With The Great Resignation and quiet quitting on the rise, ensuring employees are incentivized to stay put is more crucial than ever. Ashley Pruitt, site selection manager, says, “Incentive experiences are the key to retaining star talent. However, it is more than just sending your top earners to a luxe resort. It is about the experience they have when they arrive.”
Here are five ways you can elevate your incentive experience.
Keep the Surprises Coming
Small details create the big picture. Sending a surprise travel package a week before the trip containing – but not limited to – a personalized luggage tag or a pair of quality headphones for the plane ride helps to kick off their experience before they even leave home. When they arrive, have them dive into the regional culture with gift basket room drops from the hotel containing local snacks and drinks to enjoy.
Involve the Plus Ones
Having a partner to enjoy the ride makes the experience much merrier. And your earners’ plus ones are typically the support system at home – so why not include them?
The Incentive Research Foundation conducted a study in the spring of 2022 where they found that one of the highest-ranked priorities was being able to invite a significant other or friend along for the second consecutive year.
Give your earner and their significant other something they can experience together by planning an excursion or working with a local Destination Management Company (DMC) to provide some options with local flair.
Make It a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity
Tailoring your destination and experiences to what appeals to your earners is vital. For example, are most of your earners millennials looking for adventure? It is easy to opt for a beautiful beach resort but going the extra mile to really “wow” your employees is crucial after a year of hard work.
Creating an experience of a lifetime, such as an African safari or a cruise through the fjords of Iceland, is sure to keep your top performers working harder each year and talking about it for years to come.
Take It a Step Further
Drive your employee’s momentum before the holidays by creating a competition for VIP status that runs through the end of the year. Leverage the concessions in your hotel contracts, such as suite upgrades, spa treatments, and cabana rentals. Our team of site selection professionals can ensure your hotel contracts have all these extras and more!
Offer Flexibility
You may have attendees who are not ready to travel out of the country or have a prior engagement already during the trip dates. Tap into ME Rewards from Meeting Expectations, an employee incentive and recognition program that provides executive-level experiences on their own time. While your employee may not get to attend a trip with their colleagues, you can still give them something to remember. ME Rewards allows you to give a flexible reward option to be redeemed for exclusive travel anywhere – from weekend getaways to 14-night cruises.
Find out more about ME Rewards and how you can utilize this program.
