The Incentive Travel Business Case

Incentive Travel is a self-funding marketing activity that employs unique travel experiences to reward people who achieve exceptional business performance - Society for Incentive Travel Excellence

Traditionally, three key factors are needed for an incentive travel programme to be successful:

• easy and speedy accessibility
• quality hotel accommodation (including food & beverages)
• excellent value for money

Memorable incentive moments are the “creative touches” or “aha” experiences that surprise and delight beneficiaries and participants.

These exceptional moments are what particulary define an incentive travel programme as an authentic and extraordinary experience offered as a reward for / or in recognition of exceptional work / and or sales performances.

Exceptional incentive travel programme delivery is, however, no longer necessarily exceptional because many companies and incentive travel planners have come to expect exceptional professional service as par for the course in their dealings and interactions with destinations, convention bureaux, DMCs, PCOs, accommodation providers, locations, venues, transport and other suppliers.

A growing number of corporate decision-makers are also increasingly seeking incentive travel destinations and partners that are not only bespoke and creative but also fine-tuned to their particular business sector, its culture, targets, goals and other requirements (e.g. automobiles, IT, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking, biotechnology, media, insurance).

The Business Case rationale, so to say.

A good example of contemporary Business Case reasoning is the VOLVO Group's CAMP X innvovation and co-creation campus mission statement:

"By establishing CampX by Volvo Group we will drive the transformation to new disruptive business models and technologies, with a focus on automation, electromobility and connectivity. "

Such are the corporate goals which DMOs, CVBs, DMCs and PCOs should understand when bidding for MICE business and offering solutions to RFPs. Fundamental questions that should be asked - and answered - are why participants are there and what does the client actually wish to achieve?

Another example of Swedish thinking is the Lindholmen Science Park in the smart and sustainable convention city of Gothenburg - a dynamic space and an arena for collaboration across geographical borders and home to several of Sweden’s leading development projects, with a focus on mobility for tomorrow.

Photo: Lindholmen Science Park, Göteburg, Sweden © Lindholmen Science Park

Lessons may be learnt in Lindholmen Science Park about the creation, innovation and diffusion of ideas, technologies, linkages and global trends - Swedish expertise since the pioneering days of University of Lund Human Geography Professors, Torsten E. Hägerstrand and Gunnar Törnqvist.

Bearing these examples of contemporary business practice and motivation in mind, incentive travel providers should develop and adopt customised Incentive Travel Business Cases spelling out in detail why companies and organisations should organise their incentive travel programmes, conferences, meetings and motivational events in any particular city, region and / or country.

These case arguments should be strategically aligned to client objectives, consisely defined and carefully incorporated into and / or reflected in the travel programmes when and where relevant.

Incentive Travel Business Cases should feature prominently in RFP submissions, sales pitches, B2B exhibition stands (e.g. IMEX Frankfurt, CONVENTA) and appear selectively on landing pages, social media posts, news and press pronouncements concerning the event.

Stakeholders should be appropriately educated and briefed - ensuring that all actors are finely in tune with the appropriate message and singing loudly from the same book.

Your clients will be eminently inspired and indeed most suitably impressed!

Photo: "Making the Case" at CONVENTA 2019 in Ljubljana © Dr. Patrick Patridge

©️ 2019 Dr. Patrick Patridge - https://www.patrick-patridge.com