting.
- Check real travel times at the time of day of the event, not at midday on a Sunday.
- Note anything that does not convince you and ask for a solution in writing.
If the DMC does not know the venues it is proposing first-hand, the visit will make that clear.
Selection timeline
| Before the event | Step |
|---|---|
| 10-12 months | Prepare the RFP and a shortlist of three DMCs |
| 9-10 months | Receive proposals, clarify questions, meet the finalists |
| 9 months | Choose the DMC, sign the contract and secure the hotel and venues |
| 8-1 months | Programme development, technical visits, production |
| Event | Delivery with the DMC team on site |
| 2-4 weeks after | Financial close, report and evaluation |
For incentives on high-demand dates or groups of more than 300 people, add three to six months.
How we work
We are a Barcelona agency whose team has more than 20 years' experience in conventions, incentives, congresses and corporate events, with group offices in Barcelona, Madrid, London, Puebla and Mexico City. We are rated 4.9 on Google from 91 reviews. You can see our work in our case studies.
If it helps, go through the 15 questions in this guide with us. Send us your brief or RFP via our contact page and we will send you a first proposal within 24 business hours. If you are looking for official information on the destination, Turisme de Barcelona's Barcelona Convention Bureau offers free advice to companies and associations and has more than 300 members.
Sources
- Generalitat de Catalunya: agentes de viajes, actividad liberalizada desde el 1-4-2017 y garantía
- Canal Empresa (Gencat): empresarios que organizan o comercializan viajes combinados
- Turisme de Barcelona: Barcelona Convention Bureau
- Agencia Tributaria: régimen especial de agencias de viajes (IVA)
- Agencia Tributaria: manual de IVA 2025, régimen especial de agencias de viajes
- Ley 2/2026 del impuesto sobre estancias turísticas de Cataluña
