Incentive - January 2008 - (Page 16)

COVER STORY Points from the Pros Experts share practical tips for tacking on a meeting to an incentive program “Hold your incentive program in a destination that is more relaxing, like a resort, especially one that has good meeting space and a nice environment. If the main event has a lot of business content, allow for pre- and post-extensions to make the program more palatable for the participant.”—Fay Beauchine, executive vice president of global meetings, incentives and events for Carlson Marketing “Provide an air of exclusivity to the content you are putting out there. It’s not about alienating the rest of the organization, but providing an extra perk to the high achievers. For instance, you can hire external speakers who are industry leaders.”—Lynn Stadler, strategic meetings consultant for Maritz “Be sensitive when it comes to spouses. You have to recognize that you can’t keep qualifiers in a room for a full day with the spouse not having anything to do. Offer attractive activities, such as tours, when the incentive participants are in their meetings.”—Jerry McGee, president of Ambassadors Unveiling big corporate news at the annual AT&T Summit is one way the company keeps the meeting component of its incentive program exciting initiatives for the upcoming year. This group knows that they are really special, the crème de la crème.” The AT&T Summit demonstrates how combining a meeting and incentive into one cohesive program can deliver real results. If this integration is done correctly, explains Lynn Stadler, a strategic meetings consultant for Maritz Inc., the St. Louis–based company that helped organize the AT&T Summit, a meeting can generate tremendous momentum for a program. “Historically, companies began to include meetings in their incentive programs because of tax implications. However, as meetings evolved as part of incentive programs, people started to realize that ‘We have this group of the highest performers. These are people who we want to train. These are role models. We can put forward messaging that will cascade out to the rest of the organization,’” says Stadler. “People who typically earn these trips want to succeed, so including topics that help them do their job better is also of great interest to them and can become an appealing part of an incentive program.” Incentive takes a look how some companies are engaging employees and customers with elements of work and play—and shares a few of their tips. Good Call If the recent “Incentive Research Foundation Profile Study: The Market for Incentive Travel, Motivational Meetings and Special Events in the United States,” is an indicator, the industry as a whole is making quite an impact on many businesses trying to achieve organizational goals. In 2006, the total market reached the $77.1 billion mark, with 66 percent of companies in the United States using one or more of the business tools. Breaking down expenditures by application, incentive travel accounted for $13.4 billion; motivational meetings, $25.9 billion; and special events, $37.8 billion. When it comes to the “incentive meeting,” success ultimately stems from good planning. “Business objectives have to be pulled through everything you do. You have to understand that if you are combining a meeting and an incentive program, the content and the mix of activities, the choice of location, the inclusion of guests are all very continued from page 18 Jerry McGee, president of incentive house Ambassadors 16 | Incentive | January 2008 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January 2008

Incentive - January 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Out of SITE In The News Cover Story: Include a Meeting, Improve Morale Case Study: DHL Delivers Recognition Incentive Primer: How To Use Promo Products How Bob Nardelli Rallied Chrysler’s Dealers Incentive Interview: Ken Blanchard Says Be Nice TV’s Extreme Makeover Motivates Giving Pre-Employment Motivation The Daycare Dilemma Happy Employees Shouldn’t Mix with Sick Employees Incentive Research: Consumer Promotions Report In Her Shoes: Winning Approval Of Flextime Travel News Field Report: Barcelona Field Report: Bermuda Golf: Follow The Pros potentials Here and Now Watches As Jewelry Awards: Online Gift Cards Tech Gadgets for 2008 Last Word: Stanley Bing Bashes Bully Bosses

Incentive - January 2008

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