Limited Daily Options:
Many companies who are new to incentive travel insist on direct flights for their President's Club trip. For NYC, Dallas, Miami, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Chicago based companies a daily direct flight is easy to come by for most of the Caribbean. But for the rest of the US, including major cities such as Boston and San Francisco reality is that most airlines only fly to the Caribbean on weekends, at best. And this only applies during the busy season.
Hotel Competition:
Executive Group Travel's Review of Four Aruba Hotels. Stay tuned for upcoming reviews on Aruba group restaurant options and DMC's
Mitigate Surprises:
One of the most important aspects of the planning of incentive trips and sales kickoff events is budgeting. The key to all budgeting is mitigating surprises. We found that utilizing Google Sheets and sharing a detailed budget spreadsheet with your clients is one way to make sure there are no surprises when the final checks are written.
Qualifications:
We highly recommend setting expectations and qualifying rules in month one or two of the year at the annual sales kickoff meeting for the following year's trip (current year's President's Club). During this meeting you can announce the dates in a save the date format but you do not need to release the location. Start building up anticipation and excitement within the sales team or entire company. It is important that your employees know how they can qualify and can get a jumpstart in the beginning of the year. This sets a standard and level playing field so all employees know what to expect.
Unique:
This location is definitely unique given its breakup over two resorts but it has a few great features that make it a good option for your next sales meeting. Many companies are using it as an alternate to the Breakers given the Breakers availability is limited over the next two years for group meetings.
The RFP:
You might have heard the letters RFP but never understood exactly what it meant. An RFP is a request for proposal in which a company uses to solicit suppliers to submit quotes (proposals) for a business opportunity.
For many industries the RFP process is both daunting and exhilarating. It means you have a new prospect but it also means there are competitors in the deal and there is leg work to be done. For those creating the RFP there are a few tips to ensure you are submitting an efficient and effective RFP.
The Hard Rock Hotel:
We recently just returned from a two hundred and twenty person incentive trip to the Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. This was our second trip to the property which included a site visit back in November.
We provide this review to help others looking to book future events at the property. One thing is for sure, the views from the oceanfront rooms were amazing with impressive morning sunrises. And you won't be able to beat the service provided by the Hard Rock staff.
Learning Curve:
Zika Virus:
The Zika virus has been a constant subject of discussion throughout the meeting planner world. First and foremost make sure you, the planner or the company, is not providing advice to attendees with questions. Recommend those who are concerned to speak to their doctors and also provide them CDC updates and factual reports. It is important to offer cancellations and conversations in confidentiality so your attendees do not feel obligated to reveal private information before they are ready. This is much easier when working with a third party meeting planner than an internal company planned trip.
F&B minimum and what it means for your group:
First, the F&B is always negotiable. Before you sign any contract make sure you run the numbers of how you are planning to meet the F&B requirement and what qualifies as an F&B expense. Many times dine-arounds or smaller dinners are not included and only the banquet menu counts towards your F&B. If you need meeting space the hotel will most likely offer to waive the "rental fee" if you meet an Food and Beverage minimum spend.
Second, many hotels will push multiple on-site dinners. Don't be afraid to push back. Present to them what you are "hosting" as a company and see if they can work the F&B around that itinerary.