- Home
- / PCO, DMC or production company
A guide to running a congress in Argentina
PCO, DMC or production company: who does what at a congress
Three roles that often get mixed up and usually work together at a congress in Argentina. What each one does, how the tasks are split and when you need each one.
At a congress in Argentina, the PCO runs the content and the delegates (programme, abstracts, registration and hotel blocks), the DMC handles travel on the ground (transfers, tours and accommodation) and the event production company makes the rooms work (AV, streaming, accreditation, staff and gala dinner). SOMOS DER is the production company: we work alongside your PCO or DMC, not in their place.
The three roles, one line each
Each one answers a different question about the congress.
PCO
Professional Congress Organiser
Who comes, what is presented and who pays? Hired by the association or company that owns the congress.
- ·Scientific programme and speakers
- ·Call for abstracts and review
- ·Paid registration and delegate invoicing
- ·Hotel room blocks for delegates
- ·Sponsorship and exhibitors
DMC
Destination Management Company
How do people get to and move around the destination? The local travel specialist.
- ·Airport transfers
- ·Hotels and accommodation
- ·Tours and partner programmes
- ·Guides and traveller assistance
- ·Local tourism suppliers
DER
Event production company
Does what happens in the room work? We take care of the event itself, from build to strike.
- ·Sound, conference system and screens
- ·Live streaming of sessions
- ·QR accreditation and badges
- ·Staff, host and room coordination
- ·Gala dinner and congress evenings
Who does each task
The most common split. Every congress adjusts it, and some tasks are shared.
- Programme, speakers and abstracts PCO
- Paid registration and delegate invoicing PCO
- Hotel room blocks for delegates PCODMC
- Transfers, tours and partner programmes DMC
- Choosing the venue PCOProduction
- Sound, conference system and screens Production
- Live streaming of sessions Production
- Accreditation and entry control Production
- Room staff and host Production
- Gala dinner and themed evenings ProductionDMC
For accreditation, the PCO brings the registration list and we load it into PASE, our own QR platform, to check delegates in at the door and hand back real attendance.
Which combination you need
Association congress with abstracts
A PCO for the content and registration, and a production company for the rooms, streaming and accreditation. If many delegates fly in, add a DMC for transfers and tours.
Company convention or conference
Often the production company is enough: the company or its agency manages the guest list and we handle the venue, AV, accreditation and closing night.
Group travelling from abroad
A DMC for the trip (airport, hotel, tours) and a production company for the parts of the programme that are events: the plenary, the workshops and the gala dinner.
What we have already done at congresses and conferences
Published cases, with the role we actually played in each.
5th World Congress of Asturian Communities
For the Principality of Asturias (Spain), at the Centro Asturiano de Buenos Aires: around 100 delegates from 35 centres. Conference system, LED screen, streaming, host and accreditation on PASE, under one coordination.
View case ↗Databricks Live Argentina 2026
For the agency Audere, at the Hotel Libertador: 500 registered and 326 attendees in one morning, with badges printed on arrival and accreditation on PASE.
View case ↗Congreso Productivo para el Desarrollo
At the University of Buenos Aires School of Economics: around 300 accreditations in one day, with three categories (guest, speaker and press) told apart at a glance.
View case ↗Further reading
Our congress page with everything we produce, our DMC page with where we have already worked, the convention venues of Buenos Aires and the figures of the meetings industry in Argentina.
Tell us about your event
Dates, city, number of guests and what you need. That is enough for us to send you a proposal.
It goes straight to Franco Ridao, director of DER, in Buenos Aires.
I would rather use WhatsAppBringing an event to Argentina?
Where is your agency based?
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a PCO?
A PCO (Professional Congress Organiser) is the professional organiser of a congress: it builds the programme, manages abstracts and paid registration, blocks hotel rooms for delegates and usually handles sponsorship and exhibitors. It is hired by the association or company that owns the congress.
What is a DMC?
A DMC (Destination Management Company) is a local company that handles travel at the destination: transfers, hotels, tours, guides and partner programmes. It is the specialist in moving people around a city or a country.
Is SOMOS DER a PCO or a DMC?
Neither, and we would rather say it plainly. We are an event production company: we do not handle abstracts, paid registration or hotel room blocks, and we do not sell flights or hotels. We make sure the rooms, the check-in, the streaming and the evenings work, and we work with your PCO, your DMC or your agency.
Do I need all three?
Not always. An association congress with abstracts usually needs a PCO and a production company; a company convention is often handled by a production company alone; and if many delegates fly in, it is worth adding a DMC. Tell us the format and we will tell you which part we do and which part is better left to others.
Do you work with a PCO or DMC from another country?
Yes. It is the most common setup: the PCO or agency abroad runs the content and the relationship with delegates, and we are the production team in Argentina, with one SOMOS DER lead for the whole congress.
How is accreditation coordinated with the PCO?
The PCO sends us the registration list with the categories it needs and we load it into PASE, our own platform. At the door delegates check in with a QR code or by name, and at the end we hand back real attendance so the PCO can match it against registration.
Running a congress in Argentina?
Tell us the format, the venue if you already have one and who is handling each part. We will tell you what we produce and how we coordinate with your PCO or DMC.