Incentive - August 2008 - (Page 6)

AUGUST 2008 www.incentivemag.com EDITOR’S NOTE The Human, Global Touch t the Recognition Professionals International Conference this year in Newport Beach, Calif., Derek Irvine, VP of Global Marketing & Client Strategy for incentive house Globoforce, and Mary Kennett, senior manager of human resources at Amgen, a biotech company that makes pharmaceuticals, did a seminar on the challenge of making incentive programs work worldwide. They played to a pretty packed house. The fact is, more and more companies are trying to learn all they can about global recognition as the world Jennifer Juergens becomes smaller and smaller. Irvine discussed the best practices for launching global reward and incentive programs to deliver optimal results. He and Kennett talked about how Globoforce helped Amgen roll out Bravo!, a global program that was pretty easy to manage and maintain. “Amgen had a culture of recognition, but did not have the tools to recognize people on a global basis,” Kennett says. Now they do. Read Leo Jakobson’s cover story, starting on page 16, which also includes the ins and outs of the global recognition program Avnet has in place. The main theme for both companies? How a global program can successfully unite your workforce worldwide while also delivering an extra boost to your return-on-investment. Steve Church, the senior vice president and chief human resources development officer of Avnet, a distributor of computer and electronic components, says of a successful recognition program, “employees stay longer, and they’re your best recruiters. They go above and beyond. They perform better so the company performs better.” Also at the Recognition Professionals International Conference was Steve L. Robbins, who gave a moving speech about diversity (he was born in Vietnam) and, at lunch, got everyone together in one of the most Kumbaya moments I’ve ever had at a conference. His story, in our Interview section, begins on page 26. On a lighter note, read the story about incorporating comedy at your next meeting or incentive (page 38). I met Josh Beckerman at a function, and I’ve seen a few magicians in my life, but his act had us all amazed. And even though it’s only August, it’s time again to start thinking about holiday gifts. The story starts on page 71. Hope you get a few ideas. Enjoy the issue. Editorial and Executive Offices 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595 (646) 654-4500, Fax (646) 654-7650 Group Publisher Daniel J. Corcoran EDITORIAL (646) 654-4500 Editor in Chief Jennifer Juergens (646) 654-4485 Senior Editor Leo Jakobson Managing Editor Alex Palmer Online Editor Stacy Straczynski Contributing Editor Julie Barker Editor at Large Jeanie Casison Special Projects Director Karen Gines Research Director Nancy Lazarus A ART Art Director Jennifer Ruf (646) 654-7704 PRODUCTION Production Manager Anita Wise (646) 654-7298 CIRCULATION, SUBSCRIPTION & ADDRESS CHANGES (847) 763-9050, Fa x (847) 763-9037, E-mail iv@halldata.com LIST RENTAL Postal info (845) 731-2731, E-mail info (845) 731-3854 REPRINTS Mike Shober (800) 290-5460 x129, incentive@theYGSgroup.com PERMISSIONS & LICENSING Barbara Grieninger (646) 654-4675, barbara.grieninger@nielsen.com MEDIA KIT www.managesmarter.com/mediakits ADVERTISING Associate Publisher Monique Agaliotis (646) 654-7638 Central Midwest Marvel Jasnoch (507) 663-1480 Great Lakes Region Jason Wafalosky (610) 792-2481 West Coast and Hawaii Peter Edmunds (714) 963-3499 International Ad Director, Southeast, Caribbean Sharon Waters (301) 318-4580 MARKETING Marketing Director Robert Kuwada (646) 654-5159 Marketing Associate Jennifer Ginsberg (646) 654-7210 Jennifer Juergens Editor in Chief jennifer.juergens@nielsen.com President: Greg Farrar • Senior Vice President, Human Resources: Michael Alicea • Senior Vice President, Marketing: Mark Hosbein • Senior Vice President, Finance: Derek Irwin • Senior Vice President, Entertainment: Gerry Byrne • Senior Vice President, Marketing, Media & Visual Arts: Sabrina Crow • Senior Vice President, Retail: David Loechner • Senior Vice President, Online: Linda McCutcheon • Senior Vice President, Building & Design: Joe Randall • Senior Vice President, Central Ser vices: Mary Kay Sustek • Vice President, Licensing: Howard Appelbaum • Vice President, Manufacturing & Distribution: Jennifer Grego • Vice President, Audience Marketing: Joanne Wheatley 6| Incentive | August 2008 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com http://www.managesmarter.com/mediakits http://incentivemag.com

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

Incentive - August 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
In the News
Cover Story: Amgen and Avnet, a Pair of Fortune 200 companies, are taking two very Different Approaches to Rolling out a Global Recognition Program
Incentive Interview: Author, Speaker, Professor, Refugee; Steve L. Robbins’ many hats have led him to ask, “What if ... The World isn’t as We Think It Is?”
Case Study: Rudi’s Organic Bakery Found that an incentive trip with a Strong Social Responsibility Component Works Wonders
Gift Card IQ
Banking on Relationships
Corporate Comics Make Serious Points
Incentive Primer: Tom Miller
Gas Incentives Rev Up
Legal Ease: Pitfalls Beyond Taxes
My Turn: Airline Frequent Flier Programs
Travel News: Where To Go and What To Do
Amalfi Coast: A Classic Italian Destination
Hong Kong: The Original Chinese Incentive
Ireland: South, East, West, and Now North
potentials Here and Now
Electronics: Top Tech Trends
Luxury Goods: Exceptional Awards
Corporate Gifting: Rules and Ideas
Excite and Incent: Spot Rewards
Advertiser Index
Off the Cuff: Hollis H. Malone

Incentive - August 2008