The interests, aspirations and perspectives of incentive program participants should be placed center stage in our industry’s strategic thinking and advocacy work.
The Bangkok Manifesto, created at the SITE Global Conference in Bankok, Thailand in January, comprises 10 statements developed by incentive industry thought leaders on the industry’s true purpose in the business world today.
The Manifesto has been published in hard copy with the addition of written commentary on each of the 10 statements from industry experts in several disciplines–DMC and DMO sectors, hospitality sector, third party planners and corporate end-users. Each week we will take a deep dive into each one, thanks to our industry experts: This week we look at number four on advocacy with commentary from Michele Samoulides, senior manager, Worldwide Reward & Recognition Programs, Microsoft.
The interests, aspirations and perspectives of incentive program participants should be placed center stage in our industry’s strategic thinking and advocacy work.
As we continue our journey as an incentive travel industry and look for ways to show businesses that incentive travel can be a powerful tool for improving business performance, we must be sure to acknowledge that every corporation has a mission statement related to their culture and beliefs.
More and more companies are focusing on making a positive difference in the world. They have a purpose-driven mission to grow, learn and exceed while also being considerate of diversity, inclusion and sustainability. Many of these companies have a global reach.
When employees from these companies participate in an incentive program, they want their experiences to reflect their beliefs as well. If the destination doesn’t match the culture and beliefs, then it is difficult to support that location. It’s not just about security threats.
Increasingly, companies are looking to the vision statements, policies and beliefs of the destination, hotel or DMC before deciding to invest with them for their incentive programs. While security continues to be a top priority, it is becoming just as important to support destinations that care about human rights and have respect for diversity.
Companies know their participants coming from all over the world are more comfortable in destinations that support diversity and care about human rights. For this reason these are the countries that will be selected for incentive travel programs with a global demographic.
But corporations and incentive qualifiers also want to leave a positive impression behind. They want to be socially responsible. They want to support local communities. They want to make sure the incentive program is considerate of sustainability and waste.
If we as incentive travel professionals we recognize that corporate as well as individual interests and perspectives are an integral part of how incentive travel is perceived, then we will all be more successful in the long run.
