| “Incentive & Motivation
looks at how incentive travel can be used to incentivise
staff or third parties as part of a motivation programme,
focusing on its use as a reward. It will examine how
the destination and activities should be picked to
suit the audience and how it fits into programmes
targeted at people with a range of interests and abilities.
This will include a look at how communications materials
can be used to create excitement and motivate participants.
It also examines whether clients are now looking for
proven return on investment out of their incentive
travel campaigns.”
Building staff loyalty is similar to creating consumer
promotions - cash isn’t always the biggest incentive.
If you understand what drives people’s aspirations
a tactical combination of travel related experiences
can be a real winner because the memory will always
last longer than the cash.
For example dinner for two in Paris on Valentine’s
night with accommodation at a top hotel probably won’t
cost more than a £1,000, yet this has far more
perceived value than the cash equivalent. In the same
way, would an employee be more motivated by a night
for 2 at a movie premiere mingling with the stars
of the screen or the £400 extra in their pay
packet ?
Travel is an incredibly emotive force and by tailoring
the incentive to the interests of the individual it
can be highly effective as a motivating initiative.
What are the key considerations when choosing the
gift/prize/reward element of an incentive scheme?
Ultimately no incentive will be successful if the
reward on offer is unappealing to the potential recipients.
If there is a large pool of people then their needs
to be a variety of rewards – no two people’s
motivations are identical, therefore it’s critical
that the rewards on offer are inherently of interest
and appeal to all the individuals taking part in the
incentive. There also needs to be an immediacy in
the reward i.e. don’t offer a trip for 2 to
a festival in October if the reward is won in March
the appeal factor diminishes if the reward can’t
be experienced until some future time, the same can
be said if the winner needs to pay for anything i.e.
offering a trip for one is less appealing as they
will still have to pay for someone to go with them.
Travel is widely used as part of an incentive scheme
due to the broad spectrum of experiences / holidays
available in the market coupled with the ability to
tailor specific incentives to the interests of the
target audience. A bespoke approach ensures that any
solution provided will not only be representative
of the general theme of the motivation programme,
but will be created with the intended target market
in mind. If the rewards themselves are not inherently
of interest to those people to whom the incentive
is aimed then the scheme will fail before it’s
even begun. A lack of interest in the reward will
equate to a lack of interest in the incentive program,
individuals need to be motivated by what’s on
offer to them, a tailored approach will go a long
way to delivering the required interest levels and
ultimately ensure a greater potential for success
and return on investment. Outlined below are a few
examples of individuals of different ages working
in different environments, for each we have highlighted
some travel reacted experiences which might be of
interest. This demonstrates how one individual’s
tastes and motivations will vary from another.
A young female working in an ad agency:
Prizes are tailored towards the youthful market that
is interested in fashion, style and current trends.
Working in a an agency environment the individual
is probably quite gregarious and enjoys interacting
with people hence a personal shopping experience is
ideal as is the opportunity to share the Ultimate
Girls Night In experience with a friend.
A male working in Hi Tech Industry:
Working for a company such as 3 UK in a design role,
the assumption is that he is interested in technology
and fast paced experiences. The Industry and role
he works in is dynamic and technical hence a choice
of experiences such as the Ferrari Fandango you can
combine the beauty of classic engineering and luxury
in the cars with the relaxing and stunning scenery
of the Italian countryside which will provide any
‘downtime’ required.
Editor of Lads Mag:
‘Laddish’, ‘Excessive’, ‘Fun’,
‘ could all be used to describe both Loaded
and Nuts magazines. Therefore to determine the type
of luxury incentive we decided to focus on being able
to do what he wants on his terms without a care in
the world. The trip to Las Vegas will cater to his
carefree verve for life whilst big game fishing will
provide an opportunity to do something quite ‘blokey’.
Finally the Ferrari pit lane pass is the perfect example
of boys with toys in this case the most powerful driving
toys in the world.
The key to delivering a successful corporate incentive
is to clearly communicate the objectives and mechanics
of the scheme to everyone, ensuring all staff buy
into it.
The prizes need to be imaginative, inspirational,
motivating and appealing to all those taking part,
it is also likely the company will be viewed as a
cool place to work. Target levels set for the scheme
need to be challenging but also realistic to keep
interest levels going
How the scheme is communicated is of paramount importance
to its success and the methods of communication adopted,
need to be structured taking into account certain
variables such as the number of potential recipients,
the length of the scheme and its mechanic. For example
the mechanic of how to win must be clear and unambiguous
leaving no potential for misinterpretation.
Consideration needs to be given to whether you want
an incentive that is purely fun or one with an educational
element. The likelihood is that if there is an element
of fun and competition within a team this will create
more of a buzz, an element, which can be emphasised
by having an ongoing visual record of targets versus
achievement. If the incentive is sales target orientated,
the targets you set need to be challenging but not
impossible and if there is an annual sales target
which needs to be achieved, consider whether there
should also be a minimum monthly target to maintain
constant sales over the duration of the incentive.
For group incentives, ensure the destinations being
used have experience of dealing with incentive groups,
they must appreciate that their guests are to be treated
like VIP’s.
Gauging staff reaction and feedback is essential
to getting it right. The simplest way is to note the
level of conversation about the scheme around the
office or by holding an open forum a few weeks into
the scheme to get initial feedback and establish any
concerns and if necessary make any changes.
Getting all elements of an incentive scheme right
is imperative to ensure the maximum return on investment.
Using a specialist provider to either manage the whole
scheme or just for certain elements can ease the work
load and make the difference between an average scheme
to one that all staff are talking about. From the
outset decide which stages you need specialist help,
whether it’s establishing the objectives and
advising on potential formats, running the program,
or just providing the solutions and fulfilment of
rewards. Ensure that whomever you use is flexible,
understands your objectives and will work alongside
you.
- Know what competitors have done recently –
you don’t want to do the same.
- Check off limit destinations with the foreign
office.
- Use an experienced travel promotions specialist
because with heightened security airlines are becoming
increasingly strict on name changes, or knowing
the names of travellers just prior to the travel
dates.
- Don’t forget the small details they really
do count, like convenient travel dates and setting
up the logistics to ensure the smooth running.
- For the prizewinners it is a much-deserved reward
and a such from the moment they win the trip to
the time they arrive home they must be given the
VIP treatment throughout.
- Never underestimate the power of dreams when
motivating consumers or staff.
- Never limit your imagination on what can be achieved.
- ENDS -
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