Incentive - December 2007 - (Page 60)

las vegas incentive marketplace we will include an RSVP for champagne and strawberries with the group at 10 p.m., but we also make it clear that the service can just be delivered to their room if they choose.” Smaller groups have the ability to go where larger numbers simply don’t fit. There is an enormous variety of tours that offer an intriguing keyhole into a more intimate Las Vegas. Only 20 guests per hour can take the brand-new tour behind the 13 exhibit habitats at Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef Aquarium and a mere six people are allowed on a personalized tour at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Beyond scheduled tours, groups with a healthy budget can arrange almost anything. Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah’s Entertainment will tailor a tour based on an individual group’s interests. Some want a longer, more comprehensive experience, like a complete house tour, which offers a behind-the-scenes peek at all of the casino and resort operations. Others groups want to cover a specific area or topic. A popular spouse program is a backstage tour of Donn Arden's Jubilee! at Bally’s, where participants get to see what it takes to turn an average woman into a glamorous showgirl. Blue Man Group small vip group COMBININGincentive programs MEETINGS INCENTIVES WITH Suite Access Many of the organizes in Las Vegas include meetings, with the program usually flowing over four days that include a weekend. “The incentive meeting is such a natural combination in this city, because it allows the corporation to reward their employees and, at the same time, to get some business done,” explains Mick ITINERARY DAY ONE Arrivals throughout the day. Evening: Welcome reception at the hotel, outdoors if possible. A trio of violinists plays as people get a quick bite to eat from the buffet and recover from travel with a chair massage. Rowland, vice president of sales and marketing for the meeting planning and destination management company. Suite Access is organizing a typical Las Vegas incentive program for an irrigation company next May. The group of 1,500 (including guests) will be based at Caesars Palace and have a blend of meeting sessions and activities that the group does together. “They are bringing the whole group—and spouses—together for an all- expense-paid DAY TWO Daytime: Participants choose from excursion options that include golf, shopping, spa, classic excursions like the Hoover Dam, and trendy options like a cooking demonstration with a celebrity chef. Evening: Participants choose the dinner/show pairing they prefer, such as TAO and Blue Man Group at the Venetian, Social House and Mystere at Treasure Island, or Knob Hill and KA at MGM Grand. a gift with impact In a city of superlatives like Las Vegas, the standard pillow gift simply will not do. Quality and creativity are the key attributes of the truly effective gift for the incentive winner, according to Mike Rowland of Suite Access. “We are seeing a lot of organizations taking a one-of-akind approach with items from wellknown companies like Movado, Tumi, and Swiss Army,” he says. “One company actually designed a custom watch with their logo on it; another group of incentive winners received a different piece of a high-quality luggage line each year they won; and one corporation brought in HG Golf Clubs to do a custom fitting for each participant.” One of the most well-received gifts among AWG Destination Services clients has been a small painting customized to the incentive winners' experience in Las Vegas. “We take three photos of significance to the group’s trip, such as a picture of the hotel where they stayed, the golf course where they played, and the show they saw,” explains Kelly Hanley. Artists then do three single-bristle brush paintings arranged side-by-side in a 6" x 12" frame. The back has a custom imprint explaining what the painting is, along with any message the company wants to pass on. “It is something very personal and something people are very proud to display,” says Hanley. On a similar note, leaving a digital camera, like Sony’s new Cyber-Shot DSC-W200, on one’s pillow allows guests to capture their own great Las Vegas moments. DAY THREE Daytime: Group helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon. Evening: Dinner at a celebrity restaurant, like Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace, followed by a private party at Red Room at PURE nightclub. 60 | December 2007 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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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