Employee Engagement:
The first and most important rule in a sales content is making each eligible employee feel as though they have a chance to win. That chance might be a long shot but there is still a reason for that individual to compete.
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Best Destination?
For companies with offices on the East Coast in the US and throughout Europe, Ireland has become a great destination for incentive travel. Direct flights are affordable from East Coast cities as well as most European destinations. There are many unique boutique and even castle hotels such as Ashford Castle that can make your trip special and different from the normal large hotel chain.
This is a question that is constantly debated in the industry and there are great arguments for both sides.
Kids or No Kids:
One question that gets asked each year is can I bring my kids? Unless the children are under 1 year old we recommend you DO not open your trip to allow kids to attend. We recommend setting an age limit of 18 and over. This not only takes away the opportunity for attendees to bring a child as their guest but also deters guests from bringing their entire family on the trip. In the past we have seen a request for kids to attend end up being three children and also two grandparents for babysitting duties.
Promotion:
How to make your next incentive trip memorable for not just the attendees but those sales reps back in the office. One of the most important aspects of an incentive trip is the promotion of that trip.
The promotion of the trip begins with the big announcement. How can you make this event stand out and get your team excited?
- Video
- Branded Swag with Trip Logo
- Release Party
Importance of Wi-FI:
One of the biggest risk of an incentive trip is taking your top sales reps out of the office for 3-5 days and the lost revenue during this period. Not only does the number of deals closed during this time decrease significantly but also there is no increase to the sales pipeline while your sales reps are enjoying their reward.
Most people assume the reason Wi-Fi is most important is so the sales reps can stay in touch with their clients and prospects while on this reward trip. Yes this is important, but free Wi-Fi also enables your attending reps to stay in touch with each other while on property without additional costs. Within the industry it is best practices to negotiate free Wi-Fi for any incentive group.
Here are a few tips to help alleviate any stress regarding communications while on your incentive trip.
Group Incentive Travel:
Flight Blocks are a perfect solution for group travel especially when a majority of attendees are flying the same route.
Make sure you let the airline know that the flight block is for an incentive trip as this increases flexibility in the rules. Most travel agencies will help layout the different policies and help you decide what is the right route and airline for your company.
All-Inclusive Right For You?:
There are some great benefits to booking an all-inclusive trip but also some drawbacks. One major hurdle for companies deciding on an all-inclusive resort is the quality of food. We recommend finding an all-inclusive option that has multiple restaurants on property and a range of different cuisines. Do research the food quality in places such as Tripadvisor and also ask the hotel to provide recent incentive group contacts so you can reach out to them directly. The quality and selection of food can make or break your trip and with incentive travel this is the biggest hurdle when finding the right all-inclusive option for your company. A la carte hotels are a great solution but dinner per plate charges can quickly blow a budget for nightly company dinner events.
US Destinations:
As the incentive travel industry continues to grow, Southeast Asia and Europe are gaining popularity. But before you venture across the world there are great options here in the US to host your next President's Club.
The US has so much to offer from amazing beaches, to cities that never sleep, to challenging golf courses and even great live music destinations.
Which method is more effective to motivate and reward employees?
Each year companies debate over providing an annual incentive trip or cash rewards. If you ask employees over 70% will choose the cash rewards if presented an option (when trip is of almost equal value) but follow up surveys revealed satisfaction is actually greater when providing incentive travel.