As for program preferences, Marita Morgan, senior meetings and events planner, at CWT Meetings & Events, based in Mississauga, Ont., says, “The only thing I’m noticing as a trend is that participants are asking for more free time. Some clients feel they have to pack the entire day full with activities, but participants want to chill out. People are asking for Hawaii, but you’re not giving them Hawaii. Sometimes the agenda is so jam packed they don’t have time to do what they want to do. Especially if it’s a spousal program—the spouse wants some alone time with their guest.” Morgan recalls a program where the client wanted to do something every night. “The last day I had planned a special tour for 60 people, but attendees didn’t show—they were exhausted.” DESTINATION SELECTION Carolyn Jacoby Clark, owner of Reina del Sol and meeting and event consultant, based in Barrie, Ont., says, “for my Canadian clients, they will go anywhere as long as it’s a direct fl ight. Canadians just don’t like to change planes, and since COVID, there are not as many direct fl ights. Canadians were used to non-stop fl ights anywhere.” The top three criteria for selecting destinations • Value for money (overall affordability) 89% • Safety (security, health security, personal safety) 87% • Business events/MICE infrastructure (availability of an incentive-focused DMO, the presence of reputable DMCs) 60% Canadians’ love for direct fl ights aside, North American respondents expect programs to stay in closer proximity to the continental US, the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii, with Western Europe close behind. Likewise, planners in Europe are favouring Western Europe, the Gulf States and emerging Europe as their preferred destinations. INCENTIVE TRAVEL REPORT 91% OF PARTICIPANTS SAY INCENTIVE TRAVEL WAS VERY MOTIVATING IN A RECENT Incentive Research Foundation webinar, a panel of industry experts weighed in on the results of a survey entitled Incentive Travel Destination Preferences and their Impact on Motivation. The survey polled 405 sales professional participants from across the US about their take on incentive travel. Travel is back, with 91% of respondents indicating that incentive travel was extremely or very motivating. However, there were some key points from participants as to what they want their incentives to look like. MORE RELAXATION For 87% of respondents, it was extremely important to have no planned activities for at least a portion of the trip. People want to relax and there is a groundswell of resistance to too much group programming. Anne Gorman, vice-president, sales and marketing for streamlinevents, based in California, says “this can be used as a bit of a budget saver, although it seems counterintuitive as planners always want to showcase the destination. I would put this point to good use, let people just hang around the pool and talk with each other. Put on a buffet of snacks and GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT Incentive travellers speak up about their preferences on trips FUTURE CHALLENGES Going forward, there are some clouds on the horizon as incentive travel ramps back up to pre-COVID levels. According to the ITI respondents, rising costs, infl ation, attracting and retaining program talent and loss of knowledge due to staff departures are all top of mind worries for incentive travel professionals. More than half (53%) are also concerned about international instability. Sustainability, diversity and inclusion, increased merger- and-acquisition activity and climate change all rank low on the scale, with climate change as the lowest worry at 11%. Access the full report here: www.incentiveindex.com > 58 | Ignitemag.ca | Winter 2022/23
