Having just returned from our company conference, it feels like the perfect time to discuss the top tips our travel team lives by when crafting a creative incentive travel group experience.
While there are so many variables in creating a memorable and enjoyable group travel package, there are also quite a few constants that every group should keep in mind.
So, without further ado – here are our best ideas for planning a creative incentive travel group experience!
The first step when planning out your creative incentive travel group experience is to effectively define what you want to achieve with the program. This is where our expert travel team always starts with clients, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise as to why!
Whether you want your guests to come back relaxed, impressed, or reflective of the culture will have a huge impact on the way you plan your program, and the planning will change based on what feeling you want your guests to have upon their return.
It’s an easy mistake to make, but one of the biggest errors that can be made on an incentive travel experience is to not allow downtime. It makes sense – you want to provide an incredible experience for your guests, so you would understandably want to jam-pack the itinerary with as many amazing things as possible!
However, you need to allow time for the guests to do things on their own, and to unwind. If you’ve got them active all the time, they’ll come back exhausted, and won’t have had time to process the amazing experiences they’ve had – meaning you may undo the goodwill you generated by bringing them along!
This might seem simple, but one of the biggest reasons to create a travel incentive group program is for the ‘trophy value’ that it can provide your brand. ‘Trophy value’ is the name we use for a phenomenon (also known as the Halo Effect) where customers will associate positive brand sentiment with a specific milestone or achievement associated with that brand.
We see this a lot with our B2B loyalty and rewards programs – and it definitely works with a travel incentive program!
We all look back fondly on our favourite holidays – the fun, the food, the sights, and sounds – and by creating a corporate incentive travel program, your brand can gift that to your most loyal and high-value customers and have them connect those memories with your brand!
Memorable should go beyond just the trip, though – by implementing exclusive experiences within the program, you can ensure that your customers will have something to take back with them, and more importantly, something to share with their friends, family and colleagues, all while mentioning your brand!
Food and drink can be a great way to have your guests interact with the culture! Make sure to take consideration into planning your meals.
This can be a two-pronged approach, as a fantastic meal can stay with us (which leads into our next point), but a large dinner with all your guests can be a great way to build rapport and relationship, giving you one-on-one time with the people you value enough to take on the trip with you!
We’ve been finding incredibly positive responses to a lot of the educational incentive travel programs we’ve been planning for our clients lately!
These move away from a traditional ‘incentive rewards’ platform, and instead look to the future, providing tangible benefits through professional development opportunities while still creating a legacy event that is difficult to be replicated by competitors.
A recent example of this was created by our NZ travel team, who put together an unbelievable incentive travel program, working closely with top US universities and Ivy League business schools. They worked closely with the clients, putting together an initiative that aligned with their business plan to produce results that tied into the industry and business plan.
By creating an educational program, you can provide bespoke, aspirational activities that allow the clients’ guests to take home both a once-in-a-lifetime experience that also provides them with information and skills that can help them in their jobs once they return back home.
More and more businesses are recognising the responsibility they carry for improving the world we live and work in, which is why we’re noticing an increase in corporate social responsibility platforms in clients.
These CSR initiatives can very easily be rolled into a travel incentive program at varying levels – from the whole concept of the trip, down to making charity efforts throughout the program.
Our favourite example of this is a trip we did a few years back, where a group went to New York, bringing along a Weber and some snags and salads to create an authentic AU/NZ BBQ in the Bronx. They created an entire cookout, donating the BBQs to charity once they were done, alongside managing to raise $5,000 USD to be donated to the NYPD.
This is something that we feel passionate about, which is why we launched our KoruGreen commitment in 2022. Considering that travel incentive programs are all about sharing the beauty of our planet with one another, it’s important to do what we can to ensure we can leave it in a good place.
We hope that you’ve taken some great tips away from our piece on crafting an exceptional incentive travel group experience! These are just a few recommendations, but it’s a good start for what to do (and what not to do) when it comes to planning out a memorable and exclusive travel incentive program.
However, one of the biggest things we can recommend is to enlist those who do it professionally, such as ourselves. With over 27 years in the industry, we have access to venues, experiences and contacts that the general public simply don’t, and can plan this with ease, allowing you to focus on networking and spending time with your guests.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and let us work with you on your next incentive travel program, reach out today and strap yourself in!
The tips aren’t everything – logistics, contacts, event planning and experiences all carry a heavy burden and require finesse to deliver.
Why not leave them to our travel incentive professionals, who have been delighting our clients for over 27 years?
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