The Incentive Travel Business Case

· MICE Business

SITE DEFINITION: Incentive Travel is a self-funding marketing activity that employs unique travel experiences to reward people who achieve exceptional business performance.

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

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

A growing number of incentive travel decision-makers and planners are increasingly seeking incentive travel destinations that are also appropriate to their business sector (e.g. automobiles, IT, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking, biotechnology, media, insurance).

Incentive travel suppliers and destinations should develop an Incentive Travel Business Case spelling out clearly and consisely why companies and organisations should hold their incentive travel programmes and motivational events in their city, region, country.

This should then be tweaked and treated as another core USP forming part of RFP bids and meeting invitations to e.g. IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX America and / or IBTM World and for requests for sales mission appointments both at home and abroad.

The Incentive Travel Business Case should also feature on relevant websites, at all exhibitions and in social media communications, client invitations, news releases and media pronouncements. Shout it out from the rooftops so to say!

There is absolute need for strategic alignment, too – everything that is done must link back to prevailing corporate goals and objectives in target / key client sectors, otherwise the incentive travel experience is meaningless in the medium to long run.

Exceptional incentive travel programme delivery is not actually exceptional. Companies and incentive travel planners have come to expect this as par for the course in all their dealings and interactions with destinations, convention bureaux, DMCs, accommodation providers, venues, transport and other suppliers.

Memorable incentive travel moments are the “creative touches” or “aha” experiences that surprise and delight. These are what define the travel programme for beneficiaries / participants as an authentic and extraordinary experience offered by their company or organisation as a direct result of, reward for and / or motivation for their own exceptional performance.