Sure. It’s a debatable assertion. Travel incentive programs require planning and logistics support and a keen understanding of employee desires. But a merchandise program? While it may seem easier on the surface, there are some key considerations that make it a much less attractive proposition. At any rate, with Incentive Travel Group on your side, you have outsourced support. And that means a travel incentive program is easier to run than a merchandise program. No doubt about it. Let’s do some key comparisons between the two options.
Providing your employees with tangible rewards may seem like a good idea. Then again, there are some considerations to take into account which illuminate the reasons merchandise doesn’t garner the same results as travel incentives. For one thing, the gadget on offer may already be obsolete by the time the winner’s announced. That’s just a fact of life in the world of merchandise. Something bigger and better is bound to come along. Announce, for example, a merchandise reward that promises a top of the line mobile device and watch faces fall, all over the room. Why? Because the know. They know that the proffered amazing, miracle mobile device is going to be second string by the time the contest’s over. And then, there’s the fact that the tangible is finite and limited in its appeal. How does merchandise capture the vivid imagination of your staff? It just doesn’t have the same appeal as travel.
While merchandise rewards may provide a temporary thrill, there is no comparison to the thrill of an adventure in a destination which contestants have never experienced. A well-chosen travel incentive fires the imagination. It gets your people dreaming. The promise of an experience is the inspiration that never fails. Everyone these days has a bucket list (even if the bucket is far off in the future). Experiences speak to people in a way merchandise never can. While you may be able to get a select group of your employees lit up over the promise of a mobile device, merchandise simply doesn’t have the same cachet. With a travel incentive, you’re giving the winner an unforgettable experience they’ll talk about for years. They’ll share their experience with other staff members who’ll catch fire. Before you know it, your incentive travel program is promoting itself, with your people wondering what’s next and if they’ll be the next winner. A mobile device isn’t going to do that. Once it’s passed around and admired, it’s just another chunk of planned obsolescence, right?
When you leave the logistics, planning, vendors and itinerary to Incentive Travel Group, you’re free to connect with your employees and share the excitement of an incentive travel event they’ll never forget. A travel incentive program is easier to run than a merchandise program when you have the outsourced support of our experts. Take your operation to the next level, with ITG – the travel incentive leaders. Contact us.
