Here’s a lesson that has proven itself time and time again: that negative thinking expands exponentially. People will fall in line and begin to commiserate about the woeful state of business. Many practitioners in the meetings/incentive industry have fallen prey to that phenomenon in the past few years.
There is no denying that our industry has suffered a significant downturn but it is apparent that is now behind us. Concentrating on the past only prolongs the hardships. Instead, taking a positive approach --- a motivational approach, if you will --- shows the corporate world what we already know: incentive marketing can increase a company’s profitability even in difficult times. What we need are practitioners who will solve business problems rather than just sell their product.
Incentive and meeting planners have to find the right product to fill the varied needs of their clients. Choosing the right destination for that group at this time --- whether domestic, offshore or international --- is an obvious step. Another consideration is whether it is best to use a traditional group award or to opt for individual travel and/or merchandise and certificates. We cannot afford to get stuck in our old ways. Selling the product that is most comfortable for us --- or most profitable --- does absolutely nothing to expand the incentive/meetings business, and, at best, it is probably only a short-term fix for the supplier.
Destinations (and that includes resorts, hotels and DMCs) have to take a hard look at their product to see how it can be redesigned to accommodate the needs of today’s market. Security and safety are a primary concern today. If you have raised your standards in this area so that they insure peace of mind for incentive travelers and meeting participants, be sure your clients know what you have done.
Too many of us also fail to stress the positive ROI benefits from incentive programs and meetings. Companies will be quick to eliminate these programs in order to reduce costs, but only because they view them as an expense. If we demonstrate their return on investment --- the actual contribution to bottom line profit --- clients will start to view our programs differently.
The responsibility to grow the incentive travel market is not the sole domain of incentive houses. The responsibility falls upon all of us. If you’re a hotelier, DMC or in another discipline, you constantly encounter opportunities to introduce the concept of incentive travel to your business contacts. Because the concept is often unknown and/or misunderstood, there is an enormous need for all of us to generate interest in incentives.
We need more champions to talk about the positive results generated by incentive programs. We must all get out there and shout the benefits of our programs. The results will be good for clients and their stockholders --- and good for us!