E-DestinAccess (EDA) provides a solution to the growing economical and technological needs of meeting professionals and suppliers by launching in the first quarter of 2009, e-DMC, a Free Web-based DMC Service for Meeting and Event Planners. E-DMC is a SaaS (Software as a service) that directly connects planners and suppliers while providing the tools, resources, & automating power to facilitate and boost the meeting and event planning business. By saving money & resources on the administrative side, more spending power can be shifted towards other economically-enhancing activities such as entertainment, spa services, food & beverages.

The Meeting Planning industry’s needs could be best described in the MPI article “2009 Brings Unique Business Opportunities for the Global Meeting Industry” featured on FutureWatch, surveying Planners & Meeting Professionals:

“Planners and suppliers agree that an increase in creativity and innovation will be a necessary and invaluable tool in 2009. Planners and suppliers expect new, (including currently unknown standards and practices) to emerge which will make the industry more efficient and effective for the long term. “

“11% of meeting professionals expect an increase in the use of technology to access meetings and content remotely, in order to help lower overall costs. The technology which more professionals plan to use is “on-site” related.”
http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/MPIcontent.aspx?id=22760

The beauty of e-DMC is that it is a SaaS – an enterprise software that is accessed online. With this comes the following benefits:

- Affordability and cost reduction: Most software and online-services charge a monthly fee, however, e-DMC is fee-free.
- Global accessibility online where there is internet access.
- Outsourced processing and resources: The user does not have to download any applications nor use their own computer resources to store or process information.
- No reinstalling or upgrades needed: This is done offsite at the server level.
- Eliminating the cost of recruiting, retaining, and maintaining IT personnel.

In addition e-DMC’s software addresses the specific needs of meeting planners who needed an easier, more efficient, and better way to run their event/meeting planning business on a global scale. Thus, e-DMC will help in the following areas:

- organizing events of any scale
- creating & submitting RFPs
- accounting & billing
- automating business processes
- providing automated error-checking
- producing managerial reports

In accordance with the economical crisis, EDA sticks to the motto, “Time is Money.” To be successful as a meeting professional requires a cost-effective technological solution that provides convenience, efficiency, structure, & consistency within the industry that e-DMC offers.