How to Save Money on Your International Meeting and Incentive Travel Plans

Most employees see group meetings as boring affairs. It is an occasion wherein managers and other bigwigs will spend hours and hours explaining new corporate goals that have to be achieved and plans or strategies that everyone will have to adhere to and follow so that these objectives will be attained. These kinds of meetings are also usually met with lackluster acceptance and enthusiasm if they are held within the confines of the office — the same place where employees work for at least eight hours a day, five times a week.

Corporate meetings held in another country can, therefore, be a gathering that a lot of employees will definitely appreciate and get excited about. Since this will take place abroad, employees will see this as an incentive since they will get to travel.Although this requires a substantial amount of investment from businesses, with proper planning, you can incorporate other key events, such as stakeholders’ meetings or a product launch, to make the most of this remarkable affair.

Meetings of this stature will certainly require a considerable amount of money. But there are ways for you to save money on your international meeting and incentive travel agenda. These include the following:

• Go digital. The days of sending paper invitations and giving printed meeting agendas are long gone. Having a mobile app or simply sending invitations and other reading materials for the meeting online not only enables you to save money on printing, but also simplifies the guest experience. When you make things digital, you also make it easier for attendees to socially share details from the meeting and remember key notes on their own devices.
• Have the event take place on a weekday. Holding the meeting and other related events during weekdays is a sure way of saving thousands of dollars on this endeavor. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are prime days, particularly for weddings and other social affairs, so prices are usually higher. Also, most vendors, such as florists and catering companies, tag higher surcharges for weekend events.
• Don’t hire big-name emcees or entertainers. You don’t have to hire a well-known celebrity to be your emcee or a popular band to provide entertainment for this event. Considerhiring local talents. These lesser-known homegrown performers not only cost less but also are very eager to showcase their talents. It will definitely be agreat way to introduce people to homegrown talent and culture.
• Work with a meeting and travel planning expert. Lastly, you or your staff will save a lot of time and money when you let a seasoned expert handle all the details that come with your international meeting and travel incentive plans. They have access to a wide range of resources and work with trusted vendors and service providers, so you can be assured that all processes will be streamlined and they have backup plans that will ensure that everything in your event goes as smoothly as possible.