If there is one thing employees need in a post-covid world, it is an incentive trip to get back into the world! What better way to show your employees gratitude and reward them for their efforts? Nothing says “we appreciate you and your hard work” like a well-earned 5-star luxury trip. In fact, this study found that people increase their performance by 27 percent when motivated by incentive programs. Chances are, if your employees are in sales or high performing roles, they have attended quite a few of these programs. So, how can your company take it to the next level? Keep reading to learn how…
1. Go All Out
If you have the budget – fly all employees first class. If your employees have earned an invitation, they deserve first-class treatment. Not only will they be given special treatment, but chances are it will provide the motivation they need to keep up the work and continue performing highly in their role. If first class is simply not an option, provide attendees with a small travel kit. These can include items such as an eye mask, hand lotion, comfy socks, and maybe some snacks, mailed to them prior to their flight so they will have a touch of first class while flying coach.
Another way to take the experience to the next level is by booking 5-star hotels only. Beachside properties are always a good choice as you can utilize the venue for beach and poolside galas like our all-star team did for this F100 Tech Company Incentive. It even won a SITE Crystal Award for Best Motivational Travel Program! Show employees just how much you appreciate them with a welcome committee upon arrival, comfortable hotel rooms, and luxury amenities.
2. Incorporate a Once in a Lifetime Activity
Plan activities unique to your location to keep employees engaged and provide an experience they won’t find anywhere else. For this Incentive Awards Trip in Barcelona, Spain our team hosted a private group tour and tasting at one of the most historic wineries in the country. In San Diego, we brought in a team of 8 sand sculptors who built several castles and dragons from Game of Thrones to exact scale for an HBO Game of Thrones Incentive.
Valerie Moore, a Proposal Development Manager at MGME has a ton of incentive planning experience under her belt. “I often would hire professionals to accompany guests on their activities...a photographer to teach nature photography while hiking, an Olympic bobsledder for a bobsledding activity at Utah Olympic Park, a celebrity chef for a cooking class - anything to make it so special that attendees could not do it on their own,” says Valerie. “Everyone can take a cooking class but not everyone can have a celebrity chef instruct them and present each attendee with a chef’s coat at the end of class. Not everyone can hike with someone who climbed Everest to tell you their incredible stories or go on an African safari with a National Geographic photographer. The possibilities are endless!”
3. Provide Gifts Indigenous to the Culture
Always provide gifts that are specific to the destination you are visiting. In Bermuda, shorts and blazers for the men, in China bring in a tailor for the guests to be fitted for traditional jackets to be worn at the final night dinner, in Scotland provide kilt fittings – you get the point here! And always have an element of surprise. You may take the group out on a hike as an activity but then they turn a corner and BAM...there is a fully decorated picnic in the woods with snacks and goodies, such as a build your own trail mix station and branded reusable water bottles for each guest. High touch elements like this will have your employees impressed and motivated long after the trip ends.