Any company that is reviewing its incentives and bonuses needs to keep an eye on the bottom line while simultaneously trying to find the best value possible for their spending dollar. It is simply a question of economics, but that does not necessarily mean that an affordable trip to Nebraska is going to seem attractive. A cruise on the other hand is almost always a great travel option worth considering and can be surprisingly affordable. Here’s why cruise travel should be on the incentive plan of any company with travel incentive options:

• Incentive cruises are all inclusive, meaning that they are incredibly easy to budget.
• All inclusive means no need to give spending money and collect receipts or give out a prepaid company credit card.
• Cruises are almost universally considered to be enjoyable which probably explains why they have been around for so long.
• Cruises can change the recipient(s) perceptions of the company dramatically, and not in the same way that a ‘fun’ vacation to Nebraska might do the same. A partner might become more amenable to agreements, an employee more loyal, a supplier more reliable, and so on.
• Regardless of the outcome of a cruise, the recipient is likely to sing the praises of the company to any and all that will hear. Nothing beats good word of mouth, nothing.

“Incentives” Magazine recently printed an editor’s note (Vincent Alonzo) that described a way to bring online tradeshows to the world. Virtual Incentive World is making it possible for people to log on and visit booths any time of the day or night and get information over the transom that would have taken much more time to gather previously.

The June, 2009 editorial entitled “Motivation 2.0 and 2009” did not really say how this would be motivational, but it does bring up an interesting idea for meeting planners: How can it benefit you and your business?

For one thing, it confirms what you may already suspect. It means that lots of people are trying to find alternatives to spending money on travel, lodging, meeting space, etc. It may also mean that if you don’t become familiar with technology to the point where you could help create an online event, down the road you may be left behind.

Of course, this is speculation. However, it may give you some incentive to beef up your knowledge of technology so that you can at least cope with the technological advances that meetings will experience over the next decade, even if the yare not all incentives.

When travelers looks for a versatile place with great sight seeing, activities, nightlife, and modern amenities, they often think of New York City. There is a reason for that: it is one of the most popular destinations in the world, with thousands of fine restaurants, an exciting history, great choices for accommodations, and an unmatched nightlife.

The price tag comes high, however. Many hotel rooms run in the hundreds of dollars as an average, and the tax on rooms went up to over 14% in March of this year. While this might make it seem like hotel owners are rolling in it while their properties go down the Hudson, just the opposite is happening–they are spending money on their properties to attract visitors away from their competition. You and your clients are the beneficiaries.

Here is an example. One of the biggest complains about hotel rooms comes from people with allergies. The Wyndam Hotel at the Midtown Convention Center is giving allergy sufferers a place to call a temporary home. They offer hypo-allergenic deep cleaning for all rooms, decontaminate the environment, and take other precautions to help those with problems. 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 »