Incentive - March 2008 - (Page 74)

CRUISES TRAVEL Beyond the By Harriet Edleson The cruise industry is getting bigger every year—and so is the number of choices available to planners and winners W hen Charlie Nelson, senior vice president of Great West Retirement Services, a division of Great West Life and Annuity, Denver, plans a cruise incentive, he typically charters a Seabourn ship for 200 employees. “You can give your people a five percent to seven percent pay raise one time, or you can provide a nice incentive, a reward, to attract and retain the talent we want to have on our team,” he says. A key attraction is the ability to create a unique experience for outstanding employees. “We can customize everything from the Incentive menu to the ports of call,” says Nelson. “Everything is custom, down to the daily program that is slipped under the cabin door. We even name the drinks to make it a really personalized, custom event. [Beyond that] you can define which shore excursions you’re going to allow the group to use.” An incentive that builds camaraderie and corporate loyalty is worth a lot to Great West Retirement Services, which spends between $400,000 and $600,000 per cruise annually to inspire and reward its employees. “It’s predominantly work for our people,” says Nelson. “It’s not a vacation. It’s really a business meeting in a really good location.” With that in mind, Nelson has planned, down to the smallest detail, a fivenight Mediterranean cruise for 200 people for late May or early June. “It’s a significant expenditure,” says Nelson, noting that 75 percent of the employees travel with a spouse or guest as well. Nelson chose Portofino—a favorite with Great West employees—as one of the Italian ports of call for the itinerary that includes Monte Carlo (Monaco), Livorno and Rome. The incentive includes a blacktie evening, a deck barbecue night, all shore 74 | | March 2008 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - March 2008

Incentive - March 2008
Contents
Editor’s Note: Delivering on Diversity
In The News
Cover Story: Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace
Incentive Interview: Paul Levesque on Why Awards Fail
Case Study: AEIS’ Max!-imum Incentive Program
Mine Employees’ Creativity with Innovation Incentives
Incentive Must-Reads
The Third Annual Gift Card Roundtable
My Turn: Motivation or Bribery?
Everybody Get Together
In Her Shoes: Why Bosses Should Be Flexible
Incentive Primer: Passport Problem-Solving
potentials Here and Now
Is CES Electronics Heaven?
China and Crystal: More Than a Pretty Face
Travel News
Florida: What’s New on the Beach?
Smooth Sailing for Incentive Cruising
Come To Hawaii And Take It Fast
Last Word: But Enough About You

Incentive - March 2008