It is no surprise that employees are motivated to work harder, increase sales and productivity, and improve their performance when they know that their efforts will be rewarded. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and to know that their hard work does not go unnoticed, which is why it is so important for all companies to implement some type of employee appreciation or incentive program. Some companies offer merit raises, performance-based bonuses or branded merchandise as prizes, while others choose gift cards or cash awards. While each of these options has its own particular appeal, incentive travel truly is the best, most effective choice that is often much more appealing to employees.

Here are five reasons your company should choose incentive travel to motivate your employees:
1. Incentive travel – whether it is a two-week European adventure or a weekend trip to a nearby ski resort – is far more memorable than other incentive options and will have a longer lasting positive effect.
2. Cash and gift cards are nice, but incentive travel provides your employees with the opportunity to actually have new experiences and enrich their lives.
3. Depending on your industry and pay scale, the incentive travel you offer might actually be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for your employees.
4. Incentive travel, such as incentive cruises, is generally perceived to have a much higher value than the actual cost to your company.
5. Offering incentive travel is much more personal than handing out gift cards or branded merchandise and is a more meaningful expression of your appreciation.

Are you looking for unique, affordable ways to motivate staff, award employees who met their sales goals, or encourage cohesion, communication and camaraderie among your team members? If so, you may have already discovered that many team building and employee incentive options are rather expensive and may not fit your budget. This is particularly true during the current economic crisis, which has forced more and more companies to get creative when searching for ways to reward or motivate their team as the funds for these types of activities shrink. And, as luck would have it, when team building and employee appreciation budgets are getting tighter due to dropping profits is exactly the time when you need your team to be more motivated and cohesive than ever.

Thankfully, there are plenty of affordable options available that will allow you to create an exciting team building experience or incentive for less than $200 per person.

Here are some examples:

• Organizing ride-alongs for employees to experience the exhilaration of a stock car racing around a track
• Scheduling full- or half-day white water rafting trips
• Arranging one- or two-day customized nature or outdoor adventure programs at a local wilderness area
• Finding a local company that offers bungee jumping

An incentive travel program is just what corporate groups need to keep their staff happy and motivated for future work. Any employee who works hard feels the need to get appreciated. Other than giving away corporate gifts and awards, incentive travel programs are excellent ways to show employee appreciation. All employees may not like a corporate gift, not knowing what to do with it, but they will definitely like an incentive travel trip sponsored by the company. After all who does not want to travel to exotic locations and have a great time, with all expenses being taken care of by someone else!

The great news for event planners is that these days companies are not hesitating to send their employees on an all-expense paid trip as part of an incentive program. All these incentive trips need to be organized and supervised by someone and that’s where the event planner comes into the picture. Read the rest of this entry »