Business Planners Can Now Search Cruise Choices and Submit One Request to Five Cruise Lines Simultaneously

As the U.S. economy continues its struggle to rebound in 2011, EIBTM reported some encouraging trends for the Meetings and Events Industry in their Annual EIBTM Global Industry Trends and Market Share Report.  While not completely out of the woods yet, the report highlights some trends that show significant improvements for the year ahead.

Highlights of the report include:

• Corporate restrictions on business travel have eased significantly
• Cost management for corporate meetings continues to be a key issue for Buyers but keen negotiations and a greater focus on “basics” is the driving force
• Lead time for corporate meetings has shortened from 30-45 days
• Incentive travel has also show a recovery, although not as dramatic as meetings
• Average number of nights for incentive travel has decreased from 6.5 to 4
• Greater focus on domestic or short-distance international destinations to reflect shorter trip lengths
• Predictions for travel in 2011 and 2012 show a positive growth trend

There are plenty of different meeting incentives, and many different legitimate business reasons to give those business meeting incentives to nearly anyone from employees to suppliers and even political associates. The ultimate business meeting incentive might not be a pay raise, a bag full of money, or even that nice covered parking spot next to the CFO’s parking spot. Instead, it might be a corporate sponsored cruise. Here’s why:

• Cruises are highly sought after travel arrangements and destinations wrapped up in one. This makes cruises an incredible gift for nearly anyone associated with a business.
• A well planned incentive plan will motivate multiple people and/or parties to perform better, display greater honesty, or more. It all just depends on who the target recipients are, but a single ticket could inspire countless groups or individuals to take a positive action.
• Cruises are very cost effective, and it might be worth evaluating the idea of a cruise meeting in the future. Cruises almost certainly beat hotels and entertainment expenses, especially since most cruises are all-inclusive.
• In many cases a portion or all of a cruise incentive package can be tax deductible. As with any tax related issue be certain to consult with a tax professional for advice and the latest rules governing taxes and deductions.

For much of the time employees are in meetings, meeting participants are simply a captive audience. In cases such as these, participants are very likely to “tune out” and miss important information that is being disseminated. This is where the meeting planner can step in and be of invaluable assistance. To avoid situations in which meeting participants “zone out” and either daydream or doodle, meeting planners can make meeting preparation assignments. While this may sound like a meeting planner doling out homework, it actually helps meeting participants take a more significant role in the incentive meeting.

There are several types of meetings that can be held, and these include: problem-solving meetings, sales meetings, brainstorming session, and other types of less formal meetings. With problem-solving meetings, the participants may be made aware of the problem to be discussed ahead of time. They can then be asked to think of a possible solution and potentially share this solution with the group. For sales meetings, participants could be asked to discuss successful strategies they have learned. In a brainstorming session, participants can be asked questions related to the topic of discussion and provide potential solutions are answers. There are many ways in which incentive meetings can be tailored to encourage meaningful employee participation.

The entire business world has been turned upside down and it is consequently time to look at a lot of old ideas and question them. One misconception that many people have is that cruises are only for personal pleasure. Au contraire mon frère, cruise meetings are certainly in style these days. Consider the following reasons:

• Employees are jumping ship and starting their own firms more than ever. Why? Because the pressures of having to do more with less and no raise in sight is driving them to such acts. Would it hurt to schedule a business cruise meeting instead of a landlocked hotel meeting? The results could save employees.
• Businesses are having to do more with less, and cruise meetings are all about more for less. More unlimited food, more entertainment options, more meeting rooms with unparalleled views, and more unique situations in which to get the creative juices flowing, all for a price that may turn out to be substantially less than trying to replicate the same effects in hotels and convention centers.
• Suppliers and customers are also looking for the best deals, and a cruise meeting is a sort of concession for them that might keep contacts happy while they still pay the same price. It may all be a big tax write-off anyhow, so why not consider taking this particular ball and running with it?

