DMO performance is a subject that is often poorly understood by city leaders and even the DMOs themselves. There are a LOT of things that need to be factored in, and many of them cannot be measured directly or accurately. The complex and imprecise nature of it can easily be exploited and used to paint a less than accurate picture of the situation. Knowing how DMO performance *should* be calculated allows us to keep our officials and DMO managers honest and can help identify mistakes they aren't even aware of.
Here are a couple of papers that we have found to be quite helpful in understanding how to better estimate DMO performance.
"Measuring the Performance of Convention and Visitors Bureaus" by Tim Tyrrell and Robert J Johnston
"Standard DMO Performance Reporting" by Destination Marketing Association International
