Incentive - December 2007 - (Page 26)

“Our challenge is, how do you make it different, if you’re having the same fun-in-the-sun destination?” –Ira Almeas, Impact Incentives that always holds a dinner with assigned seating, she once swapped out the usual nameplates, instead opting to use small, silver picture frames engraved with attendees’ names that they could take home. This proved more costly, but only slightly so, and the feature was brought up repeatedly by attendees after the trip was over as something they valued. “The little things make the difference,” agrees Light, who is president of incentive marketing company The Light Group in White Plains, N.Y. For him, attending to details means finding creative and carefully considered pillow gifts, like crafts selected by hand from artists local to the destination, rather than settling for something that may be less expensive, but generic. “It’s the way it’s done, and it’s the quality of the products.” The same rule applies for merchandise programs: Pay attention to the small items as well as to the attention grabbers. Chuck Kolkjen, president of Atlanta-based Sales Performance Group, has been upgrading the product mix in his programs for 25 years. “The important thing if you have a fixed budget is to make the top product really compelling, but you need to be careful about throwing half your budget at your top prize,” he says. Instead, Kolkjen advises being selective in your catalog, but making sure you have thoughtful rewards at all price levels. Another low-budget, high-impact tactic that planners recommend is shaking up the standard venues or order of events. Keeping your itinerary flexible will ensure that your planning doesn’t begin to feel routine and stale. For example, Hansen recommends, if a client always incorporates a meeting into their activities, hold it in a theater one year instead of the usual boardroom. If they are used to holding an awards banquet on the final evening, move that to the first or second night, and plan a different closing event. “Instead of doing the usual teambuilding, hold it during a meal, to make it part of the entertainment,” advises Ira Almeas, president of Impact Incentives in East Hanover, N.J. During a four-night trip to Rome several years ago, Almeas and his team arranged for the group to kick off a dinner at a country house with a high-energy session of grape crushing, à la I Love Lucy. The group split into teams, then dived into vats of wine grapes, competing against each other to see who could crush the largest amount in the time given. This witty approach to the traditional pre-dinner cocktail party got attendees working together and “led to a high level of adrenaline for the rest of the evening,” says Almeas. “All of this does not equate to costing more; it’s just changing what you would usually do.” because all year they’re slogging through, staying in not-as-nice hotel rooms.” The challenge, then, is to find a destination with enough suites, preferably on the beach, to house all the participants. Additionally, the group, while active, enjoys a trip that focuses on laid-back socializing, rather than spectacular events, so the ambience of the property should feel exclusive, rather than hotel-like, but be within easy access to numerous venues where the group can gather for cocktail parties and mingling. “It’s the same thing every year, but this group loves that,” says Light. Last year, Light found success with Rosewood’s Jumby Bay property on Antigua. This year, he opted for another Rosewood property, Little Dix Bay, in the British Virgin Islands, renting out three quarters of the rooms for five nights in mid-July. The resort’s location made getting participants there a bit of a challenge, but otherwise, it proved ideal—remote enough that guests spent loads of quality time together, but with enough resources so they could keep busy, with options for scuba diving, sailing and spa, and access to offsite locations. But what really set the resort apart was the service. “They went out of their way to make everything work,” says Light, including arranging for the group to hold meetings and working with planners to make the stay all-inclusive for participants, though the resort is neither a meetings nor an all-inclusive property. Says Light: “It was a great resort, great rooms, the best food I’ve ever had in the Caribbean, the weather cooperated. It was just what the doctor ordered.” Zoom In On a Property Sometimes the inspiration for a program, as for a novel, begins with the setting. That’s why many incentive travel professionals start their planning process by scrolling through the relative merits and weaknesses of various hotels and resorts, even before deciding on a specific destination. Does the group want a grand, urban hotel, with a roster of on-site resources, or will their needs be better suited at an intimate, boutique location? Once you’ve found the perfect site, other pieces of the puzzle can start falling into place—what venues is it near, what atmosphere does it evoke, how can the space available be utilized creatively for events? “Some clients want the same kind of property every time,” says Almeas. “Our challenge is, how do you make it different, if you’re having the same fun-in-the-sun destination?” Finding the right property is the main issue faced annually by The Light Group with a trip for around 100 President’s Circle salespeople from a top electronics company that has been running these annual trips with the incentive house for a decade. “The president of the company wants to treat them like royalty for all the hard work they’ve done in the previous year,” explains Light. “He wants everyone to have a suite, Know Your Participants All incentive planners will tell you that the key to designing a successful program is knowing your group, but taking a closer look at who will ultimately benefit from the program can spur your creative thinking. “You always have to study the demographics of the group,” says Sunbelt’s Boyd. 26 | Incentive | December 2007 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - December 2007

Incentive - December 2007 Contents Editor’s Note: Revved Up In the News Cover Story: Rolls-Royce Empowers Its Own Case Study: Booz Allen Hamilton Beating Your Best Incentive Primer: Add Value to Your Event Keeping Safety In Mind Incentive Interview Potentials Here and Now Research: Corporate Gifts Facts Report Tabletop Awards: Travel Gift Cards Travel News Viva Puerto Vallarta Indigenous Spas Advertiser Index Off the Cuff: Ambassador Christoph Bubb Luxury Brands Special Supplement

Incentive - December 2007

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