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One of the largest problems that incentive meetings have is a loss of control over attendees who would rather be at home cleaning their bathrooms. Even participants who enter a business meeting with the best intentions can become bored and restless if equipment is malfunctioning or there are lengthy pauses in the presentation due to an agenda that isn’t working out as planned.
A great way to guarantee quick results at an incentive meeting is to hold your meeting in a venue that offers desirable after-meeting entertainment options that is not available until all work is completed. When your meeting is composed of busy individuals who have other things to do, they will settle down and do their best to complete the work-at-hand in a fast and productive manner.
Combining a structured incentive trip with fun participant activities requires some creative thinking and a calculator. In reality, a business incentive meeting can be held in any appropriately setup conference room that comes complete with reasonably priced comfortable accommodations, food and beverage choices, and an easy-access location that allows for all transportation concerns.
Cruise ships have luxury accommodations, free food, no transportation needs after reaching the point of departure, and conference room facilities that are available with state-of-the-art equipment for passengers to use. These floating hotels also offer quality entertainment options, health spas, room service and activities for traveling family members to enjoy themselves too.
A few quick clicks on the calculator will show you how the price of a cruise meeting will beat the traditional lodging, restaurant, and transportation costs of a business incentive meeting from many locations inside of the United States today. Even with airfares involved to get to the port-of-departure, with many of the vacation industry discounts being offered today, a cruise can be the most economical way to conduct your next business meeting. In fact, a cruise can save you as much as 40 percent over the price of a land based venue, due to the fact that it is all inclusive.
An all inclusive cruise event can save you up to 40% compared to hotel venues since so much is included. Meals, meeting rooms, A/V, coffee breaks, activities, entertainment and even room service are part of the all-inclusive cruise fare.
Seville is one of the jewels of Spain, with architecture, museums, food and shopping that make it a terrific incentive trip destination. In the Spanish region of Andalucia, which also includes the coastal resorts of Costa del Sol and Costa Almeria, Seville itself is set inland, although the coastal areas are within easy reach. It has its own airport, which is a 45 minute drive from the city.
Seville has plenty for your attendees to see and do. The city is famous for its Cathedral, which is the largest in the world. Built on the site of a twelfth century mosque, it is simple, but awe-inspiring and a sight not to be missed. Also make sure you see the Casa de Pilatos, built by the first Marquis de Tarifa in the early sixteenth century. It is one of the finest palaces in Seville and now also houses a courtyard and park, at the end of which are mansions that have been turned into museums. For a real taste of Seville, spend some time in the Barrio Santa Cruz, one of the most picturesque parts of the city, full of narrow lanes and surprising squares; whitewashed houses and excellent tapas bars. Tapas is thought to have been invented in Seville, and it’s certainly the way that most locals choose to eat. The range is incredible and the prices good, so take advantage of the more than one thousand places in the city where tapas is available.
Seville is a busy city with lots of narrow roads, and it is a brave person who attempts to drive – or park – in the main areas. Parking in particular is very limited and often restricted to residents of businesses; so avoid parking fines and unnecessary stress by only hiring a car if you’re planning to drive outside the city. Instead, use the very regular and reliable bus service which costs little and offers multiple journey tickets, or get one of Seville’s white taxis. Tourists often take a horse and carriage to see Seville’s main sites – this is a particularly popular option with couples and families. As with most cities, one of your best options is to walk. There are maps available from the tourist offices and you can explore Seville at your leisure.
Hawaii always excites and increases attendance for incentive events. In addition to more than 70,000 hotel rooms and top meeting facilities, Hawaii boasts some of the worlds best golf resorts.
The Hawaiian islands' golf resorts are among the best in the world, and there are six distinctly different islands to choose from – here is a glance at what each one has to offer:
People all over the world are struggling with the effects of the recession. It has hit the United States pretty hard and many people are just grateful to have a job. Incentive travel is a good means to lift the spirits of your staff and keep them motivated to do more locally and globally.
Many corporations select a charity and sponsor various events to raise money or supplies for their cause. This could be through employee blood donations or food donations or outright monetary gifts. Philanthropic gestures can be combined with incentive travel. Exotic locations offer the opportunity for tourists to help the local economy in personal and significant ways.
Philanthropic travel can be part of a team building exercise. Designating an afternoon during an incentive trip to get involved with a local charity just makes people feel better about themselves, creating a special bond between visitors and locals. Offering a local organization a “hands-on” rather than a hand-out is a show of respect for their efforts and leaves their dignity intact.
Try matching a local cause with one at your travel destination. For example, hunger is a world wide concern. The team that volunteers with a soup kitchen away from home returns more compassionate and wiser than when they left home.
Many travelers have been avoiding countries like Mexico for fear of crime. However, common sense precautions can go a long way towards a safe and exciting business incentive trip. Here are some ways you can help your clients avoid being victims.
Environmental Awareness
First, dispel myths. Second, explain the realities. For instance, if most of the crime in a certain places happens in the inner city subway system, provide a guide to other means of travel. If the crimes are primarily pick-pocketing, make a checklist of safety measures for your travelers–pick-pocketing is not a violent crime, and travelers who are properly prepared will be able to enjoy their trip without losses to petty thievery.
There are, of course, global havens for robbers. One of those places is the ATM. No matter where you are, avoid using these machines unless they are located in safe hotel lobbies, inside secure banks, and sometimes in stores (although that’s a little dicey). Read the rest of this entry »
Your client has hired you to plan an incentive trip for her top salesperson. She tells you, “So-and-so loves to ski and goes to Colorado all the time, so let’s do that.”
What?
If the salesperson goes to Colorado all the time, booking a trip for him there is certainly not an incentive reward. Why bother? He could book that trip himself. That it’s paid for by his employer doesn’t make it an incentive to do better.
Instead, see if you can find out the employee’s other interests or dream vacations, something he may never have done otherwise. Maybe he would like to take his wife on a zipline tour in Costa Rica or try skiing on water instead of snow–in Australia. You will need to talk to your client and convince her that a reward is a unique gift. Otherwise it’s like buying a beer for a brew master. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
Incentive travel programs are one way corporations reward star employees. One of the best things about being a corporate meeting planner is the added perk of incentive business trips. If you are wondering how to plan a corporate incentive trip, it is not all that difficult. These days there are so many options available for business travel destinations that you could be hard pressed to decide on one.
In fact studies have found that incentive travel programs are one of the main attractions of event planning jobs- it is one of the main reasons why most people opt for careers in event planning and stick to it.
If you are not familiar with what an incentive program is, the answer is quite simple- an incentive program is an all expense paid trip for a group of corporate individuals as a bonus for excelling in the work force. For example, a food processing company could offer an incentive travel program to its sales staff for meeting desired goals. This is a great way to motivate employees and ensure that they retain their interest in the work, looking forward to more of such trips. Read the rest of this entry »
