Incentive travel trips are so much more than just a reward!

I recently had the great pleasure of being a part of an incentive travel experience to Las Vegas, awarded to top performing businesses leadership teams across a variety of industry sectors that makes up a group like Bidvest.  As it is such a diverse organisation, it is always an opportunity to meet new colleagues who have joined the group, and in some instances meeting former colleagues who are now part of this group. As the trip unfolded a few things happened that opened my eyes to the fact that these incentive reward trips were so much more than just a pat on the back for what any individual or their company had achieved. The trip would reward people in so many ways that went beyond that. Let’s take a look at a few of these…

Experience a destination first-hand

One of the great rewards, particularly for those who assist people with any form of travel, is that one gets to see and experience a destination first-hand. It is so much easier to sell a place and be able to properly assist travellers when you have been there and experienced the feel and personality of a destination, interacted with its people and enjoyed some of its attractions.

Personal interactions

Another important bonus of these trips is that sometimes, for the first time, you get to know even people you work with closely so much better, let alone the people you will meet for the first time. The trip we were on offered not only group-organised events either but also separate, smaller sideline experiences. So when you experience something like a helicopter flip with just a few others, for example, you find that the kind of bonds you can form with people are everlasting and many long-term friendships have been formed in this way. It is a type of team building in a corporate sense, but not so obvious, because everything is informal and fun. I believe that these kinds of personal interactions are the best way to get people excited about what others are doing!

Great networking opportunities

One of the best benefits of such an experience is, having built these new relationships, and these can be between top management and a sister businesses’ top salesman, for example, you suddenly find that you have greatly broadened your network. This is a fabulous chance to network, amongst your close peers and with those with whom you may never have interacted before, and the best part of it is that it is all conducted in such a natural way that you are not just making contacts but building relationships, some of which become long-term ones.

A great motivator The interesting thing is that I don’t believe anyone returns from a trip such as this with the feeling that they have been rewarded and that is the end of it, so now they may as well just rest on their laurels. It is, in fact, the opposite. The kind of people who generally get rewarded in this way tend to be naturally motivated to do better all the time and these trips tend to motivate such people even more. Apart from just having a great time, If one returns understanding the full benefits of what the experience has given them and the potential opportunities it has opened up for them, they will certainly want to be back next year – hoping not only to meet old friends but new people with fresh ideas and with whom they can build new relationships. I would urge all companies to reward their key people in such a way because, with all these benefits, it is clear that incentive travel trips are so much more than just a reward!

LIDIA FOLLI
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER