STRATEGY
General Counsel
With nearly a decade of experience as an attorney and five years within the DMC industry as general counsel and a regional leader, one of the greatest values of the DMC Coalition is access to Paul's legal expertise. He is familiar with a variety of legal matters unique to DMCs and is able to swiftly address your DMC's individualized needs. At exclusive member rates, and under a confidential attorney-client relationship, members can enjoy a one-on-one experience that is certain to improve the efficiency and sustainability of their DMC. Learn more about Paul's journey to become an attorney here.
DMC Coalition Origin
The hospitality industry was recently devastated as a result of the pandemic and DMCs were not exempt. Founding member of the DMC Coalition, Paul Cataudella, saw what was occurring and offered his assistance.
As a key contributor to the most recent legal resources and education (e.g., the model service agreement and accompanying lectures) available through the Association of Destination Management Executives International (“ADMEI”), and a hospitality attorney belonging to the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys ("AHIA") with several years’ experience as a regional leader of a national DMC, Paul was well positioned to help.
Paul started by hosting webinars and providing educational materials for DMCs throughout the world on topics relating to contract interpretation, dispute resolution, and general business strategy. Thereafter, Paul assisted individual DMCs with their specific issues and gained valuable insight about what was occurring within the industry; not just from a DMC’s perspective, but also from the perspective of a client, a supplier, an employee, and even an opposing attorney.
Over the course of these interactions, a recurring theme emerged: There has long existed issues unfavorably impacting how DMCs do business.
As a consequence of current events, many of those unresolved issues left DMCs, their clients, their suppliers, and their employees vulnerable. In an effort to mitigate those effects and attempt to avoid them from happening again, Paul knew that DMCs had to evolve by aligning under a unified voice, implement a new way of thinking, and utilize this unprecedented time as a catalyst for change to ensure the future success of DMCs and the satisfaction of their clients.
Shortly following this realization, the DMC Coalition was founded. It began as a weekly video conference amongst a handful of DMCs ranging in size and locale. It started with a simple premise: DMCs - and the industry as a whole - must adapt in response to the pandemic and, in doing so, will use this time as an opportunity to improve how DMCs do business. Today, it has evolved into a robust resource available to all DMCs seeking to improve their business and the DMC industry as a whole.