Incentive - December 2008 - (Page 48) LUXURY BRANDS programs can earn your most valued participants that dream trip or a chance meeting with their favorite superstar, imagine the opportunity to drive their behavior.” One recent Maritz award offering drew tremendous attention—the presidential inauguration. On January 20, 2009, Maritz will be sending several couples to see the swearing in of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth president of the United States; the trip also includes VIP tickets to one of the inauguration parties in Washington, D.C. “Maritz works years in advance so predicting the hot ticket can be challenging. Two and a half years ago who would have predicted the American people would become so engaged in the pr esidential election process, making the inauguration the event of our lifetime,” Ivcich says. special treatment Tickets to sports and entertainment events are nice, but there are many other ways to make an ev en more positive impression on incentive participants. Enhancing a program can include everything from behind-the-scenes tours and branding to custom communications and pillo w gifts. For example, when Sony Ericsson executives landed at the Miami International Airport and turned on their cell phones, M aria Sharapova welcomed them with a warm greeting to the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament. “The pre-experience is where to shine and little touches can transcend expectations,” says Schwartz, whose company RPMC handled the pr ogram for Sony Ericsson. “Meet-and-greets are also something that money can’t buy. You could have a director, famous writer, athlete or performer show up to a hotel and have a drink with your group. You always want to give them something extra that they don’t expect.” Creating close encounters that incentive participants cannot duplicate on their own is a particular strength of On Point in Houston, Texas. “We provide unique access. For the Kentucky Derby, we have organized backside tours. We start at 6 a.m. and take gr oups to the stables, where they can see the thoroughbreds, talk to the trainers and meet the jockeys, ” says Philippe Tanguy, CEO and founder of O n Point. During the last Super Bowl, On Point arranged for representatives of one pharmaceutical company to meet John Travolta. During the Final Four, a few groups had the chance to attend an awar d ceremony honoring the top coach and top player. For Formula One, On Point has been known to organize meetings with racing team mechanics to talk about their insider experiences. Another trend related to sports and entertainment experiential awards is the pairing of unlikely matches, says S wersky of Inside Sports and Entertainment Group. “For instance, you could have a football hero go on a fishing trip with your winners. This is just another way to add something special to an incentive program,” she says. As for hot dates on the horiz on, the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the 2010 World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, and the 2012 O lympic Games in London are some of the strongest contenders. Whatever event an organization ultimately decides to use in an incentiv e program, the buzz surrounding it will always be far-r eaching. “It is very effective in creating chatter and allowing people an opportunity to meet their hero or see the big play that ev eryone will be talking about ar ound the water cooler,” says Maritz’s Ivcich. “Be certain to include awards that are attainable and meet the key demographics of the par ticipant database. Proper merchandising is the key to a successful pr ogram and inspired participants.” • 48 INCENTIVE LUXURY BRANDS 2008 | SPECIAL SECTION http://www.pcnaplayoffs.com http://www.pcnaplayoffs.com
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