As 2019 came to end, GRCVB renewed its accreditation with the CVB industry association, Washington, D.C.-based Destinations International. GRCVB has represented the Raleigh area as a destination since 1986 and first achieved global accreditation through the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) in 2010. The recent reaccreditation also came with distinction.

Why does accreditation matter? Just as with higher education or the health care industry, accreditation signals an organization’s commitment to national or international standards and benchmarks, communicating strong ethics and integrity to its internal/external customers and community.

DMAP-accredited bureaus abide by a Code of Ethics whose principles include the exercise of truth in all promotional materials, environmental responsibility and pricing/transaction fairness, among other things. Most importantly, the DMAP Board of Directors, as an independent accreditation body, sets more than 100 standards to which bureaus must adhere in order to receive and maintain accreditation.

The DMAP accreditation standards cover a wide variety of topics including governance, finance, management, human resources, technology, visitor services, sales, communications, membership, brand management, destination development, research/market intelligence, innovation and stakeholder relationships.

Having earned DMAP reaccreditation, GRCVB can confidently communicate to its community, buyers and potential visitors a distinguished commitment to quality programs and services across 16 domains, including those above. It also makes our Bureau one of the only internationally accredited economic development organizations in this part of the state.

In addition to the organizational accreditation, many Bureau staff maintain professional credentials for their specialties within the CVB industry, and more than a dozen staff members hold industry leadership positions on local, state and national/international boards and committees as well.