Incentive - April 2010 - (Page 12)

2010 MERCHANDISE ROUNDTABLE What They Want THREE INDUSTRY EXPERTS DISCUSS THE STATE OF THE INCENTIVE MERCHANDISE BUSINESS MODERATOR • Leo Jakobson, Senior Editor, Incentive PARTICIPANTS • Kristine Forret, Supervisor of Individual Awards, ITAGroup • Terry Markwart, Director of Special Accounts, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. • Pete Mitchell, Director of B-to-B Sales, Samsonite Leo Jakobson: How was 2009 and how does 2010 look? Pete Mitchell: I have 2009 exactly where I want it, in the rearview mirror. It was the most challenging year of my career. It reminded me a lot of what happened after 9/11, in that there was this convulsion of the business. But that didn’t last nearly as long and was not nearly as severe as this. It has been a real adventure for us. Specifically because of the category Samsonite is in. Travel was decimated by this recession, both incentive travel and personal of Muriel Wilson, director travel, and we are tiedconferencesthat. So, for us, 2009 was to a lot of and events, just a mess. Virtuoso Terry Markwart: Well, 2009 was obviously a challenging year for everybody, but we want to see a return on their investment— they want to be able to see results. Kristine Forret: I would say that 2009 was actually OK for us, primarily because of the large amount of points-based programs that we deal with. Participants still had those point balances that they had been accumulating, and they spent in the catalogs as things went downhill. In 2010, we are looking at companies issuing a lot fewer points. They are really keeping their eye on how much they are paying out for the activity that’s being done. We are seeing that 2010 is the time to relook at strategies and figure out what program earning structures should look like. Mitchell: Kristine, you at ITAGroup talk to the end-user and I don’t. Has the mood actually did quite well in 2009. We just had to roll up our sleeves and be a little sharper and figure out how we could be more effective. We had to get closer to the customer. But 2010 will still be a tough year. It’s not going to be like the old days. Clients are putting their toe back in the water a little bit, but they are still very conservative and they 12 | Incentive | April 2010 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - April 2010

Incentive - April 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note: Lovely, Precious Mutant Coconut Balls
Headlines
Cover Story: Making Dream Come True
2010 Merchandise Roundtable
Strategies: Use Gaming to Build Consumer Loyalty
How to Market Your Program
Travel News: Where to Go
Mexico: On the Go In Lovely Los Cabos
Travel, Awards, and Gift Cards
Potentials: Here & Now
Camera Accessories

Incentive - April 2010