Fifth Street DMC Expands into Carolinas with Acquisition

Fifth Street DMC, a woman-owned destination management company with roots in Austin and Montana, has expanded into the Southeast with its acquisition of North Carolina-based Mosaix Group, a longtime DMC Network member. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

By expanding into the Carolinas, Fifth Street DMC is not only enhancing its geographic footprint but also creating new opportunities to showcase the unique cultural and natural assets of the region, a key driver for tourism growth.

Moves like this are unusual in the independent DMC world. The last comparable headline-making move dates back to 2018, when Mexico’s Terramar DMC acquired San Francisco’s Cappa & Graham, Inc., marking its U.S. debut. (Cappa & Graham has since been rebranded Terramar Northern California.)

Similarly for Fifth Street, expansion was the goal. But it wasn’t about sheer scale. “We’re not trying to be the biggest DMC,” said founder and CEO Kaitlyn Dineen.

This acquisition underscores the growing importance of destination management companies in bridging the gap between global reach and authentic local experiences, a cornerstone of effective destination marketing.

Kaitlyn Dineen, CEO

“Clients are being asked to choose between scale and soul; between national reach and local expertise,” she said. “We believe you should have both.”

At the same time, part of Dineen’s motivation comes from the industry’s larger players accelerating consolidation. She referenced the formation of “mega-DMCs” backed by private equity, such as the 2025 merger of CSI DMC and 360 Destination Group (360DG) courtesy of PE firm H.I.G. Capital. The new entity, Cohera, projected $200 million in annual revenue.

Mosaix will ultimately, but not immediately, take on the Fifth Street name as the company’s Carolinas division. Dineen said the team “has to earn that title first,” declining to specify a timeline or benchmarks.

Vital Partner for DMOs

Inspired Insights caught up with Dineen one month since the acquisition was executed in February, a move she hopes move positions Fifth Street DMC as a vital partner for tourism boards and local stakeholders, leveraging its expertise to craft “only-here” experiences that resonate with travelers and elevate the destination’s appeal.

When asked about top priorities, Dineen laid out three: “protect the client experience at all costs; build trust internally—[because] team first, always; and identify where we could move faster together.”

Fifth Street DMC now operates with 34 full-time team members. Dineen emphasized there are no layoffs tied to the deal, and the organization has “a deep bench of local contractors in each region.” Instead of cutting, Dineen added new leadership, including a president to focused on integration and partner alignment and two directors of sales, one dedicated to East Coast and the other to West.

As news of the acquisition spread, Dineen said she’s heard “cautious optimism” from partners curious whether Fifth Street will alter how it executes events, curates local activities, books talent, sources venues, and delivers experiences each destination is known for.

She maintains the company “is not changing how we show up locally, we’re just bringing more opportunity with us. Once people see that, the concern fades pretty quickly.”

Early signs suggest the strategy is working. Within 30 days of the deal closing, “clients who know us in Austin are now talking about the Carolinas,” Dineen said. “Montana clients are looking at Texas. That’s where this gets interesting.”

As far as the next 30 days, Dineen hopes for “deeper partner integrations in the Carolinas” alongside “fully aligned sales pipeline across all markets, shared proposal and design standards, and continued brand rollout.”

By the end of this year, clients shouldn’t be thinking about “which office” they’re working with, Dineen said. They'll just be working with Fifth Street, “and trusting that wherever they go, it will be executed at the same level.”

Photos Courtesy of Fifth Street DMC