It’s not breaking news that every company is different, when it comes to selecting the right travel incentives. Effective, professional planning acknowledges this factor, while understanding that some key rules apply. Crucial to putting in place incentives that work for your organization is to find your travel incentive sweet spot. Following are some general tips to help you do that.
There’s no travel incentive in the world that’s going to be 100% successful without effective promotion. Letting your employees know about the incentive, how to win it and what it entails, is an ongoing project that supports the success of the event. Department heads are your “go to” people for this. Provide them with everything they need to let employees know about the incentive and to generate buzz. That buzz is going to vibrate through your organization via departmental staff and get everyone engaged. Effective communication is the cornerstone of effective travel incentives.
Once the incentive has been won, it’s not enough to hope and trust that the winning employees are going to have a great time and come home raving about it. You need to ensure that’s the case. Providing access to key people for the winner, while they’re experiencing the travel incentive, creates a sense of intimacy and kinship with your enterprise and its goals. It cements the relationship and instills loyalty. When your employees can gain access to key people they’ve only encountered peripherally at work, they’re not going to forget and they’re going to share the experiences they have with other staff.
Offering travel incentives is an opportunity for executives and upper level management to take a hands-on approach to promising employees. Inspiration is a key factor in travel incentives, but you can up the inspiration ante by being present to employees who may need encouragement. Being present means helping, supporting and critiquing the efforts of those who are in it to win it. By letting employees know they have the right stuff to win the incentive, you’re showing them you appreciate their contributions and value them.
Let your people know that the travel incentive on offer isn’t just a reward, or a chance to face-to-face with key players. It’s also a chance for them to get to know their colleagues on an entirely different level. That’s the big picture that counts. Often while we’re working, we’re so focused that we forget to slow down and gain insight into those we’re working with. Convey the fact that the travel incentive experience is a unique opportunity to interface with colleagues and build strong bonds that will serve your employees and the organization.
For more than two decades, ITG has been a leader in the incentive travel market. With key vendor relationships all over North America and beyond, we bring you destination knowledge which creates unforgettable itineraries. If you’re ready to find your travel incentive sweet spot with these tips, contact us.
