THE ARRIVALS CURB — The client's planning call spent forty minutes on whether the welcome drink should contain rosemary. Meanwhile, the destination management team discovered that the scheduled coach could not fit through the venue's entrance.

The local lead rerouted the transfer, called a different driver and persuaded the venue to open a side gate. She then located a substitute guide and a pharmacy for an attendee who had left something important at home.

At the next meeting, the agency asked what the DMC had added beyond 'local contacts.' The lead looked at the arrivals schedule, now functioning, and considered sending a photograph of a coach stuck in an archway.

Guests arrived on time. The drink had rosemary. The client praised the effortless destination experience. The DMC added 'effortless' to the list of words that mean somebody else did the work.