Incentive - April 2008 - (Page 34) TRAVEL San Diego Sophistication PAGE 36 Vienna, Old and New PAGE 39 A thriving nightlife, restaurants and trendy new hotels attract incentive groups to the Gaslamp Quarter One of the world’s greatest cities, Vienna still astonishes visitors with its rich history, culture and pastries Better than Cash Travelex Cash Passports in pounds sterling and euros By Anne Marie D. Lee A Farther Reach By Alex Palmer The DMC Network partners with Ovation Global DMC A fter much anticipation, Travelex Cash Passports are now available in pounds sterling and euros in North America. At the Prepaid Card Expo in Vegas, Travelex unveiled the prepaid foreign currency cards that make spending money abroad more manageable, and risk free. The Travelex Cash Passport holds a preloaded sum of foreign currency on a MasterCardbranded card that can be used at most ATMs and anywhere else MasterCard is accepted. Unlike bank cards or traveler’s checks, with the Travelex Cash Passport there is no need to worry about conversion rates when keeping track of spending, since the conversion has already been done. Cards have PIN protection, can easily be replaced and hold zero risk of identity theft, since there is no personal information embedded, as opposed to debit and credit cards. Travelex Cash Passport cards first Incentive appeared in 1997 in Africa, in the form of U.S. dollar–funded cards. The corporate applications of the Cash Passports are numerous, says David Sear, divisional managing director, global outsourcing for Travelex, based in London. Card holders can log on to a “My Account” Web site to check their balance and track their account. The cards also lock in currency value, so that one preloaded with 500 euros six months before a trip will maintain its value of 500 euros, no matter how the dollar may fluctuate in the time between. In addition to its most popular use as a daily spend solution for meeting or incentive travel abroad, Sear adds that Travelex Cash Passport cards are also a popular incentive reward for employees abroad, and are also given out by some airlines as compensation to passengers for any complaints or inconveniences. Send comments to alee@incentivemag.com I n the world of destination management, there is strength in numbers. To expand both membership and their respective offerings in the international and domestic markets, the DMC Network and Ovation Global DMC recently announced a partnership. Together, the two consortiums of DMCs will offer services through a network of companies in 60 locations across the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East. “We were starting to hear from clients that everybody’s been to the major metropolitan areas of North America,” explains DMC Network’s CEO Jim Miller, based in Orlando, Fla. Since the DMC Network includes only North American– based companies, Miller says members would often refer clients looking at international travel to members of Ovation Global, based in Dublin, Ireland. “Now we can say, ‘Not only do we recommend someone, we have a partner in Dubai, we have a partner in Europe,’ and the referral becomes much more credible.” Both groups bring to the table solid backgrounds in organizing and planning incentive travel events, with the DMC Network’s 30 years of operation, and Ovation’s 10 years. The new partnership will allow for collaboration on marketing efforts as well as increased leverage in establishing preferred relationships with other vendors and sup- pliers. Miller also notes that there is a sense of camaraderie and compatibility between the two groups that he feels will likely benefit innovation and program planning across the board. “As a cultural exchange there is good compatibility,” says Miller. “It’s a much farther reach in a world that’s a smaller place.” 34 | | April 2008 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com
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.