Not everyone in the office can get the big promotion and the corner office, but that does not mean that there are no other rewards to dole out to encourage performance and loyalty. In fact, some of those rewards can be tax deductible while simultaneously offering an immediate and direct benefit to the company, such as incentive travel where meetings or other events are part of the plan. Here’s how it works:

• Corporate travel and meetings are very common, but usually the top few people in any department get to go. If a new promotion has been handed out, consider letting the runners up to the position go as sort of a second-place prize. This shows them that even though they may have come so close to getting that coveted promotion, that they are not truly that far away. Special perks are still available, and Joe’s corner office as much as perk as it is a ball and chain.
•  It is usually best not to announce the travel meetings or travel events as a secondary prize before any decision making is done regarding who gets which promotion. Instead, try approaching the proposition of meeting travel as a conically prize as a way to reward those that try so hard to please and perform their duties with diligence. Loyalty and hard work deserve rewards, and those rewards are even better when they help smooth over potentially ruffled feathers while still putting the needs of business first.

Any company considering leveraging incentive travel effectively needs a quick crash course in psychology. This is true whether the recipient is an employee, client, partner, supplier, or even a friend in the government. Psychologists refer to the rule of reciprocity when talking about gifts that are given without any strings attached, and that is arguably the best way to offer incentive travel. Don’t believe it? Read on…

Psychologists and sociologists agree that societies revolve around the rule of reciprocity, which states that a recipient of a gift is effectively indebted to the giver. One good turn deserves another, or so they say. This rule is ingrained so deeply in our minds that it is impossible to get out. Don’t believe it? Think of how Hare Krishinas make their money, and realize that they have hundreds of properties and centers throughout the country, and thousands throughout the world all funded on donations given to people that are generally regarded as annoying. How did they become so wealthy despite being nearly universally avoided and disliked as beggars? It is because they offer flowers or trinkets before asking for donations.

This same force can work for companies that offer no-strings attached incentive travel. Workers will feel indebted and become more loyal and productive, partners may start offering better deals, that friend in the government may be willing to repay the favor someday. Generosity has its perks, so be sure to make travel incentive a no-strings attached deal for the best results, even if it seems counterintuitive.

Group cruise planners may seem like the life of the party, but they can also be overstressed and overworked. The job isn’t as easy as it looks, it involves a lot of planning and it seems as if everyone else on the whole boat gets to have fun but the group cruise planner! A little common sense would suggest that there might be an opportunity to make friends and reap rewards, so here is some advice on how to turn a group cruise planner into a cohort:

• Let them know how much you admire their dedication – A little appreciation goes a long ways in so many cases, yet it is one of the last things that people do. Someone who can keep work and play separate day in and day out is indeed praiseworthy , especially when the two blend together so well.
• Offer something in return – If a cruise planner is ever in your city, perhaps between cruises, offer them a tour of your corporate facilities. It probably won’t cost much, especially if tours are already available, and it could certainly help build bridges that could prove valuable in future cruises.
• Offer concise solutions, not elaborate problems – Remember that group cruise planners are under a lot of pressure to get around a million-and-a-half things done in the time it takes most people to accomplish just a handful of tasks. If you have concise problems and solutions instead of long-winded problems, you are a big step towards making a new friend.

Amidst all the logistics of planning a meeting, it’s easy to forget the impact the start and end has on the meeting as a whole. Below are a few simple tips you can use while planning to make sure your next meeting is as successful as it can be.

To ensure the meeting begins on time and participants have the needed resources to start immediately, you can:

• Develop an agenda a week in advance and send it to participants.
• Ask participants to review the agenda and encourage them to add anything missing so all key items can be addressed.
• Confirm the meeting’s time and location with participants the day before.
• Establish a firm start and end time so everyone gets down to business faster and knows when to wrap everything up.
• Choose an unusual time like 2:05 to improve punctuality.

The ending of a meeting is also very important, because it’s the way a meeting concludes that solidifies the ideas offered and decisions made during the discussion, which leaves participants feeling productive and satisfied. Here are some things you can do:

• Establish clear wrap-up procedures including a conclusion and summarization of the items discussed.
• Have a timekeeper that signals the time a few minutes before the end.
• Set a deadline for reporting back and follow-up.