Incentive - February 2008 - (Page 80)

MONACO TRAVEL The Grande Dame of Destinations Heaped in culture, excitement and incomparable luxury, Monaco is the great escape for top-notch incentive trips By Anne Marie D. Lee T o reward top producers, National Life Group, an insurance financial company headquartered in Vermont, took a group of 164 salespeople, home-office hosts and their guests on a world-class trip to a thrilling destination no larger than the size of New York’s Central Park: Monaco. LSW is National Life Group’s independent producer channel, based in Dallas, Texas. To qualify for the trip, salespeople from all over the country had a quota to meet. Promotional material to announce the program included information on both the destination and how to qualify. The program succeeded in motivating most participants to reach the quota; hence, only a few individuals didn’t get to go. “This division had done numerous European trips,” says Lynn Averill, second vice president, travel and conferences, for National Life Group. In addition to some domestic trips, the sales group “had done London, Italy, a Mediterranean cruise, Ireland. Really, we had done what we considered the hot spots, and had never been to Monaco,” says Averill. “When I did the site inspection, and with the new Fairmont there, it just seemed like a win-win. So that was the recommendation made.” The new Fairmont of which Averill speaks is the Fairmont Monte Carlo, previously known as the Monaco Grand Hotel. Acquired in a joint venture between Incentive Tables for a group event, set outside the Fairmont Monte Carlo Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. and Kingdom Hotels International back in December 2004, the 619-room property underwent a $50 million renovation and was reflagged, reopening in May 2007. Asked to describe the five-night trip, Averill says, “It was fantastic. We got very positive feedback. A lot of people hadn’t been to Monaco. It’s an incredible destination. Very clean, very safe, very interesting.” Describing the trip in detail, Averill adds that geographically, the destination of Monaco lends itself to the convenience of a split-destination incentive tour. For the 2007 National Life Group trip, participants were taken on a side trip to San Remo, Italy, and then tours to Cannes and other locales in France. Says Averill, “[With Monaco] you really get a combination of destinations, with Monaco being the central point.” Not that Monaco itself doesn’t have a lot to offer. Speaking to U.S. clients these days who are looking for cost-savings, Cindy Hoddeson, director of meeting and incentive sales for the Monaco Government Tourist Office, says, “Three nights in Paris and three nights in Monaco still works fantastically, but there is a little bit of cough because of that inbetween flight and some extra transfers there, so some people are looking at single destinations. And there’s so much to do in Monaco.” (More on cost-savings below.) One of the great appeals of Monaco is the variety of activities available to suit many different interests. Some examples include: creating your own perfume, helicopter tours, jeep tours, Formula 3 driving, and offshore racing. And then there are the cultural offerings. As Hoddeson explains, “We’re strong in the performing arts; there’s the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, art exhibitions, the ballet.” Spearheaded in 1985 by H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, aka Princess Caroline, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo is the first official company of the Principality of 80 | | February 2008 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com

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

Incentive Magazine - February 2008 Editor’s Note: Archie and the Boys In The News Cover Story: On The Ball Incentives Incentive Primer: How to Use Sporting Events Incentive Interview: Jim Avery on Doing the Right Thing Employee Empowerment Motivates and Pays Dividends Hospitals, Nurses Win With Flexible Scheduling Legal Ease: Safety Programs and Unions Case Study: The Weitz Company Retains Its Boomers Potentials: Here and Now Star Power in the Kitchen Awards: Gift Card Trends for the New Year Travel News The Manhattanization of Las Vegas Classics Renewed: Monaco and France Advertiser Index Off The Cuff: Tumi’s Mike Landry

Incentive - February 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.